232 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



inches apart, and with from 10 to IG pounds of 

 Beed jjer acre. By careful weeding and hoeing, 

 the crop may be cut three or four times annually, 

 for a period of eight or ten years — the first cutting 

 occurring in April. A gentleman in Maine tried 

 it several years since, and says he sowed it the 

 last week' in May ; the last week in July it was 

 18 inches high on an average, and much of it 

 had blossomed. Hogs and milch cows ate it vo 

 raciously. In four weeks from the time it was 

 cut a second time, — and on the fitst of November 

 it had grown to nearly the same height as before, 

 and was cut a third time — the crop being heavier 

 tlian either of the preceding. A piece of common 

 red clover (very flourishing) immediately adjoin- 

 ing the same, did not yield nearly half as much, 

 in proportion, as the lucerne. It is undoubtedly 

 a capital plant for soiling, and will prove profita- 

 ble on favorable soils. It is not so good for hay 

 as for green fodder, especially if allowed to blos- 

 som, the stems becoming dry and hard. 



Of the rye-grass there are numerous varie- 

 ties, but the perennial rye-grass {Lolium perenne) 

 is the only one not set down in an English list of 

 the most useful species and varieties of the grasses. 

 Buel set it down as a grass generally esteemed. 

 It is said that it is one of those plants which im- 

 poverish the soil to a high degree. It produces 

 an abundance of seed, and produces in its first 

 year of growth a good supply of herbage, which 

 is much liked by cattle. There is, however, 

 much difference of opinion respecting the merits 

 and comparative value of rye-grass. One peck of 

 rye-grass seed, with 14 pounds of clover, per acre, 

 is generally considered sufficient for sowing pas- 

 tures. — 



now TO APPLY MAXTRE. 



Mr. Editor ; — I have one-half of an acre of 

 ground that was broken up last fall ; it consists 

 of a sandy loam. I wish to cultivate upon it this 

 season, Chenango potatoes, fodder corn, crook- 

 neck squashes and beans, and wish to know how 

 to use my manure that I get from one horse and 

 cow? Shall I plant in the liill, or otherwise? 

 Last year I planted a piece similar to this with 

 the same materials, and I did not get my seed 

 back again ; I had healthy vines, but nothing un- 

 derneath them. 



Which corn is best for fodder ? 



Yours with respect, 



Maiden, 1855. e. w. b. 



A WORD ON CORN PLANTERS. 



In a late number of the Farmer I find pictured 

 in the hands of an'intelligent-looking man, one of 

 the patent hand corn-planfas. lie is evidently 

 making his first experiment, for I see a smile on 

 his face, which, perhaps, maT/ not appear at har- 

 vesting. One word about these planters. We 

 are not informed how near together the kernels 

 must be in order to drop into the space made for 

 them. But in the manufacturers' advertisement 

 we are informed that "The closeness of the stalks 

 in. the hill is necessary for close cultivation." 



IIow often we have been told in agrioultural 

 papers, that the seed should be spread at least 

 four inches in the hills, that no stalks should be 

 left within three or four inches of,another. We 

 have been told, and I partly believe it, that the 

 plants choke and crowd each other and make a 

 more stunted growth than they otherwise would. 

 The wind is much more likely to blow it down, 

 and when it is harvested, extra labor will be 

 found to result from this "closeness of the stalks 

 in the hills." 



I infer from the planter above referred to, that 

 it is nearly akin to one patented by Charles Dana, 

 Esq., West Lebanon, N. H., and which is now 

 being sold through this State by interested 

 agents. 



if we can have a corn-j^lanter that will give us 

 the proper space between the plants,and yet have 

 them sjircad, we may practice as "close cultiva- 

 tion" as possible, and yet save the injurious re- 

 sults of "closeness," 



This is already gained in the horse-planter by 

 Woodford, of Haverhill, N. H., whose machine 

 works Avith a facility and accuracy excelled by 

 no machine yet invented for the purpose. The 

 corn is carefully dropped in close furrows in the 

 centre of a space 15 inches wide, made perfectly 

 smooth, and all sods or loose stones removed by 

 the machine. On the seed, a quantity of ashes, 

 plaster, or any concentrated fertilizer is dropped, 

 and the whole thoroughly covered. 



By this method of planting 8 to 10 acres may 

 be planted in a day, and yet the seed sufficiently 

 spread. The cultivator may be run as near the 

 plants as the operator may wish. 



I will add further, that I have an improvement 

 on the above planter, by which the operator may 

 plant corn and beans alternately, and without 

 mixing the two, putting the ashes on the corn 

 and not on the beans, or the plaster on corn and 

 beans both. 



■ For the benefit of those who are in doubt about 

 the operation of the various 2:>lanters in the mar- 

 ket, I write hoping to draw remarks from others 

 concerning "closeness in the hills," and such 

 ideas as may be connected therewith, g. f. n. 



CHEAP FENCE. 



In reply to inquiries concerning the Green fence 

 mentioned in the Farmer of April, 1854, I can 

 only say that the proportion is about 16 oz. of 

 blue vitriol to 4^ or 5 gallons of water. The 

 time required, and the amount of vitriol ab- 

 sorbed by the process, will depend upon the de- 

 gree of heat applied, and the kind of wood used 

 for stakes. Green timber will kyanize much 

 quicker, and should soak two weeks in the sum- 

 mer heat, or in a hot bath two or three days. 

 The vitriol should be added to keep the liquor of 

 proper strength, and must bo left to the operator 

 to judge for himself by appe^irance. ■ 



Any one passing thi-ough Windsor, Vt., will 

 notice this fence in abundance and perfection. 



— G. F. N. 



GRAPES. 



The Concord, a large, early, pleasant grape 

 has just been introduceil in the vicinity of Boston, 

 and promises to be an acquisition, especially 

 where the Catawba and Isabella ripen with diffi- 

 culty. — Gardener'' s Companion. 



