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AIND GARDENE R'S JOURNAL. 



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I'UBLISllEl) BY JOSEPH BUECK & CO., NO. S"2 NOKTH MARKET STliEET, (Agimcui.tural Wakkuouse.)— T. G. FEbSENDElN, EDITOR. 



VOL.. XVI. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 4, 1837. 



NO. 13. 



^<3aa<2^1£.lS"(i'iaAIS,a 



tKrom tile Ohio Farmer.) 

 MEADOWS. 



It has been rcmnrked by the wri(ei-s on agri- 

 culture, that natural meadows are no where to be 

 found ; becau.xe all grass hinil which is in a state 

 of nature, neither enclosed nor cultivated, is uni- 

 versally pasture Many centuries probably elap- 

 sed, before the invention of preserving grass by 

 drying it into a state of hay ; and this discovery, 

 which gave rise to what we now term meadow, is 

 sup|)OSed to have preceded that of tillage ; thongli 

 this may be considered somewhat doubtful, when 

 we reflect that, in the primitive state of liusband- 

 ry in this country, the cattle which were intended 

 for consumption during the winter, were slaugh- 

 tered in the latter einl of autumn, and salted for 

 use. To such tracts of ground as consist of mai- 

 den earth, some persons are still disposed to limit 

 the extent of meadow land ; but generally speak- 

 ing, all land that is annually, or even occasionally, 

 mown, is at present known under the denomina- 

 tion. Some considerable tracts of marsh have 

 never yet been snbmilted to the plough, and nuich 

 land, which, lying on the banks of rivers, is sub- 

 ject to l)e occasionally overflowed, is still in a vir- 

 gin state; but by far the greater pait of the up- 

 land meadow throughout the kingdom, bears ev- 

 iilent marks of having been ancieiilly under cul- 

 tivation. 



The general management of meadow land, lies 

 in a narrow compass — little diversified by prac- 

 tice, except when rendered necessary by differ- 

 ence of season and quality of soil. As the early 

 vegetation of gni.ss is promoted by taking the stock 

 soon off the ground, the uplands are usually 

 " hayned," or laid np at Candlemass ; but richer 

 land is often left open until the latter end of 

 March; sometimes, indeed, particularly if the 

 weather be moist, even later; but, if continued 

 too long, tlie hay harvest is proportionally retar- 

 ded and diminislied. On this subject, Mr Sin- 

 clair has stated that a given space of the same 

 quality of grass having been cut towards the end 

 of March, and another space of equal size left 

 uncut until the last week in April, the produce of 

 each being afterwards taken at three different 

 cuttings, that of the space last cut exceeded the 

 former in the proportion of three or two ; and in 

 one instance during a dry summer, the last crop- 

 ped space exceeded that which was cropped (first) 

 as two to one. On land of the latter description 

 cftre should also be taken to remove the heavy 

 caltle early in autumn, for such ground being 

 conimoidy of a louuiy niiture, and soon softened 

 by a fallof rain, would otherwise be poached, atid 

 it is well known that in wet weather the hoofs of 

 bullocks form holes which hold water, and thus 

 render the herbage sour. 



After the liay has been removed, the meadows 

 are generally shut up for some weeks, until the 

 grass again springs, when the stock are turned 



U|)on them in such proportion as tl.ey appear able 

 to bear during the autumn ; though light store 

 .stock are sometimes turned in iinmeiliately to crop 

 such sj)Ots around the margins, and in the water 

 furrows, as may have escapeil the scythe. Other 

 farmers, however, reserve it during winter, and 

 then use it in the manner already stated in the 

 preceding account of fogging. Some, also, live 

 in the neighborhood of large towns, where they 

 have the advantage of procuring manure, mow 

 the land a sc^cond time, some time in the month 

 of August; but in that case, they should be ear- 

 lier than usual in the first crop. Cow-keepers, 

 iinleed, frequently cut it two or three times in the 

 summer, as they find that rower, hay is of a soft, 

 grassy quality, which occasions a greater flush of 

 milk than that which is first mown, though it does 

 not increase its richness, and they therefore cut 

 the grass long before the seed has time to ripen. 

 This frequent mowing, however, if it does not 

 exhaust the soil, has a temlency to reiluce the 

 herbage ; an injury to which new meadows are 

 more exposed, than such as are old; and, there- 

 fore^ land recently laid down to grass, shoidd not 

 be mown, but pastured with sheep or with very 

 light slock, during the two first years as the siu'er 

 method of furnishing it with luxuriant herbage. 



After the cattle arc reir.oved, the land is bush- 

 harrowed and rolled. The bush-harrow s|)reads 

 those small portions of mould which are thrown 

 upon the surface by the earth-worms, and are, so 

 far, an excellent dressing, when the sejiaration is 

 properly performed. 'I'his, however, is most com- 

 monly done bj' interweaving some^ strong but 

 pliant branches of trees, hedge tow thorns,lhrough 

 the open squru'es of a heavy harrow, which thus 

 forms an efficient brush, and when drawn over 

 the ground performs its duty perfectly during a 

 short distance ; but the branches, being pressed 

 close, and worn by the motion, socn become so 

 flat as not to have the eflxct of spreading the earth. 

 The best mode is, therefore, to fix the branches 

 upright in a frame |ilaced in the front part of the 

 roller; by which means they can be so placed as to 

 sweep the ground effectually, and when worn can 

 be moved a little lower down, so as to continue 

 the work with regularity. In this maimer the 

 liush harrow can also be dtawn by a single horse 

 and driven by one man, instead of employing two 

 horses and two drivers, as is the case when the 

 land is rolled and hai rowed separately. The ob. 

 ject of rolling is merely to lay the land as smooth 

 as possible for the convenience of mowers, for it 

 is thought by many farmers to retard the progress 

 of vegetation ; though there can be little doulit, 

 that if the soil is porous andspongy, the roller will 

 add to its firmness, ami give a more substantial 

 bottom to the swar<l. It has, indeed, been stateil 

 that the operation of heavy rolling has been found 

 to add six or seven hunrlred weight of hay per 

 acre on the produce of the crop. 



The safest means of becoming known to many, 

 is by assisting many that are unknovm. 



TAMIVti HORSillS. 



The mystoiy of rendering horses of the most 

 unruly chiu'actcr, ]>erfectly obedient and docile, 

 seems to be satisfa(;torily unfolded in the annexed 

 conimnnication, which we extract from the N. Y. 

 Spirit of the Times. For many years, this curious 

 art has been deemed bj' the world, something like 

 a super-natural gift, with which few men, and 

 those "far between," were endowed. According 

 to Mr Lewis' account of the matter, any person 

 possessing a quick eye, ready hand, active heel, 

 and a cirtuin portion of animal courage, by fol- 

 lowing the eimj)le rules of Mr Jona. Srnilb, can 

 learn to break the most unruly horse that ever 

 stood on four legs. Maine Farmer. 



Llangollen, K\j. Feb. 19, 1S37. 



Dear Sir: It was on the 25th of May, 1823, at 

 Orange Court House, in the Old Dondnion, (God 

 bless her!) where I then lived, that I first saw the 

 late Jonathan Smith. It was Court-day, and he, 

 surrounded by a crowd of gentlemen, began thus : 



' Every groom and trainer, genth^man, has his 

 own way of bridling, and breaking and managing 

 horses. I am a teacher of the art ; ! c;iii tame 

 the most ungovernable horse on this green in one 

 hour. And if any of you want to know hoio, I 

 will teach you the theory, and show the practice, 

 on this condition: If 1 fiiil, you shall pay me noth- 

 ing ; if I succeed, and satisfy you that you can 

 do it as well as I, you and each of you, shall pay 

 me $10. I will make the horse follow me with- 

 out bridle, halter or saddle, through this crowd ; 

 stand quietly while I crack this whip repeatedly- 

 over his back ; make him give me any foot at 

 command, and lie down if you wish it.' 



'Agreed, agreed I' cried lialf a dozen voices, of 

 which I was one. ' Bring up IMadison's mare, 

 and if he can do half what he says with her, he 

 must deal with the devil.' 



'No, gentlemen,' said Smith, ' there is no div- 

 ilishmeut in it, but jilain common sense., as you 

 will see. Take the mare into that house yon- 

 der,' (it was a log house, about twenty feet 

 square) ' all horses may be managed in the same 

 way.' 



'i'he mare was a wild, skittish young thing, high 

 tempered withal, d.-^iposed to kick and bite, and 

 would not let a stranger touch her. 



'Cotne gentlemen,' said Smith, 'let us goto the 

 stable.' 



As he went along, he examined carefully a 

 whip which he carried, formed like a wagoner's, 

 but lighter in ihc handle, and longer in the throng 

 and lash. When we got lo the door, Smith said 

 no man but himself must enter. 'Look through 

 the cracks, and see what I do, and how 1 do it. — 

 Shut the door after me, and fasten it.' ^^ 



In he went suddenly and very boldly, and be- 

 fore the mare could survey him, he was giving 

 lier the lash en her hind legs and thighs, with 

 quick, sliarp strokes. Around she went, kicking, 

 jumping, backing out, and .seendng as if she would 

 break through the side of the house, keeping the 



