FARMERS' REGISTER— GENERAL SYSTEM OF CULTIVATION, &c. 23 



except on some soils of rare and peculiar qualities. 

 Even now, it is far from being generally known 

 that calcareous manures (and notiiing else without 

 them) will serve to remove the general incai)a- 

 city of our lands to produce clover — and will make 

 that crop safe and valuable, even on some of our 

 most worthless natural soils. The methods for 

 making clover hay in the northern states, and in 

 England, are unsuitable lor us, not only because 

 of the difference of climate, but also of our cultiva- 

 tion in general. When our clover is ready for 

 mowing, Ave are pressed with tlie heaviest and 

 most essential part of the tillage of our largest and 

 most important crop — corn. On this account, it 

 is not so important for us to make hay of the best 

 possible quality, as to obtain the greatest value in 

 quantity and quality combined, for the limited 

 amount of labor which we can tlien devote to that 

 purpose. For these reasons, as well as the very 

 limited extension of the clover husbandry among 

 us, I hope at least to be useful to novices in this bu- 

 siness, by stating the experience and opinions of 

 a farmer Avho has had to contend with every com- 

 mon obstacle to the production of this important 

 crop. 



Mr. L. saves his clover seed from the second 

 growth, (after once mowing,) of the second year 

 of the grass. The dry heads are gathered liy a 

 simple utensil,theoperatingpartof which is mere- 

 ly a short piece of plank, haviiig the end cut into 

 a comb-like form : the long slender teeth allow the 

 stems to pass between, but break off and save the 

 heads, which fall to pieces at the same time. The 

 seed thns saved are not only cheaper, but tliey come 

 Tip better than tiie clean seed brought for sale from 

 the northern states. They are sown in February 

 and the beginning of March on the wheat land. — 

 No harrowing or other means of covering the seed 

 is considered necessary. To distribute them at the 

 proper rate to the acre is the only difficulty — to 

 surmount which, the lengths of tlie wide beds are 

 measured as often as necessary, to fix their extent 

 nearly — and each seedsman scatters over a certain 

 assigned space, the proper measure of seed. If 

 he leaves a remnant at any one trial, he will know 

 better how to suit his casting to the next piece of 

 land. A flour barrel of seed in the chaflt', pressed 

 in very lightly, is equal to a gallon of clean seed, 

 which is our usual allowance for an acre ; but Mr. 

 L. thinks that quantity too small for good sowing, 

 and gives 1-^ gallons, or 1-| barrels in the chaff, to 

 the acre. 



The next year, mowing begins early in May, 

 for green food for horses and mules. It is gene- 

 rally thought that green clover is weakening and 

 injurious to working horses and mules ; and some 

 of us who hold a contrary opinion, are yet com- 

 pelled to yield to the prejudices of our overseers, 

 that we may deprive them of the ready excuse which 

 green clover feeding would furnish them for sIoav 

 and insufficient ploughing, or poor teams. Mr. L. 

 has a day's allowance mowed in the morning, 

 which is thrown into small heaps as soon as it is 

 clear of dew. This is used for feeding at night and 

 the next morning. Two well filled horse carts are 

 brought up every night and used at the two feed- 

 ings. The long food for mid-day is always of dry 

 fodder. Corn, as usual, is given at every time of 

 feeding, but less is eaten, from the greater relish of 

 the horses for the clover. So far from any injury 

 being sustained, the horses seem to improve from 



the use of their green food. It should be mention- 

 ed that one or t\vo of the work horses are generally 

 not at work, and this share of rest they have as 

 they most need it. A t other times all are at work 

 together. The second growth is never mowed for 

 green food, as its salivating quality makes it al- 

 ways hurtful. 



Owing to the very succulent nature of clover, 

 and the variableness of our weatlicr, there is much 

 risk in curing clover hay. With all tlie care that 

 can be used, the thin leaves will generally become 

 crisp, and fall off in the various handlings of the 

 hay, before the large sappy stalks are enough cur- 

 ed to stack. If a soaking rain or even heavy 

 shower falls, the best made cocks of clover hay 

 will be so penetrated with wet, as to require all the 

 trouble and loss of drying. .After sustaining much 

 loss of labor and of crop from these causes, Mr. L. 

 has adopted a method which he has found to save a 

 deal of labor, and on a general average, to furnish 

 better hay. His mowing for hay goes on in any wea- 

 ther, except it is raining too heavily for laborers to 

 be out of the house, or unless the earth is full of wa- 

 ter. Three sv»aths are raked into one high ridge, 

 immediately after mowing, if clear of dew, or as 

 soon afterwards as the dew has dried off'. This 

 operation substitutes all the usual and various la- 

 liors of opening, turning, putting into cocks, &c. 

 The rows remain, taking the sun and rain, until 

 the hay is cured, which may be in five or six days 

 of common weather, and has been as long as ten 

 in the worst. The surface is so burnt by the sun 

 as to cause the row to appear to be ruined by the 

 exposure ; but the injury is only superficial, and 

 that cover protects what is beneath. If rain comes, 

 as usually happens, the whole row is made com- 

 pletely wet, but it is thin enough to dry afterwards 

 without moving. When cured, it is thrown into 

 small cocks, which facilitates the loading of the 

 wagons, and also serves to air the hay, and re- 

 move any remaining dampness. If the weather is 

 good, the hay is moved Avithout delay to a house 

 where it is packed away, or otherwise put into 

 large ricks containing from 12,000 to 20,000 lbs. 

 of hay, and which are covered thickly v/ith straw. 

 If the weather is threatening, the cured hay is put 

 into small stacks until it can be put into the house. 

 From the description of this mode of hay -making, 

 it might Avell be supposed that the hay would al- 

 ways be bad, and generally worthless as food. — 

 But Mr. L. has commonly made better hay in this 

 manner, than when he used mu^h more care and 

 labor — and has never entirely lost any, from the 

 worst of Aveather. The Aveather can scarcely be 

 expected to be Avorse for hay-making than in 18.30, 

 yet his clover Avhich passed through that trial, 

 made Av hat might be called hay of belter than mid- 

 dling quality.* In general, the leaves remain on 



* After hearing this statement from Mr. L. I acciden- 

 tally observed his memoranda of tlie circumstances re- 

 ferred to, as Ave were looking into his diary for some 

 other facts — and, Avith his permission, I took the folIoAv- 

 ing abstract, relating only to tlie Aveather and other cir- 

 cumstances connected Avith the hay-making. 



" 1830— Mat 30.— Heavy rain. 



"June 1. — Began mowing for hay. Weather still 

 " very threatening, but no more time can be spared. 



" 4tli. — A very great fall of rain. 



" 5th. — The earth so saturated Avitli A\-ater, that no 

 " field Avork (normoAving) could be done. 



" Gth. — Rftin threatening through the day, and at night 



