1849. 



THE GENESEE FARMHK. 



87 



VALUE AND CULTIVATION OF BARLEY. 

 BY HTROM ADAMS. 



Messrs. Editors: — My attention has been called 

 to the crops of barley raised in tliis town for which 

 premiums have been awarded by our State and county 

 Agricultural Societies during the last six years. I 

 think the value of the barley crop is not duly apprecia- 

 ted by our t'arnnrs. and perhaps a statement ot what 

 has been clone here may stimulate Others to engage in 



its culture. 1 have not been **-' • readily to find full 

 statements of all the cro' v .or which premiums have 

 been awarded by on; oocioty, and have therefore ta- 

 ken nine crops u inch I find reported in the Cultivator. 

 The largest crop, grown by S. B. Dudley, was 69 

 bushels. The least crop of the nine was 48| bush- 

 els — the average 56 J bushels. Three of these crops 

 were grown by Mr. Bradlky, and the average of the 

 three is 59j bushels. Mr. Dudley also raised three 

 of these crops, and his average is 57 £ bushels. 



These crops were all grown after corn — the land 

 having been manured for the corn with from 15 to 3.0 

 loads of unrotten barn yard manure. The land was 

 but once plowed, thoroughly harrowed, and in some 

 cases rolled and plastered. The seed was generally 

 8ov.n dry, but for some of the crops it was soaked 

 in the strong black juice of the barn yard, and rolled 

 in lime. One important feature in these crops is, 

 were heavily seeded. In most of them 3 bush- 

 els of barley, per acre were sown. The average ex- 

 pense per acre of growing these crops I think will 

 not exceed $10, including rent of land — and the 

 value of the crop per bushel will average 50 cents. 

 The amount of the average of these nine crops is 

 5;;i bushels, at 50 cents per bushel, would be $28 25 

 deduct expense of cultivation — $10 would leave a 

 profit of $14 per acre. 



Another thing in favor of this crop is that the land 

 is only occupied by it for about three months, and is 

 then in the very best state for a crop of winter wheat. 

 I apprehend the reason why this crop is so unpopu- 

 lar with farmers is that when they raise barley they 

 sow it upon poor land, in an exhausted state, and 

 quite too many acres of it. It ripens when they are 

 engaged in their wheat harvest, is suffered to stand 

 until it is dead ripe, and is then very disagreeable in- 

 deed to handle. Our best growers of barley do not 

 sow over two or three acres, sow it easily and har- 

 vest it as soon as the stalk begins to whiten below 

 the head. It is then pleasant to handle, and the 

 straw is better for fodder than the straw of any other 

 grain. With good culture it is a very sure crop. 

 It is sometimes smutty but never when the seed is 

 limed. There is a great temptation to sell the crop 

 for distilling when the price rises to 60 ami 70 cents 

 a bushel, as it has the two last seasons — but I think 

 farmers will always find it a profitable grain for con- 

 sumption. Grind it or soak it and feed it to hogs, 

 horses, working cattle, poultry — any thing but milch 

 cows and breeding sows. East Bloomfield, JY. Y., 

 1849. 



SEEDING WITH CLOVER.— AGAIN. 

 BY F. W. LAY. 



Messrs. Editors : — Your reviewer of this month 

 thinks I labor under a hallucination, in asserting that 

 clover will not grow when sown in the spring on the 

 wheat crop, with once jJowing a sward ; and says 

 "that if cast early enough, before the frosts of spring 

 have ceased to elevate and crumble the soil, so as to 

 cover the seed, it never fails if the seed is good." 



Whether this is his mere ipsr dixit, OT the result of 



any experiments or observations, he doea not inform 

 us; but he probably reasons from th id of 



experience ;' and a this may be important for 



te know in order not to be disappointed in Crops and 

 rotations, I will slate my observations on the subject. 



The first time 1 observed it was BOme six \ 

 ago in making an alteration in the lots. I brought 

 about an acre of i lover sod in with my summer-fal- 

 lows, which I turned under and sowed with wheat — 

 the soil a deep rich sand. The next spring 1 seeded 

 the whols with clover ; have forgotten the time of 

 seeding. The part summer-fallowed grew finely, and 

 was very thick, while directly side of it, where the 

 clover sod was, scarcely a plant was to be seen. 



The next year I had a lot of nine acres, about three 

 of which was planted with corn and the remainder in 

 wheat ; and as I wished to get it all in one crop, I 

 plowed it all in the fall and sowed it with wheat. 

 The next spring I sowed on clover seed, as sown in 

 the spring as I could after the snow was gone. The 

 soil was a gravelly loam. The three acres where the 

 corn was, the clover grew very thick and rank, while 

 directly along side, for the whole length of the lot, 

 which was sixty-three rods, not a plant was to be 

 seen. I afterwards turned over three acres of wheat 

 stubble in the spring and sowed with oats and clover, 

 dragging in the clover seed with the oats. I watched 

 this carefully; the plants came up but soon began to 

 wither, and, by midsummer, were all gone, as the 

 whole lot was alike. I am not certain but the dry 

 weather of summer may have killed this, hut the two 

 first cases to me were fair and satisfactory. I have 

 also noticed it in several cases on my neighbors' 

 grounds, and have never known a different result. 

 How it might be in some soils and circumstances, I 

 know, not. Why it should fail with once plowing, 

 any more than several, I cannot tell. Greece, JY. Y., 

 Febmary, 1849. 



* Our reviewer is one of the most experienced practical 

 farmers in Monroe county. — Ed. 



Improvement in New England. — The subject of 

 farming, or rather of improvement in the mode of 

 farming, is beginning to attract a little more notice 

 than it formerly did ; and amidst much prejudice and 

 ignorance, some of our best farmers are thinking and 

 talking about how they shall turn their labor to better 

 account. They begin to see the necessity of con- 

 necting science with agriculture. As an evidence 

 of an increased interest on the subject, I will mention 

 the fact, that a few weeks ago, a '' farmers' club" was 

 organised in this place, for the purpose of "Mutual 

 improvement in the art of farming ;" and the subject 

 of "Manures," was proposed for discussion at our 

 next meeting. Warren, Ct., March, 1849. H. 



Pea Bugs.— Friend Farmer:— Not having bugs 

 in my seed peas for several years, I claim, in behalf 

 of all concerned, to tell my story. My way of doing 

 it is, to sow early peas, and as soon as they are ripe, 

 sow them for a second crop the same year. No bugs 

 will be found in the last crop. Whether the same 

 time of sowing of last year's seed or of keeping the 

 same to the second year I know not, not having tried 

 it. My first crop I have found usually stung badly ; 

 but by sowing immediately, the insect has not time 

 to mature, and leaves the second crop untouched. 



Hinmanville, March, 1849. Cephus. 



