302 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



The Farmer's Manual directs to sow red clo- 

 ver, on land designed for tillage, separately 

 without herd's grass [timothy] or other mixture, 

 4 or 5 quarts to the acre." , , .i. 



The Farmer's Assistant tells us that •' the 

 quantity of red-clover seed to be sown to the 

 acre is about fourteen pounds, and none but 

 clean seed ought to>be sown." , , . ,, 



The " Memoirs of the Board of Agriculture 

 of the State of New York," vol. ii. in giving an 

 account of the Methods of Culture adopted by 

 the farmers of Rensselaer, in that Stale, ob- 

 serve that " the red clover, {infolium pratense,) 

 and the timothy grass {phkum pratense,) are 

 mixed in different proportions, and sowed in the 

 spring season. When they are sowed on win- 

 ter grain, most (iirmers prefer sowing them on 

 a light snow which may happen to fall towards 

 the latter part of March or the first of April ; 

 or in damp, calm, misty weather, if no suitable 

 snows fall. If thay are to be sowed on spring- 

 sowed crops, the most approved season is, while 

 the soil is yet loose, before any rain has fallen. 



" Farmers differ in opinion in regard to the 

 most suitable quantity of seed. S. Germond, H. 

 VVorthington, C. Porter, C. K. Colden, and some 

 others, say that eight quarts of the mixture of 

 clover and timothy seed should be sowed on ev- 

 ery acre. And Col. J. Carpenter sows sixteen 

 quarts on an acre. He says when the grass 

 and clover grow very thick, it wil! be more ten- 

 der feed, and more tine hay, and that it will 

 not run out so soon. But J. Phillips, G. Eddy, 

 and many others, consider four quarts as suffi- 

 cient. 



" All agree that the proportions of the mix- 

 ture of tlie seeds should be governed by the na- 

 ture of the soil. That in a sandy soil three- 

 fourths of the seed should be clover — in clay it 

 should be equal parts — in Clay soil but one fourth 

 clover seed. 



" There should be at least a bushel of plaster 

 sowed on every acre .of clover and grass land ot 

 a sandv, gravelly, or loamy soil. Also, on all up- 

 land natural meadows. Two bushels per acre arc 

 much better than one on sandy or gravelly soil. 



Payson Williams, Esq. of Fitchburgh, Mass. 

 who received a premium from the M;i«sachu- 

 setts Agricultural Society for the greatest qu■^n- 

 tity of spring wheat, raised by him in the sum- 

 mer of 102?, in giving a description of the 

 mode of culture, by him adopted, says, " the 

 quantitv of grass seed used by me is never less 

 than twelve pounds of clover, and one peck ol 

 herd's grass [timothy] to the acre. Here per- 

 mit me to observe that innumerable are the in- 

 stances in this country, where the farmer fails 

 in his crass crops, by not allowing seed enough ; 

 and what is worse, the little he does give with 

 a sparing hand is sutfered to take its chance un- 

 der that pest of agriculture called the bush-har- 

 row, which not only drags stones and other loose 

 matters into heaps, but leaves the soil dead and 

 heavv, and does not cover the seed deep enough 

 to strive with our .luly drought effectually." — 

 Col. Valentine, President of ihe Society of Mid- 

 dlesex Husbandmen and Manufacturer.*, sowed 

 with his premium crop of spring wheal, r.iised 

 the last season, twelve pounds of clover and half 

 a bushel of herd's grass seed. 



We have, however, been verbally assured by 

 vorv correct and scientific agriciillurists, that 6 

 or 7 pounds of clover seed, where the ground 

 (5 highly manured, is quite sufficient ; and that 



by exceeding that quantity the plants so shade 

 and stifle each other that there is "tt'e sub- 

 stance in the hay made from them. No doubt 

 much depends on the quality and richness ot the 

 soil. The poorer the soil the greater quantity 

 of grass seed should be sown. Clover seed ol 

 a bright yellow, with a good quantity o' 'ne 

 purple and brown colored seed among it (which 

 shows the maturity of the seed) should be pre- 

 ferred. „ , , 

 PEAS. Field peas should generally be sowed 

 as early in the spring as the ground can be got 

 into proper order. The last week in April, or 

 the first week in May will do very well, but li 

 the soil is alight sandy loam, which is recom- 

 mended for that crop, they may usually be sow- 

 ed still earlier to good advantage. But when it „„,„_,,, ^. 



is feared that they may be infested by bugs it j^^^g hitherto been too 

 will be safest to sow them as late as the 10th of 

 June. Col. Worthington, of Rensselaer Coun 

 ty, New York, '• sowed his peas on the 10th o 

 June six years in succession, and a bug has nevei 

 been seen in his peas. Whereas, his neighbors, 

 who have not adopted this practice, have 

 scarcely a pea without a bug in it. He suppo- 

 ses the season for depositing the egg of the pea 

 bug is passed before the peas are in flower.* — 

 Mr. Pickering likewise expressed an opinion 

 that the bug may be avoided by late sowing, but 

 the hot sun in June will so pinch the late sown 

 peas that the crop will be small unless the land 

 be moist as well as ric/i."t 



The quantity of seed, when sowed broad cast 

 is from a bushel and a half to three bushels to 

 the acre. Deane's New England Farmer says, 

 "•Our farmers do not commonly allow a suffi- 

 cient quantity of seed for peas in broad cast 

 sowing. When peas are sowed thin, the plants 

 will lie upon the ground, and perhaps rot : when 

 they are thick the plants hold each other up, 

 with their tendrils forming a complete web ; 

 and will have more benefit of the air." Three 

 bushels to the acre are recommended by Dr. 

 Deanc. 



In our paper, volume i. page 279, we gave 

 some observations on the raising of early peas, 

 which we shall not repeat, but merely add the 

 following intimation from the Domestic Ency- 

 clopedia. "• It is a great error in (liose persons 

 who sow the rows of tall growing peas close 

 together. It is much better in all those sorts 

 which grow six or eight feet high to have only 

 one row, and then leave a bed fen or twelve 

 feet wide for onions, carrots, parsnips, or any 

 crops which do not grow tall. 



" The advantages which will be derived are. 

 that the peas will not be drawn up so much ; be 

 stronger; will flower much nearer the ground, 

 and in wet weather can be more easily gather- 

 ed without welting yourself" 



Peas arc sowed in drills, infield cultivation 

 in this vicinity with success. The distance ot 

 the rows, and the distance which Ihe peas stand 

 from each other in the rows, depend on the kind 

 of peas sown, — and the nature of the soil. — 

 Dwarf peas, on a poor soil should be nearer 

 together than those which grow tall, and are 



and kept free from weeds. Dr. Anderson says 

 that lime is the best manure for land, which i^ 

 intended lobe sown with peas. 



It has been practised by some to sow peas foi 

 the purpose of feeding hogs without the trou 

 ble of harvesting the crop. As soon as th< 

 pods fill the hogs are turned in to fatten, ant 

 what they do not consume is ploughed in as soor 

 as the hogs have left the field. 



iicc 



ilk 

 iirpi 



room in which they lay. Cotton has b 

 togelher than those wnicn grow lan, ana are ;;°<;™ _^ ^^ ^^^^ fire%pontan< on.ly in a moist and hc«t 

 set upon a rich soil. J)rilled peas, are hoed gj atmosphere. The pr 



set upon a rich soil. J)rilled peas, are hoed ej atmosphere. The problem 

 two or lluce times, should be earthed up a little „,hat peculiar property of the h 



^ustion ? — J^ational InttW<'fyrr 



* Memoirs of the Board of Agricidture of the State 

 of New York, vol. ii. p. 23. 



ricultural Repository for June, 1822. 



AGRICULTURAL iRSTiTUTiorf. In the advcrtisinf 

 department of this day's paper will be found a Prospec 

 lus of a Seminary about to be instituted at Derby, Cou 

 which affords a fair prospect of being very useful to thi 

 piblic, as well as beneficial to the individuals, -whi 

 may have opportunities to avail themselves of the ad 

 vantages, which it proffers. Literature and Scienci 

 luch busied in mere matters 

 sceculation, and the investigation of abstract princi 

 '\ pies, foreign to all practical purposes of life. The sa 

 "ti of our schools have, too generally, appeared to en 

 tertain opinions similar to those which Plutarch attri 

 birted to Archimedes, who considered "every art, whicl 

 ministers to common uses, as mean and sordid, and plac 

 ed his whole delight in those intellectual speculations 

 which, without any relation to the necessities of ]ife< 

 have an intrinsic excellence, arising from truth and de p 

 monstration only." .■_ 



The era, however, is approaching, if it has not ^ 

 ready arrived, when mental endowments will be esfil j,, 

 mated by the test of utility ; and that kind of know 

 ledge will be the most eagerly sought after, as well a 

 most efficiently and liberally patronized, which wi 

 enable its possessor to bestow the greatest benefits o 

 his species— when science will be valued in proportio 

 to its power to minister to the necessities and add to th 

 comforts of individuals, as well as to increase the n 

 sourcca, and moral and physical strength of a nation. 

 We have reason to believe that the Instructors i 

 the proposed Seminary to which it is the object i 

 this article to invite the attention of our readers aw 

 well qualified for the duties they have undertaken! 

 and we hope the institution over which they are abo«| j 

 to preside will prove as prosperous as its objects ant 3l 

 laudable. 



nd 



FINE CIDER. John Kenrick, l^sq. of Newton, Mass. 

 has presented us with a sample of some very excellem 

 cider of his own manufacturing. We do not recollec 

 ever to have tasted cider of a better quality and woulCi 

 recommend it to all ladies ond gentlemen, who possesa 

 true taste and genuine patriotism, as more palalabl*( 

 and more wholesome than the fiery fruit of the distilleH 

 ry, or the dear bought and far fetched products of fof»( 

 eign vineyards and dru^-ihops. We understand thaU 

 Mr. Kenrick has a quantity of his superlative cider fi* 



sale at his residence in Newton. . 



I 



The Milton (N. C.) Gazette furnishes a curious aq 

 count of a spontaneous combustion, which recentlj 

 took place in that neighborhood. It occurred in a pa* 

 eel of hops, which, after being well dried, were pl^ 

 into a hunit spun ccllon gown, moderately pressed ii, 

 and placed on a heap of collon seed. No fire or even ( 

 candle had been, it is said, for three months in Ihe n 

 Cotton has been frequently !! 



the present case is 

 ops produced the com- 



St. Louis, March 0. Thirty eight hogsbi 



+^«e'e areUer7rom^he'Hon. Timothy Pickering to Missouri Tobacco, wiih the stamp of "ririt;bam & 

 John Lowell, Esq. published in the Massachusetts Ag- Lamb^. Boon's Lick, Missouri," were sold m *'i<^ ^''7 »' 



Wew York some time in January, at the highest price, 



