364 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



VOL. r. 



eueceeding day, unless prevented by bad 

 weather — sprinkling every layer of liay with 

 salt, at the rate of 1"2 or 151bs. to the ton, or 

 interposing- a layer of dry straw, from to 

 12 inches tiiick, between every two layers ot 

 clover of the same thickness, we found a 

 great preservative ; and especially the latter 

 mode will enable the farmer to put up the 

 hay in a far greener state, than could other- 

 wise be done with safety. Besides this ad- 

 vantage, the straw interposed between the 

 layers of iiay, by absorbing its juices will be 

 rendered much more valuable as provender, 

 and if salt be sprinkled on the hay will be 

 greedily consumed both by cattle and horses. 

 From the great quantity of this grass pro- 

 duced on an acre, its highly nutritive quality, 

 the ease with which it is cut and cured, 

 farmers will find that clover hay is the cheap- 

 est food on which they can keep their stock 

 in good order during the winter. If put up 

 in good order in tlie fall, sheltered from bad 

 weather, and salted, both horses and cattle 

 will keep fat on it alone throughout the win- 

 ter, without the aid of grain, unless when 

 worked. 



The prevalent notion, of the difBculty of 

 curing clover hay, is entirely erroneous. In a 

 climate like ours, there will seldom be found 

 any, in a wet and cool climate, like that of 

 England, the difficulty may exist to some ex- 

 tent, as clover when put in cocks will not re- 

 sist rain as well as timothy and some other 

 grasses; but in the course of fifteen years 

 experience, we have seldom lost any or had 

 it much injured by the weather, indeed we 

 have found it comparatively easier to save 

 clover hay than corn blades, and as three or 

 four tons of the former, with the aid of plas- 

 ter, can be made at less expense, than one 

 ton of the latter, the farmer must be blind 

 indeed to his own interest, who does not take 

 eare to provide himself with at least as much 

 clover, as will furnish an abundant supply of 

 provender for his stock. 



Clover should be cut for hay when about 

 one half the heads have become of a brown 

 color. If cut earlier, it is believed the hay 

 will not be so nutritious, if later, the stems 

 will have become harder, and the grass be on 

 the decline. For hogs, however, and young 

 stock, it will be advisable to cut some so soon 

 as it is ill full bloom, when cut in this state 

 and salted, hogs are very fond of it and it is 

 believed might be chiefly wintered on it, if 

 otherwise carefully protected from inclement 

 weather. At all events by the use of it as a 

 food for hogs in part, a great saving of corn 

 may be effected. 



When the farmer can do it he will find a 

 great advantige in providing himself with 

 long, narrow and high sheds, open at least on 

 the south side for the preservation of his clo- 



ver hay, and when hauling it in, to begin at 

 one end, and spread a layer of hay along the 

 whole length of the shed, and then repeat 

 the same process; by this means, he will be 

 able to put up his liay, in a much greener 

 state than could safely be done, if put either 

 in a stack or mow, and as yet there are but 

 few persons in this country sufficiently expert 

 in the art, to stack it so as to ensure its pre- 

 servation. In narrow sheds, one load is con- 

 siderably dried before another is thrown on it, 

 and wlipn the sheds are filled, the narrow- 

 ness of the bulk being so much greater, there 

 is fiir less danger of injury to the hay by 

 heatin cr. — Tennessee Farmer. 



Ridging. 



Soils for root crops should always be rich 

 and deep enough to require no ridging; but 

 when a soil is fertile and shallow, better crops 

 are frequently raised by throwing it into 

 ridges than leaving the surface flat, because 

 in this ridge the fertility is accumulated. — 

 Hence some have supposed that ridging 

 should be performed in all cases. — Genesee 

 Farmer. 



The manner of cultivating Rnia Baga and 

 Mangel Wurtzel in Europe, has familiarized 

 those who have grown them in this country 

 with ridging for either of these crops; but 

 we confess we are not satisfied as to ths pro- 

 priety of that mode of culture, except under 

 peculiar circumstances of locality. In Eng- 

 land, where from the extreme humidity of 

 the climate, there is no danger to be appre- 

 hended from exposure to the rays of the sun, 

 ridging may be ot great service in concen- 

 trating the manure in the immediate vicinity 

 of the growinnr plants; but in most parts of 

 this country, we think the'prnctice injurious, 

 inasmuch as the plants from thsir elevated 

 position are subject to suffer from droujrht. If 

 a concentration of food for them be the great 

 object to be attained by ridging, that can be^ 

 equally as well affected by placing the ma- 

 nure in a furrow, covering it over, smoothing 

 down the surface to a level, and planting on 

 the top in the centre of the manure. 



Blost all the authorities prescribe the ridge 

 form for the culture of these roots; but 

 those who have done so in this country, have 

 not. we apprehend, considered the diflerence 

 in the climates of this country and those of 

 Europe where they are grown. Last year, 

 our liuta Baga was grown on a fine rich 

 loam, with a southern inclination and expo- 

 sure, and we do know that they suffered from 

 solar inlluence, and taking counsel from e.x- 

 perience, we shall give them tltiff season a 

 flat surface, believing it better adapted to our 

 climate than the ridge form. — Ed. Farmer 

 and Gardener. 



