246 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 





corn stalks firmly, I took a sharp hoe and cut 

 them off even with the surface of the ground, 

 raked off the rubbish and sowed half a bushel of 

 herdsgrass and a bushel of redtop seed on the 

 acre. The next spring as soon as the weather 

 became warm enough, the grass came up beauti- 

 fully over the whole piece. The summer was 

 wet and Avarm, and I cut more than a ton and a 

 half per acre for the first crop. In 1856 and 1857 

 I had three tons per acre each year for the first 

 crop, and rowen enough to make the whole 

 amount in the two years not much short of seven 

 and a half tons. 



About the middle of June, 1854, 1 sowed a 

 quarter of an acre with oats and grass seed, and 

 mowed the oats for fodder while green. The 

 grass on part failed from the hot, dry weather. 

 I Avent over the ground in November and sowed 

 the vacant spots with grass seed, and it came up 

 and grew perfectly well the next spring. 



In justice to summer sowing among corn, I 

 will say that I tried it again in 1855, which was 

 a wet season, and it did well and gave a larger 

 first crop than I generally get from late fall sow- 



Early fall sowing did well in the instance in 

 which I tried it, but I have not repeated the ex- 

 periment, as I observe on the land of my neigh- 

 bors that grass sown in this way often suffers 

 from the winter frosts, while I have never known 

 late fall sowing to fail. I find it very little extra 

 labor, if I begin right in the spring, to have my 

 ground all i-eady to seed doAvn at the setting in 

 of winter. I proceed as detailed in my experi- 

 ment on my corn field in 1854, except I do not 

 sow any grass seed till I am confident it will not 

 vegetate till the next spring, say from the twentieth 

 of November to the setting in of winter. I have 

 pieces of late sown grass, which have been mown 

 one, two, three and five years respectively. The 

 average results have been about twenty-five hun- 

 dred weight for the first crop per acre, and includ- 

 ing rowen three tons per year afterwards. 



How long they will hold out time must deter- 

 mine. As my land was not exhausted by spring 

 grain and I do not fall feed at all, or cut the row- 

 en when it can be safely avoided, I expect a fair 

 yield for several years to come. I prefer Novem- 

 der seeding, because I believe there is an abso- 

 lute certainty that every good seed sown in this 

 way will vegetate the next spring, and will have 

 the whole season to groAV before the winter frosts. 

 Even on land where the Avater stood for weeks it 

 did Avell. I prefer it for the economy of this 

 method. If the corn is planted in drills as above 

 described, I believe the increased product Avill 

 fully compensate for the extra Avork, and the cut 

 ting off the stumps of the corn stalks and raking 

 ofi' the rubbish are much less labor than ploAving 

 and again levelling the ground, as must be done 

 for a grain crop. I should not expect the same 

 advantages on sandy or gravelly land as on clay- 

 ey and level Avet land, Avhich are much more liable 

 to have their crops Avinter-killed, and on steep 

 hill sides it Avould not be admissii3le on account 

 of the Avashing of the Avinter rains. 



There are three things Avhich I regard as indis- 

 pensable to the successful culture of grass. The 

 first is to put the land in good condition by thor- 

 ough tillage and a liberal application of fertili- 

 izers ; the second, to get a good healthy set of 



grass roots that will cover the ground entirely ; 

 the third not to exhaust both the grass and the 

 land by fall feeding or cutting the second crop, 

 unless it is so luxuriant as to endanger the roots 

 of the grass. By observing these things strictly, 

 I believe it Avill be found that a heavy yield of 

 grass is not an uncertain or doubtful result. 



M. D. 



For the Netc Enslnnd Farmer. 

 PEARS UPON" QUINCE STOCKS. 



AVliere is the benefit of thus cultivating? At 

 the late meeting of legislative farmers, (Avho are 

 of course among the best experienced,) I under- 

 stood Mr. Eakle, of Worcester, and Mr. Lake, 

 of Essex, to say, Avhen they transplanted the pear 

 Avhich had been grafted upon the quince, they 

 Avere careful to set the trees so that the place of 

 junction should be several inches beloAV the sur- 

 face of the ground, so that the roots should start 

 ancAvfrom the pear stock, and the tree be mainly 

 supported by such roots. Why, then, graft on 

 the quince at all ? Is it not quite easy to raise 

 from the seed as many young pear trees as may 

 be wanted ? Can there be any benefit, in intex'- 

 posing the dAvarf quince, Avhen much more sub- 

 stantial and beautiful Avood can be grown from the 

 pear seeds alone ? 



Why not engraft the pear on the apple stock ? 

 Can any one say that the stock in the least de- 

 gree modifies the quality of the fruit ? From Avhat 

 Ave have learned, Ave presume pears on quince 

 stocks Avill fruit earlier, than otherAvise ; and we 

 believe also they Avill decay earlier. I throAV out 

 these inquiries to elicit information, and not to 

 communicate it. I am not convinced that there 

 is any considerable benefit accruing from the 

 groAving of pears upon the little quince. jNIerely 

 because they can be made thus to grow, is no 

 reason Avhy they should be so grown. EssEX. 



April, 1858. 



Clouds Outside, Sunshine Inside our 

 Homes. — Whether men do business and have 

 dealings with others in city or in country, there 

 Avill be, occasionally, unpleasant occurrences, 

 causing sourness, irritation or discomposure, to a 

 greater or less degree. Temper Avill be ruffled 

 by losses, disappointments and dealings with the 

 stupid and dishonest. If Ave could leave all these 

 trials and the irritation they may have produced 

 outside Avhen Ave return to our homes, and make 

 resolute efforts to have nothing but peace, love 

 and sunshkie inside our homes, the comfort of 

 ourselves, our Avives and our children Avould be 

 much promoted. To accomplish this maybe dif- 

 ficult, but it is correspondingly desirable. If Ave 

 make a determined effort, it will not always be in 

 vain. Success Avill occasionally rcAA'ard us, and 

 encourage us by its sweet satisfaction to rencAvcd 

 efforts. And Avhen success becomes habitual, 

 hoAV much happier Avill be our homes ! For the 

 man Avho goes home sour and irritable, Avith a 

 cloud upon his countenance, is sure to sadden 

 and perhaps to sour the hearts of his Avife and 

 children. AYhcreas, he that succeeds in leaving 

 all these outside, Avill make his coming welcome, 

 and his home a scene of smiles and sunshine. — 

 Country Gent. 



