242 



THE GE]!^SEE FARMER. 



half a dressing of ordinary yard manure, in order 

 tliat tlie deticiency of jjotiish and organic matter in 

 the soil may be supplied." 



On heavier and rich soils, lie tliinks, the dung 

 may be disi)ensed with, and, in that case, super- 

 phosphate is tlie best and most economical manure. 



It will be noticed that both these methods take 

 it for granted tliat the bones are ground. And 

 herein lies the ditiiculty. There is not much trou- 

 ble in using bone dust. It ig not at all neces- 

 sary to dissolve it in acid, or ferment it, or prepare 

 it in any way. It will gradually decompose in the 

 soil, and yield up all its fertilizing elements — organic 

 and inorganic. The only advantage in the methods 

 recommended by Mr. Haskell and Dr. Voelcker 

 is, that the bones have a more immediate effect. 



But, so far as the mass of farmers are concerned, 

 the great problem to be solved is, how to use un- 

 grouad bones. If these will ferment in a compost 

 of soil or manure, or both, every farmer in the 

 counti-y could collect the materials, with little 

 trouble or expense, for a most valuable manure. 



AN EDITOR ON HIS FARM. 



The Hon. Simom Bbo'WN, Editor of the A^ew 

 England Farmer^ writes from his farm in Concord, 

 under date of July 6, as follows: 



It is now more than two months since we have 

 had a rainy day — that is, a rain reaching down and 

 soaking the grass roots. The drought begins to 

 pinch sharjily. On the higher and old hay landu, 

 the grass has come to maturity, clover heads ripe 

 and di-y, and haying, iu such places, is iu brisk 

 progress. 



Tlie Indian com is stont, dark green and vigor- 

 ous, but not high. Barley is beginning to head, 

 and leels the want of rain. Winter rye is halting, 

 while oaU, wheat, 2^otatoes and all garden stuff 

 wilt a little in the hot snn, and look "desponding." 

 Before 1 close my letter, I liopo to be able to an- 

 nounce a " refreiihing rain." 



ASPARAGUS BEDS. 



I have been weeding and hoeing the a.sparagns 

 bed. The family have done cutting it for the sea- 

 son, and it is running up to seed— some of the 

 stalks are already four feet high. "We are taught 

 that tlie seeding of a plant exiiausts it mure than 

 all its previous growth. If so, wiiy do all i)ersons 

 allow thi'ir a>ii.iragus to run to seed after we have 

 done cutMiig, instead of heading it down as we do 

 gnipe vines, roses, peacli trees, and many other 

 phuits? Will some one, better informed than I 

 am, enlighten me? 



SHADE FOR TOUNQ GRASS. 



One of the most interesting discussions at the 

 Concord Farmers' Chib,occurred last winter, u[)on 

 tlie que'^tion whe'her the shadenfforded hy the oats 

 TO hailey noion with grass seed was favorable or 

 icnfavoralle to the growth of the young gra^? I 

 took the affirmative of the question : that the shade 



is friendly to the young grass, shading, sheltering 

 it, and tending to kee]) the ground moist, and in 

 a favoralile condition for its early growth. 



I have now s|ient a considerable portion of the 

 time for several days in jiruning api)le trees in an 

 orchard laid down to grass last April, where barley 

 was sowed with the grass .seed. Tlie trees do not 

 cover the whole ground, so that there are numerous 

 open places that are fully exposed to the sun. In 

 those open places, the grass does not appear so 

 well as it does under the trees. This fact was ob- 

 served by another person who was in the orchard 

 a part of a day with me. 



In looking over Liebig's new work, on The Nat- 

 ural Laws of Ifushandiy, I tindthe following, fully 

 confirming the j)osition which I have taken. He 

 is speaking of the radication, that is, the rooting 

 of plants, and says : 



"Clover, grass seeds, and small sized seeds in 

 general, put forth at tirst feeble roots of small ex- 

 tent, and require so much the greater care in pre- 

 paring the soil, in order to ensure their healthy 

 growth. ***** It is, therefore, found 

 advantageous to sow clover together with grain of 

 some kind ; for, as the grain is earlier and quicker 

 in growth, its leaves shade the young clover plant, 

 and protect it from the too intense action of the 

 sun's rays — thus affording more time for the ex- 

 tension and development of the roots." 



This is precisely the ground I assumed in the 

 discussion, and my theory has grown into fact by 

 this high authority, and by the observations I have 

 since made. 



Harrington's sower and weeder. 



Some time since, I spoke of a new seed sower, 

 the invention of Mr. S. E . Harrington, of Green- 

 field, Mass. I spoke of it merely as a seed sower, 

 but have now been using it for two or three weeks 

 as a weeder, and find it entirely superior to any 

 and all other imjilements of the kind, for weeding 

 and stirring the ground to a dep'h of even four to 

 six inches! It is light, easily handled, and beauti- 

 ful to look at. It is fuu to work hard with such a 

 machine. 



LATE HOEING OF CORN AND OTHER CROPS. 



Silent assent seems to be given to an old rule, 

 that the crops must be hoed three times — whether 

 ttiey are weedy or not — and no more, though the 

 ground be covered with weeds. Three times is 

 enough, and the soil ought to know better than 

 to throw up weeds after such a scarification — say 

 some — we can not atl'ord to hoe any more. And 

 so the cro]) is left to try its powers with the weeds, 

 and generally comes out second best. 



A part of the object of hoeing, certainly, is to 

 eradicate the weeds, but there is a principle in- 

 v(dved in it far beyond this surface work. Still, 

 the weeding is very important in the following re- 

 sults: 



1. It removes the weeds, and prevents their 

 taking prtiperties from the soil that the plants 

 need. 



2. It prevents their seeding and extending 

 their kind through an indefinite number of 

 years. 



3. The succeeding labor upon the crop will only 

 be about half as much after the weeds are taken 

 away. 



