PRACTICAL FARMER. 



37 



without any better success. But to come to the 

 topic on which I first intended to write. 



I bought of Mr George C. Barrett one pound 

 of lucerne seed last spring and sowed it the 13th 

 of May on about four or. five rods of land. T'e 

 ground on which T sowed the seed is situated in 

 front of my house, has been planted perhaps 30 or 

 40 years, 1 know not how long, ever since my re- 

 membrance, to beets, carrots, onions, &c. [ 

 ploughed it two or three weeks before I sowed it, 

 and on the same day I ploughed it again, and 

 after ploughing dug it all over, and broke the 

 lumps very fine, then raked it two or three times, 

 for I was determined there should be nothing 

 wanting on my part to ensure success. After 

 getting the ground mellowed and every lump and 

 stone oflf, that was as large as a pigeon's egg, I 

 sowed the seed broad cast, taking great care to 

 have it sowed even. I then raked the ground 

 over two or three times and left it. In five or six 

 days from the time the seed was sowed it was up, 

 and it has grown so fast and handsome that I feel 

 quite proud of it. It is now from 10 to 16 inches 

 high, growing rapidly, the ground completely cov- 

 ered. 1 sowed it without any other kind of seed. 

 The sprigs or stalks which I send you are fair 

 specimens of the whole. I consider it a very rapid 

 growth or I should not mention it — only 39 days 

 since the seed was sowed. 



I wish that some experienced person, who 

 is acquainted with this kind of grass would tell 

 me hew to proceed, whether I had best cut it 

 while in blossom, or not cut it at all this season — 

 also whether I had better put on a dressing of ma- 

 nure this fall or not. If this does as well as it 

 promises now, I think of sowing more another 

 year, therefore I want to know what use it can be 

 put to, to the best advantage, and whether any 

 other grass seed had best be sowed with it, and 

 what kind if any. In fact any information relative 

 to the above grass would be gratefully received. 

 I presume I could get much information in the 

 above subject from some of the former volumes 

 of the New England Farmer, but my numbers 

 are incomplete ; and I think something on the 

 above named grass would be interesting to others 

 as well as myself. 



Truly your humble and obliged servant, 



James L£o:vard. 



Taunton, June 22, 1835. 



By the Editor. — With regard to the mulberry, 

 from Mr Leonard's statement, as well as from 

 eome others which have been given us verbally, 

 we are led to believe that some writers on silk 

 culture have published opinions which may mis- 

 lead. Mr Rush observes " All the practical 

 writers agree that the proper soils for the mulberry 

 tree are dry, sandy, or stony : the more stony 



the better, provided the roots of the trees can pen- 

 etrate among them. The situation should be high : 

 low, rich and moist land never produce nourish- 

 ing leaves, however vigorously the tree may grow. 

 They are always found to be too watery." Mr 

 Cobb, however, and some other practical cultiva- 

 tors, with whom we have conversed on this sub- 

 ject, tell us that a soil rich, warm and mixed with 

 much mould is most proper for mulberry trees ; 

 and where it is intended to strip the trees fre- 

 q,uently for feeding silk worms, doubtless the soil 

 should be of good quality, to enable them to re- 

 produce their foliage without much injury from 

 its deprivation. 



With regard to lucerne, we have but little 

 knowledge, 6xcept what is derived from books. 

 English writers tell us that the first year's crop is 

 not so large as the subsequent ones, and it retains 

 its vegetative vigor about ten years, when it should 

 be ploughed in ; and the soil will be found im- 

 proved for other uses. " There is one quality, in 

 particular, which recommends the grass for fresh 

 fodder, to farmers in the vicinity of market towns. 

 If mowed as often as the growth will fill the 

 scythe, as it should be for this purpose, it will con- 

 tinue to produce a succession till very late in 

 the season. For fatting bullocks and pasturing 

 swine this grass may be very advantageously used. 

 When it is made into hay let it be cut while quite 

 green, and without much shaking, as the leaves 

 fall off considerably when dry. A little salt add- 

 ed to it when laid in the mow, would be a great 

 improvement." — Young^s Farmer^s Calendar. 



With regard to the proper time for cutting lu- 

 cerne, it seems that in England it is much used 

 for soiling, and cut whenever it is large enough for 

 a good crop, or as Mr Young expresses it, when- 

 ever it will "fill the scythe." The Hon. J. Low- 

 ell, of Roxbury has been a successful as well as 

 scientific cultivator of this grass for 12 or 14 years. 

 We will here give an abstract of some of his ob- 

 servations on this subject. One piece of land 

 cultivated by Mr Lowell was sown with tall mead- 

 ow oat grass, in the proportion of one bushel of 

 oat grass to six pounds of lucerne. 



" The first crop was very great ; it was difficult 

 to decide in this first crop, which excelled, the lu- 

 cerne or the oat grass. But in every succeeding 

 crop the lucerne predominated to so great a degree 

 it seemed to be the only crop. This was owing 

 to the greater breadth of its leaves. / never cut it 

 till it flowered. I made four crops last summer of 

 excellent hay from it, amounting in all to six tons 

 and a half to an acre, and after that it furnished a 

 rich supply of after feed. This crop was seen and 

 admired by a great number of intelligent far- 

 mers. 



" Having been convinced that it was suited to 

 my soil, 1 last year laid down an acre and a quar- 



