No. 12. True Philoaophy-^Tnp Dressing nf Grass La nth. 



373 



will ensue; and in sowingr, let him be liberal 



to his stock. 



If he desires to succeed in his wheat and 

 rye crops, it is time the fanner was bestirrinfr 

 himself in procuring ^oo^/ seed wheat and seed 

 rye. Change of seed every few years is abio- 

 Iiitely necessay to secure fair returns : and ob- 

 servant agriculturists say, that, if possible, 

 when you do change your seed, you should, in 

 thiscountry, prefergetting it northward of your 

 own locality, and we can believe this the more 

 readily because we were assured by a wealthy 

 planter and farmer, from Georgia, a few weeks 

 since, that the seed rye which he procured 

 from this market yielded him a third more 

 than that he obtained at home. 



The late potatoes should be attended to, 

 and time would be well spent in making the 

 young bread eaters on the farm pull up all 

 weeds going to seed, and put them on the 

 dung heap, lakinsr care to cover them over 

 with earth. Turn the young pigs into your 

 orchards to eat up the fallen apples, and with 

 them they will destroy the breeders of my- 

 riads of those insects which every sprino- 

 blights the hopes of the husbandman, and de° 

 spoil him of his fair proportions of fruit. 



If the farmer intends seeding his winter 

 grain in his corn-field, it is time he was pre- 

 paring himself, if possible, with a top-dress- 

 ing of ashes. If he should turn in a clover 

 lay for that purpose, the addition of a little 

 lime or ashes would do no harm, — Farmer cj* 

 Gardener. 



True Phllosophj'— The two Farmers. 



Two Farmers, who were neighbors, had 

 their crops of early peas killed by the frost. 

 One of them came to condole with the other 

 on their misfortune. "Ah !" cried he, " how 

 unfortunate we have been, neighbor! I have 

 done nothing but fret ever since. But bless 

 me ! you seem to have a fine healthy crop com- 

 ing up just now : what are these ]" "These," 

 said the other, " why these are what I sowed 

 immediately after my loss." " What, coming 

 up already ]" cried the fretter. " Yes ; while 

 you were fretting I was working." " What ! 

 and don't you fret when you have a loss"!" — 

 " Yes, but I always put it off until I have re- 

 paired the mischief." " Why then you've no 

 need to fret at all." " True," replied the in- 

 dustrious gardener, "and that is the very rea- 

 son ; in truth, it is very pleasnnt to have no 

 longer reason to think of misfortunes ; and it 

 is astonishing how many might be repaired 

 by a little alacrity and energy," 



The successful farmer will always drive his 

 work; or at any rate he will never sufl^er his 

 work to drive him. He will also always pre- 

 fer to cultivate well instead of cultivatingmuc^. 



Top Drcgsine; of Grass Lands. 



Althouirh, as a general rule, manure applied 

 as a top dressing is in some measure wasted 

 by sun and air, and given to the winds and 

 waters, still in many cases it will be expedi- 

 ent to apply it to the top of the soil instead 

 of ploughing it under. Sometimes it is in- 

 convenient to plough grass land which may 

 need manure. The soil may be wet and rocky, 

 or otherwise unfit for the plough. In such 

 cases mowing land should, once in two or three 

 years, have a top dressing of some manure suit- 

 able to the soil. Plaster of paris is a good top 

 dressing on some grounds and for some plants ; 

 and in some cases it has no perceptible effect. 

 Mr. Candolle, a French writer, observes that 

 plaster acting or operating chiefly on the ab- 

 sorbent system of plants, its effects are not like 

 those of manure buried in the soil, which set 

 principally on the roots. The latter, according 

 to their parlicular nature, divide, soften, en- 

 rich, warm or stiffen the soils with which they 

 are mixed. The quantity of plaster spread on 

 lands isso trifling that it can have little effect on 

 the soil. I speak from experience. " Plaster 

 buried in the earth where sainfoin has been 

 sown, has produced no visible alteration; 

 whilst the same quantity of plaster spread 

 over the same surface of sainfoin, has pro- 

 duced the most beautiful vegetation." The 

 same writer agrees with other agricul- 

 turists in opinion that plaster operates on 

 plants in a direct ratio to the size and num- 

 ber of their leave.s. 



There is a difference of opinion among ag- 

 riculturists with regard to the season at which 

 manure should be applied to mowing ground. 

 Loudon says, " In the county of Alid^dlesex, 

 where almost all the grass lands are preserved 

 for hay, the manure Is invariably laid on in 

 October, while the land is sufficiently dry to 

 bear driving of loaded carts, and when the 

 heat of the day is so moderated as not to ex- 

 hale the volatile parts of the mass. Others 

 prefer applying it immediately after haying 

 time, from f*bout the middle of .lulv to the 

 end of August, which is said to be the ?ood 

 old time, and if that season be inconvenient, 

 at any time from the beginning of February 

 to the end of April." 



Lnrinn says, " If dung be used for top 

 dressing, it should be applied soon after the 

 first cropof erass has been mown; and before 

 the manure has suffered any material loss 

 by fermentation. The grasses should be 

 suffered to grow till they form a close shade. 

 Af\er this they may be pastured ; provided a 

 good covering for them be preserved. This 

 will prevent much exhalation; it will also 

 keep the soil much more open to receive the 

 juices of the manure. As water does not 

 pass off 90 freely through a close pile of grass, 



