INEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



- fVBlAmEl TW^^^U:iXI^^ri^i^b^^^C.^R^^ HlTrE7)rNGS, CONGRI-.S^ STIU.KT, (hOURTH DOOR r^RO.^? STATFrb TllF.ET.) 



~n ^ - BOSTON. SATURDAY, iNOVEMBER 22, 1823. No. 17. 



jrmer's tiitil Gardener's Rcinciubrancer. 



[by the editor.] 

 MANURE YOUR GRASS GROUNDS, 

 intellisent and scientific cultivator, who 

 a number of valuable arliclp«, which arc 

 orated into Messrs. Wells Si Lilly's edition 

 Jeane's Georgkal Dictionari/,''' has given 

 illowiniT remarks on this subject, under 

 >ad "• Top-Drcssiiig,'''' in that work, 

 here is scarcely any question, on whicb 

 rs are more divided (ban as to the policy of 

 ing manure as a top dressing to grass lands, 

 spring or lall. The reasoning seems to 

 favour of spring dressing, and it is sup- 

 ^ bv many excellent names. But it ought 

 known, that intelligent farmers, near (he 

 polls, most generally dress their lands in 

 in. Besides the reason stated above, that 

 lands are less injured by carting over them 

 fall ; it may be added", that it is a season 

 ater leisure; and although it is confident- 

 Tied, that the manure is wasted by rains 

 lows, yet much ought to be allowed on ihe 

 side, for the protection afforded by the 

 essing to the tender roots ot the i^dants 

 »vinter, and ought we not to add some- 

 for the low temperature of the atmos- 

 in winter, which prevents ev;iporaiion ? 

 ;er principles of fertility exist in manure, 

 winter carried down into the soil. We 

 ly convinced that a scorching sun, and 

 air, are more pernicious to manure 



field of grass ground, is to manure not the soil j time to" pluck up stakes and be ofl' to the Ohio !'" 

 but the atmosphere; and is justly condemned as i Unless you l;avo plenty of manure, you ha.1 

 the most injudicious plan that can be devised in ! better not apply any dung to your high, gravelly 

 an arable district.'"* If dung not made into com- 1 or sandy soils, but dress tbom with plaisler of 

 post nor mixed with earth or any substance Paris. Uneven grass grounds will not admit of 

 which will attract and imbibe its gas, effluvia, ' top dressing to any advantage, on account of the 



e products, or (to be more plain) that j manure's being liable to be wa=bed away. 



causes it to smell unpleasantly, be appli- Previous to manuring your grass lands it • 



whichcausesTt to smeU unpleasantly, be appli- 1 Previous ta~manuringyour grass lands it wrtt- 

 cd to a field of plough land, it ought to be spread be well to harrow or scarify them. "Rolhng 

 evenly and ploughed, or at least harrowed in im- 



mediately. If a farmer's chief dependence is in 

 grazing land, and he ba? dung, or putrescent ma- 

 nure not made into comi'ost, lo apply, we would 

 suc?est it for his consideration whether it might 

 nol'be well, first to spread his dung as evenly 

 as possible over his field, and then spread over 

 the whole at least an ecpial quantity of good 

 earth or loam. By such means a compost is 

 made in the field after the putrescent manure 

 is applied, and the earth or loam spread over 

 Ihe dung, will not only absorb its gaseous pro- 

 ducts but in a great measure protect it from be- 



was formerly considered to be indispensahle in 

 the management of grass lands, tending l» 

 smooth and consolidate the surface ; — to pre- 

 vent the formation of ant-hills ; — and to render 

 the effects oi'drought less pernicious. But sca- 

 rifying the turf with a plough, consisting only 

 of coulters or harrow teeth, so that the vshole 

 surface may be cut or torn is to be recommend- 

 ed when the pastures [or mowing land] are 

 hide bound. That tenacious state, rolling tend* 

 to increase ; whereas by scarifying, the surface 

 is loosened, and the roots acquire new means 

 of improved vegetation. This operation seems 

 particularly useful, when it precedes the manur- 



r „•',,,• ic II ;i:_J »l 



ino- dried by the air or scorched by the sun, till particularly usetui, when it precedes ine manur- 

 ••s"" fertilizing qualities are dissipated. This.me- ing of grass lands; tor if well scarified, the 



thod of managing with top dressing for grass 

 land, however, we should suggest merely as an 

 expedient for the saving of labour in cases, 

 where farmers have much dung, hut little plough 

 land in proportion, and with whom Ihe saving 

 of labour is a very gretit object. As a general 

 rule, the following maxim of Sir John Sinclair 

 will apply as well in this country as in Great 

 Britain. '•'• There are strong objections to the 



thinly over the surface than any drench- ;,ppiic;,tion of dung to grass lands, (much of its 

 IS can be, unless on declivities where top!4.",.englh beingevaporated, from its being expor 



"■round is so opened, that any manure sjiread 

 upon it gets at once to the roots, consequently 

 a small quantity thus applied, goes as far as a 

 larger one laid on in the old mode, and without 

 suc1i an operation. Thus the force of the ob- 

 jections to the applicalion of putrescent ma- 

 nure to grass lands is, in some degree obviat- 

 ed."* After such process it may be well to 

 sow gra.ss seeds, to produce a new set of plants, 

 and supersede the necessity of breaking up the 

 soil to ',revrnt its being '■•bound out" as the 



gs are unquestionably of less value thai 



d grounds. The fact that farmers who 



,ch by supplying the great towns with 



nerally adopt the practice of fall dress- 



.ir grass lands deserves weight " 



dressings should not be used in the fall 



er grain, because they would be apt to 



ae young plants come forward too fast 



w so rank that they would be liable to 



er killed. Top dressing for wheat, rye, 



lid be applied to the growing crop in 



ng or early in the summer, when it is 



id that the land is not rich enough to 



full crop to perfection. 



regard to the materials for dressing 



ass grounds, aftei your garden is suppli- 



manure, you may as well cart on to 



wing land all that you can collect from 



r I -n yards, yourstercoraries or dung heaps, 



s, compost beds, night soil, &,c. &c. &.C 



of dung, however, before being appli- 



ass land should be well mixed with loam. 



jome kind of earth which will imbibe 



'f sl or effluvia of the dung or putresceni 



We have said before, in substance, thai 



> of putrescent manure, (that is, those 



r vegetable substances which are lia- 



itrily, mould, and be wasted when ex- 



the sun and air) are in a great measure 



iway, if applied to the surface of the 



re being made into compost * "Spread- 



iscent substances upon the surface of a 



WEngland Farmer, vol- i. p- 321. 



ed 'o atmospheric influence,) tom;)os(s are ifccot- phrase is 



/i/ lo be preferred. They may be applied, at the 

 rate of from 30 to 40 cubic yards per acre. To 

 keep grass land in good condition, a dressing to 

 this amount is required every four years. The 

 application of unmixed putrescent manure will 

 thus be rendered unnecessary." 



The mode in which some farmers manage 

 with regard to manuring their grass lands is not 

 only absurd but ruinous. Early in the fall they 

 cart their dung from their barn yards and styes, 

 which perhaps had been a year or more accu- 

 mulating, and of course is finely pulverized and 

 ready to take the wings of every breeze. They 

 place it on a tough sward in little heaps about 

 the size of a two bushel basket. The sun, high 



It is a bad practice to feed your mowing land 

 very closely in the fall. There should be enough 

 of the after grass left to protect the roots of the 

 grass against the frosts of winter. VVe have 

 known good farmers who would not suffer their 

 mowing land to be pastured at any time of the 

 year. But if the soil lie well dressed with ma- 

 nure it can do but little or any injury to pasture 

 it in the fore part of autumn, taking care not to 

 let cattle run upon it when wet, and so soft that 

 Ihey would make much impression on it with 

 their feet. 



* Code of Jlgricvllure. 



FODDERING CATTLE. 

 We should take care not to begin to fodder 



winds, rain, and drying atmosphere,^all^conspi^re ^.^^ .^- - -^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ _ g^^^,,^- ^^,„^ ,^^^ 



.,• • ,. I 1 1 ,.i 'i . j„.,j are foddered, will not graze so diligently. When 



tthzing qualities and leave little ':"t a dead | ^"^rejo^^^ , ^ ^^^ |^^^^ „ill expect it, and it 



to rob these little heaps of nearly all their 



mass of matter as '• dry as a husk" Late in the 

 spring, and generally during, or just before a 

 drv time, Mr. Cultivator spreads these little 

 heaps, (reduced by exposure to wind and wea- 

 ther to about the size of a half bushel measure) 

 over the sward. If the season proves dry, the 

 manure particularly that part which was collect- 

 ed from the stye has scarcely any other effect 

 than to assist the sun in scorching the grass. In 

 the meantime the arable land, being left desti- 

 tute of manure for the sake of dunging Ihe grass 

 ground yields not half a crop. The poor farmer 

 believes his land worn out, and thinks it high 



* Code ofAgricuUure. 



must be continued. When we first begin, we 

 should fodder early in the morning only ; for at 

 that time of the day frost is usually on the grass 

 so that the cattle will not graze. They should 

 not yet be housed [that is in the beginning of No- 

 vember, or when the cold is not quite severe] 

 horses excepted ; But in wet weather the whole 

 stock should be housed ; for they bear the cold 

 better than welness, or if not put into the barn, 

 they should have a shed in the yard, under which 

 they may shelter themselves." 



The meanest fodder should not be dealt out 

 first of all. Husks and stalks are suitable for 

 this season. The straw and worst hay should 



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