356 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



strong, but lacking tact to successfully compete with 

 his adversary. The chatter of the wren, as he 

 peeped up at the big bird, was perfectly merry, and 

 most tauntingly insulting ; while the grim physiog- 

 nomy of the woodpecker, as he bent his unblinking 

 eye on the place of concealment, was ludicrously 

 expressive ; looking, for all the world, like a cer- 

 tain stern looking, long nosed, distinguished bar- 

 rister of this State, cross examining and annihilat- 

 ing a witness. 



Finally, the restless little dot, as if tired of his 

 bo-peep play, darted forth with a tremendous rat- 

 tling of his notes, and off went the savage looking 

 pursuer after him, in the direction of a neighbor- 

 ing orchard ; but so rapid was their flight, that I 

 was unable to witness the denouement, but probably 

 the cunning little rascal escaped the threatened 

 and probably just punishment, on the strength of 

 lively "mother wit ;" as in the course of an hour, 

 he was grub-hunting and chattering about his own 

 home — a box nailed in the top of a pear tree in my 

 door-yard — and looking as innocent and uncon- 

 cerned as if nothing whatever had happened to dis- 

 turb his equanimity. 



TURNING IN GREEN CROPS. 



Of all the numerous methods recommended for 

 replenishing exhausted soils with the principles of 

 vegetable productiveness, none is more successful, 

 or, so far as expense is involved, more economical, 

 than turning in green crops. In this process we 

 stand in no need of the chemist's instructions ; his 

 crucibles, reagents and alembics can be of no prac 

 tical advantage to us, for we can safely rely upon 

 the vegetable matter that has grown upon a soil to 

 produce another crop of the same. If we complete 

 ly subvert the sod, at the proper season, and care 

 fully inhume the green vegetable matter — laying 

 the furrow slice flat, and take care that no inter- 

 stices be left below the surface, the decomposition 

 which will ensue will pulverize the soil more thor- 

 oughly than could be done by repeated plowings. 

 When grass lands become "bound out," or so com- 

 pletely choked by the numerous grass roots as not 

 to produce a remunerating crop of produce under 

 the scythe, or in pasturage, they should be plowed 

 about the first of September. If the soil is natural- 

 ly poor, from ten to fifteen loads of old compost 

 should be applied to the acre and harrowed in — 

 passing the harrow first longitudinally, and then 

 diagonally, but never lengthwise of the piece. The 

 timothy and red-top may then be sowed, and cov- 

 ered with a brush harrow. No clover seed should 

 be sowed at that season ; the proper time for seed- 

 ing with that being winter, or in April, when there 

 is a light snow on the surface. It will thus be cov- 

 ered sufficiently deep, and the plant, having ordi- 

 narily a rapid growth, will be sufficiently large to 

 furnish excellent feed for the fall. This is the on- 

 ly feasible method of seeding low or wet lands, 

 which are not to be worked in spring, and from 

 which no seeded or cereal crop can be taken which 



would defray the cost of cultivation. The consti- 

 tution of such land requires that they should be 

 either freed from their superabundant water by an 

 efficient system of draining, or cultivated exclusive- 

 ly in grass ; upon no other conditions can their 

 management be rendered a source of profit. 



By adopting the method recommended we de. 

 stroy all spurious vegetation — the wild and sour 

 grasses and other worthless herbage which so fre- 

 quently befouls low lands — and secure a favorable 

 medium for valuable products ; we secure the ad- 

 vantage of a rolling green crop, while at the same 

 time we obviate the expense of a fallow. The 

 land is also laid much more level for the scythe, 

 and secures for the benefit of the subsequent crops 

 a bed of soil which lies much more lightly than 

 land which has been tilled. The operation is also 

 performed at a season of comparative leisure, and 

 when the cost of keeping the team is slight in com- 

 parison with what it is in the spring. A crop of 

 buckwheat, turned in when in bloom, is an excel- 

 lent dressing. It is succulent, decomposes readily, 

 and supplies a large amount of humus to the soil. 



One great error to be avoided in laying lands to 

 grass is, the allowance of an insufficiency of seed. 

 In many mowing fields, there are not one-half the 

 number of artificial grass plants that could profita- 

 bly stand on a given area. This results, in most 

 cases, from the evil indicated. Grass seeds are 

 most of them of diminutive size, and, unless great 

 care is taken in covering, even an extra allowance 

 will fail to produce a good stand. "An intelligent 

 farmer," says a correspondent of the Farmers' Cab- 

 inet, "who is fully aware of the importance of hav- 

 ing his fields evenly set with grass roots, says, that 

 in sowing grass seed, he first passes over the 

 ground, strewing about half the quantity proper to 

 be put on, and then he crosses the field, sowing the 

 other half. In this way, he disposes the seed even- 

 ly, and is less likely to leave vacant spaces to be 

 subsequently monopolized by weeds. This plan of 

 sowing takes double the time to perform the work, 

 but it is accomplished much more effectually, and 

 amply compensates for the exti-a labor bestowed." 



Every farmer should be indefatigable in his ex- 

 ertions to make two blades of grass grow where 

 but one grew before. This may be easily accom- 

 plished, with pi'oper care and industry, even on 

 thin and most sterile soil. If the roller be applied 

 after sowing grass seed, very little if any of the 

 seed will be lost in consequence of non-germina- 

 tion ; the roller will compress the soil so as to bring 

 its particles in contact with every seed, and a sup- 

 ply of warmth and moisture being thus secured, 

 the development will not only be vigorous and 

 healthy, but equally sustained. 



We had spoken of turning under green crops, of 

 buckwheat in bloom, Szc, but we wish to be under- 

 stood that grass, or grain, or whatever green crop 



