318 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRIL 5, 1843. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, April 5, 1843. 



SPRING OR SUMMKR GRAINS. 

 Among the earliest operalions in the field, is that of 

 sowing the spiing grains— oats, barley, rye and wheat 

 The most usual course wiili these crops in tliis vicinity, 

 is to take the ground that has been mannred one, two, 

 or more years, and planted to corn or potaloes. This 

 ground is plowed early in the spring, is usually harrow- 

 ed, and then sowed, with about three bushels of seed 

 per acre, if the grain be oats; two bushels, if barley; 

 and a little over one bushel, if wheat or rye. No ma- 

 nure is applied to the land at this time. The seed is 

 covered, soineliines by the use of the harrow, some- 

 times by the cultivator, and sometimes by a light horse- 

 plow. After this, the roller or brush harrow is generally 

 used ; especially if the land is slocked or seeded down 

 to grass with the grain crop— and this is oflen done. A 

 common seeding is about 12 qts. of herds grass or timo- 

 thy seed, 8 lbs. of clover, and 3 or 4 pecks of redtop per 

 acre. These are the usual quantities of seed used on 

 common farms, where the greater part of the bay is con- 

 sumed at home ; but such farmers as intend to sell much 

 of their hay in Boston market, sow little, if any other 

 seed than timothy, and ihey do, or should, put on 3 or 

 4 pecks of this seed per acre. 



Grass seed sown with Ihe spring grains, has not done 

 so well in recent yenrs, in this vicinity, as it did in for- 

 mer times. The failures are so frequent that many now 

 will not take the risk, and are, probably, wise in refus- 

 in" to do so. Clover, however, though its growth might 

 not be large, will probably pay well for sowing with the 

 orain, even where it is' to be plowed in, in Aug. or Sept. 

 with the stubble. 



The taking off a grain crop and then plowing and 

 seeding to grass ia tile autumn, is coming into vogue, 

 and the course has quite ns much to recommend it as 

 the old way of sowing the grass seed in the spring. The 

 chances are greater that the grass will set well ; the 

 stubble is worth more when buried by the plow than 

 when left on the surface, and the extra plowing and har- 

 rowing put the land into a better state to bear succes- 

 sive crops of hay. This last point is of considerable 

 consequence. Usually, the spring-working of the soil 

 is performed while the ground is too wet to pulverize 

 well. And when this is the case, the ground will pro- 

 bably be very considerably less productive for the three 

 or four following years, than if plowed again at mid- 

 summer, and made as light and fine as possible. 



If you are disposed to pursue the old course, we will 

 merely say, that as far as our experience and knowledge 

 go, oals are the worst of the grains in their effects upon 

 the after crops of grass ; barley, rye and wheat, do not 

 differ much in this respect; but we should name them 

 in the above order, considering barley the worst and 

 wheat the best. 



We have bepn looking over some analyses of the 

 ashes of these grains and their slraw, which are con- 

 tained in John.ston's Agricultural Chemistry. And sup- 

 posing oals to yield 40 bushels per acre ; barley 30, rye 

 20 and wheat 20, we should find them taking silica, 

 potash, soda and lime from the soil nearly in the follow- 

 ing quantities: 



Straw. Silica. Potash. Soda. Lime. 

 Bush. ll's. It's- lbs. lbs. lbs. 



40 oats, 3000 223 29 2 3-4 6 1-2 



30 barley, 1840 143 8 .".1-4 U 1-2 



20 rye o200 lUO 3 1-2 S 1-2 6 1-1 



■M wheat, 2100 9cS 3 1-4 3 1-4 4 



Tills table shows one unexpected result. Wheat — 

 which is said to require lime in the soil — has actually 

 less lime in its ashes than either of the others. Barley 

 seems to require the most lime, while oats take vastly 

 the most potash. So far as the inorganic matters in its 

 ashes give an indication, wheat ought to do as yvell as 

 either of the other crops, on a poor soil. Does it .' We 

 had supposed not. 



The reasons why oats are injurious to the after crops 

 of grass, perh.ips appear in the table. They make a 

 great draught upon the silica and potash of the soil. 



The t:ible shows that oats require a very large amount 

 of the matters which enter largely into the composition 

 of rocks and sand— f..r sand is only finely broken rocks. 

 It must not, however, be inferred that sandy soils are 

 better for oats than any others ; for our common loamy 

 soils contain nearly 80 per cent, of silex or sandy mat- 

 ters ; and clayey sods are more than half silex, in most 

 cases. In these soils, where the silex is very fine, the 

 plants may find more soluble siles, or eilex in a state 

 that they can take up and make use of, than there is in 

 the sandy soil, where the silex is more abundant in quan- 

 tity, but being in larger panicles, is less well adapted to 

 nourish and strengthen our crops. But when we come 

 to the bog lands, or peat meadows, where vegetable 

 matter is the principal ingredient, and where silex is 

 found only in small quantities, we may make the infe- 

 rence that wheat and rye might find a sufficiency of si- 

 lica, even where barley and nats would fail to get a sup- 

 ply. 



This table will givo testimony in favor of Mr Bartletl's 

 positions in the article from his pen, published in our 

 last paper. It will show that we want something more 

 than vegetable matter, if we would get a strong and 

 healthy growth, and would have it stand erect until it 

 has matured. Want of silex, lets the crop lodge or fall. 



our article could have done him any harm — but becau; 

 of our desire to do what we can to preserve any mi 

 from unjust and injurious imputations. 



THE CRAINTREE OX THAT DIED. 



In our paper of Dec. 7, we mentioned the sudden death 

 of a man who assisted in skining the ox. We said also, 

 there was a report that nine hogs had died that had eat- 

 en of the flesh of the ox. This report was without any 

 foundation in fact ; and we so stated in a subsequent pa- 

 per. 



Last week we were called upon by David Holbrook, 

 Esq., of Braintree, who stated that he was the owner of 

 the above ox, and that some newspaper reports had 

 done him injury, by representatiims which caused many 

 people to suppose that he might have willingly exposed 

 Ihe man's life to danger, and that he had mercinarily 

 sold meat that he knew was diseased. We do not, nor 

 did we ever see, that Mr Holbrook was at all lo blame in 

 this matter. This ox was apparently well at night, and 

 was found dead in the morning. There was no reason 

 to suppose that the death was produced by any conta- 

 gious or infectious disease. It was right, therefore, lo 

 save the hide, and sell the carcass to a soapboiler. Mr 

 H. thinks that the ox was choked ; and that the man's 

 death had no connection with! the skinning of the ox. 

 This we presume is true. An opinion upon the case 

 by the selectmen of Braintree, was shown to us, which 

 we promised to look over and copy so far as it might be 

 needful in counteracting the unfavorable impresions in 

 regard to Mr Holbrook; but after the gentleman had 

 left our office we could find nothing of the paper, and 

 as we remember that he put a paper into his pocket 

 when about to leave us, wo conclude that it was the 

 one he intended to leave. We therefore are unable to 

 comply with our promise. But it is enough, we pre- 

 sume, to say that no blame, as far as we understand the 

 case, can attach lo Mr H. This we say, not because 



LETTER TO THE EDITOR. 



Clinton, Conn., March 28, 1843. 



Ed. N. E. Farmer— Dear Sir — In looking overt! 

 debates at one of the meetings of the members of yoi 

 Legislature on the subject of agriculture, I noticed Ih 

 you mentioned the practice of Rev. Jared Elliott in tl 

 cultivation of the carrot. I have for years been endea 

 oring to obtain a copy of his treatise on agriculture, b 

 have not been able to obtain one. If you can inform n 

 where I can obtain a copy, you will much oblige me. 

 was in Boston last fall, and made inquiry for the woi 

 at several places. 



1 am one of his descendants, and live upon and ow 

 most of tho old homestead. I have his poetical worl 

 in my possession, with a variety of articles that wei 

 his— but there is no copy of his work on agriculture i 

 this region to be found. 



By giving any information you may possess in rel 

 tion to this subject, you will very much oblige a farm 

 and your friend. ELY A. ELLIOTT. 



We hold Rev. Jared Elliott, who lived in Conneci 

 cut, and wrote upon agriculture, in 1747, in such bij 

 estimation, that we are truly glad to hear from any oi 

 descendfcd from him, and thinking that our readers mi 

 like to do the same, wo take the liberty lo publish tl 

 letter, though it might not have been designed for pub 

 cation. 



The Essays referred to, were republished by the Mai 

 Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, in 1811, 

 vol. ii. of the Agricultural Repository. Whether a co| 

 can now be found among the disposable papers of tl 

 Society, we have not yet been able to ascertain ; but 

 there be, we shall with pleasure forward it to Mr E. 



We should be pleased lo hear from the present pi 

 prietor, an account of the old farm — and especial 

 should we like to learn the permanent value of the 

 bog meadows and pond holes, which his ancestor 

 boldly and thoroughly reclaimed. 



PLUM TREES. 



The Messrs. Prince, who sent us a list of Plum tr( 

 which they thought exempt from the attacks of insec 

 are informed, in answer to a subsequent communicatit 

 that the Washington Plum and Huling's Superb, ! 

 subject to the attacks of the worm in this Vicinity, a 

 that those gentlemen here who are the most competf 

 to speak upon the subject, say that the list of the Mess 

 Prince, is of no value for the vicinity of Boston. 

 have made no mistake. 



EASTER BEURRE PEAR. 

 Our present on the first of the month was no Af 

 fool, but one of the most luscious pears we have e' 

 tasted. Mr Pond, of Catnbridgeport, was the frieni 

 donor. His advertisement shows that he has a gc 

 supply of well selected dwarf trees, of excellent vai 

 ties. 



[Ij°C. N. Bement, Esq., of Albany, a well kno 

 and valuable contributor to the agricultural press, i 

 become associate editor of the Central New York F 

 mer. With the editor of the American Farmer, 

 hope " his new vocation may prove as profitable to hi 

 as his labors will to the public." 



Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and a great d 

 more saucy. — Franklin. 



