898 



NEW ENGLAIND FARMER, 



June 20, 1831. 



mw^ asr^a-iLiisriD s'iissiiasj 



BOSTON, VVEDNKSDAY EVKNING, JUNE 29, 1831. 



Hay making. — If a mowing lot is to be cut twice 

 in u season, the first crop ought to oe mowed 

 earlier than where it is cut but once, in order that 

 the roots may recover immediately, and be ready 

 for vegetation afresh. Where the grass is cut later, 

 the vegetation of the roots stops for some time. 

 The grass, however, which is thus cut early will 

 not be so heavy as that which is cut later, as it 

 ■will shrink after cutting ; but the roots will not 

 be so much exhausted, and will afford a larger 

 crop the next time of cutting, or the next summer 

 if mowed but once in a season. Loudon says in 



tionably be more heavy. The hay from old herbage i 

 will carry on stock, but it is only hay from young 

 herbage that will fatten them. When the stems 

 of clover become hard and sapless, by being al- 

 lowed to bring their seeds towards maturity they 

 are of Utile more value as provender, than an 

 equal quantity of the finer sort of .straw of corn.' 



The mode of making clover hay, and that of 

 all herbage plants, as practised by the best fanners, 

 is as follows. The herbage is cut as close to the 

 ground and in as uniform and perfect a manner as 

 it is possible to accomplish, by the scythe kept con- 

 stantly sharp. The surface having been in the 

 preceding spring freed from stones and well rolled, 

 the stubble after the mower ought to be as short 

 and smooth as a well shaven grass lawn. That 

 part of the stems left by the scythe is not only 



the cutting of grass crops, for the purpose of bein^ 



made into hay, it is necessary that they be in the I lost, but the after growth is neither so vigorous nor 

 most suitable states of growth and maturity, for so weighty, as when the first cutting is taken as 

 affording the best and most nutritious fodder, low as possible 



With this view they should neither be cut at too 

 early a period, nor suffered to stand too long ; as 

 in the former case there will be considerable loss 

 in the drying from the produce being in so soft 

 and green a condition, and in the latter from a 

 large proportion of the noihrishing properties being 

 expended. Grass when mown before it comes 

 in full flower, while the rich saccharine juice is 

 in part retained at die joints of the flower stems, 

 is ill the most proper condition for being cut down, 

 as at that period it must contain the largest propor- 

 tion of nutritious materials, but which then begin 

 to be absorbed, and taken up in pro|)ortion as the 

 flowers expand and the seed ripens, so as to con- 

 stitute the meal or starch of the seed lobes, and 

 is either dispersed ui)on the land or fed upon by 

 birds ; the grass stems with their leaves being left 

 in a similar situation to that of the straw of ripened 

 grain. But there are other circumstances, besides 

 those of ripeness,'to be attended to in determining- 

 the period of cutting crops of grass, as in some 

 cases, when they are thick upon the ground, the 

 .bottom parts become of a yellow color before the 

 flowering fldly takes place ; under such circum- 

 stances, it will often be the most advisable practice 

 to mow as soon as the wea;her will possibly admit; 

 for if this be neglected there is great danger of 

 its rotting, or at any rate of its acquiring a disa- 

 greeable flavor, and becoming of little value. 

 Where grass is very tall, as is often the case in 

 moist meadows, it is liable to fall down and 

 lodge, by which the same effects are produced. 



The same writer, under the head OoDcr, ob- 

 serves that ' The making of herbage crops from 

 hay is a process somewhat different from that of 

 making hay from natural grasses. All the herbage 

 tribe ought to be tnown before the seed is formed 

 and indeed before the plants have fully blossomed, 

 that the full juice and nourishment of the plant 

 may be retained in the hay. By the adoption of 

 this system, the hay is cut in better season, it can 

 be more easily secured, and is much more valua- 

 ble. Nor is the strength of the plant lodged in 

 the seed, which is often lost. The great advantage 

 of converting under rijie herbage and grass into 

 hay is now beginning to be known. ' There is 

 much more saccharine matter in it and it is con- 

 sequently more nutritious. A croj) of clover or 

 sainfoin, when cut in the eariy part of the season, 

 may be ten per cent lighter than when it is fully 

 ripe; but the loss is amply counterbalanced, by 

 obtaining an earlier, a more valuable, and more 

 nutritious article ; while the next crop will propor- 



As soon as the swath or row is thoroughly 

 dry above, it is gently turned over {not tedded 

 or scattered) without breaking it, sometimes this 

 is done by the hand or by a small fork ; and 

 some farmers are so anxious to jtrevent the swath 

 from being broken, that they will not permit the 

 use of the rake shaft. The grass, when turned 

 over in the morning of a dry day is put into cocks 

 in the afternoon. It is impossible to lay down 

 any rules for the management of hay after it is 

 put into cocks; one thing is however always 

 attended to, not to shake out, or scatter or expose 

 the hay oftener than is necessary for its preserva- 

 tion.' 



SILK. 



We visited yesterday the silk establisliment of 

 IMr PupoNCEAU and Mr Garache, in Chesnirt 

 near Second street, and were astonished at the 

 v;ist number of worms which were feeding and 

 spinning. One circumstance was mentioned to us, 

 that is worthy notice. Last summer, a nundier oi 

 cocoons were laid away in the supposition that 

 the worm was killed ; but in a short time, the an- 

 imal in its winged state worked its way through 

 them, and as they were near the north window, 

 they took their station in the sill ot the window, 

 and on the outside ; here they laid their eggs. No 

 further notice was taken of them until this spring, 

 when, to the astonishment of the people about the 

 building, these eggs that had been exposed to all 

 the severity of the winter, hatched, and Mr Du 

 ponceau in order to carry out the experimen 

 caused a number of worms to be ])ut on the mul. 

 berry trees, in the yard of Mr Desauque, in Sec 

 ond street ; there they fed upon the leaves, grew it 

 rapidly, and yesterday several were spinning on a 

 the branches. It is the intention of Mr D. t<^*' 

 let the eggs take their chance for another year 

 the open air. The success that has thus far attend^ Id 

 ed Mr Duponceau's experiments is gratifying nil 

 to him as it will be beneficial to the country. — tj lie 

 S. Gazelle. \x 



Lakge Strawberries. — There were exhibited 

 by judge Buel,at the horticultin-al show onTuesday, 

 fifty strawberries of uncommon size and beauty. 

 On weighing them, the committee found tliat forty- 

 seven berries, divested of their stems, ^veighed a 

 pound — three averaging a little more than an 

 ounce ; and it is said every berry exceeded four 

 incb.es in circumference. These strawberries were 

 of the kind called Melhvcn or Methven Castle, 

 from the place where the variety originated and 

 are of the color and flavor of the common field 

 variety. They were gathered from plants put 

 out in August last, the runnel's of which had not 

 been clipped. 



There were also exhibited, at the same time 

 from the Albany nursery, more than 100 varieties 

 of hardy roses, 7 varieties of honeysuckle [Loni- 

 cera,) 6 of the pink [Dianlhus,) Chinese yjeonies, 

 dahlias, and more than 40 varieties of choice bor- 

 der flowers. 



We were presented by judge Buel, a day or 

 two since, with two bowls of the Methven straw- 

 berry, most of which measured fourinches in cir- 

 cumference, and of a rich flavor. — Albany Argus. 



From the Journal of a Resident in Souih Americ:>. 



' I found for the first time the sensitive |)lant, 

 growing wild. It spreads very often over marshy 

 ground, something like a lumbler. The sensitive 

 leaves spread out prettily from the creeping ten- 

 drils in the sunshine, something like lady-fern. — 

 It is curious to come to a little dingle of them, 

 where there are a thousand tendrils, all interwoven, 

 like a bramble thicket, to shake the twig, and com- 

 municate the vibration to the whole, and sec ten 

 thousand green leaves, all curling themselves up, 

 and shrinking back at your approach, as if afraid 

 of being trod on, the sensation-like feeling of life, 

 running over them all, as a sliock of electricity.' 



THISTLES FOR SEED ! ! I 



To the Editor of the New England Former. 



Sir — Whoever will take the trouble to walk uj 

 the short street leading from Washington street tc 

 South Boston Bridge, (or the ' old Bridge,' as it ii 

 frequently called) may see a fine patch of Canadi 

 Thistles going to seed, and preparing for distri 

 bution, along the shores of South Boston, Dorches- 

 te r and Roxbury. It has, probably, been impor 

 ted from the eastward, in hay, which has beei 

 ianded in that vicinity. 



Should any iiulividual in that neighborbooi 

 possess a scythe, lie might perform an act of pat 

 riotism by mowing said thistles before the seed! 

 ripe. If not, perhaps some fellow citizen from th 

 country, may take a scythe' into town with hiir 

 and perform this service to the public. 



June 23, 1831. 



Ilorlicullural Hall, 

 S.iturday, June 25, 1831. 

 FLOWERS EXHIBITED. 



From the Brighton Nursery of Messrs Winships 

 a great variety of Roses, Lilies, Spiraes, &c. 



From the Charlestown Vineyard, by Mr Hagger* 

 ton, a splendid assortment of Carnations, and a fio< 

 specimen of Hoya Carnosa. 



Fine Roses, and other flowers, from the gaidem 

 of Gen. Dearborn, Z. Cook, Jr. Esq., E. Sharp, aw 

 Samuel Walker. 



Several fine varieties of Scabiosa, from E. M 

 Richards, of Dedham. 



From Mr Davenport, of Milton, dwarf Cape Jas- 

 mine, and Hydrangea. 



NOTICE. 



A Stated meeting of the Massachusetts Horticnl 

 tural Society will be held on Saturday, July 2d, al 

 11 o'clock, at the Rooms of the Society, in Joy'f 

 buildings. R. L. EMMONS, Secretary, 



The Quarterly Review, No. 89, has just been re- 

 published by Lilly & Wait, of this city, and contains 

 articles on the following subjects: Beechey's Voy- 

 age to the Pacific and Bhering's Straits ; Malthuf 

 and Saddler ; Population and Emigration ; Capt. 

 Hall's Sketches of Sea Life ; French Revolution 

 Conspiration de Babeuf; The West India Question 

 1 Reform ia Parliament ; Index. 



