FARMERS' REGISTER-^ARTIFICIAL GRASSES, 



309 



There is no class of men more wedded to the no- 

 tions of antiquity, or more averse to innovatino- 

 upon the venerable customs of their forefathers, 

 than farmers : to a certain extent, this is undoubt- 

 edly a laudable propensity, as it restrains scheming 

 ■within proper bomids ; but it may be carried so 

 far as to set a limit to improvement. Agriculture 

 is a progressive science, and there is no reason 

 why, in the scale of improvement, it should not 

 make as regular and as rapid advances, as other 

 more abstruse, but less useful ones. 



No one circumstance more fully illustrates the 

 error of adhering to preconceived notions, and ta- 

 king for granted that " what every body says is 

 true," than the very general opinion, that the cli- 

 mate and soil in this part of the state are not con- 

 genial to the growth of artificial grasses. Nothing 

 can be farther from the truth ; and I do not hazard 

 too much when I say, that Timothy, Herds Grass, 

 Orchard Grass, Tall Meadow Oat, Feather Grass, 

 Clover, and Lucern, all of which 1 have fairly 

 tried, thrive as well and grow as luxuriantly as in 

 most parts of our extensive country. For five 

 years I have turned my attention very much to this 

 branch of agriculture ; two or three enterprizing 

 gentlemen in this, and in Norfolk county, have done 

 the same. The charm is now broken ; all acknow- 

 ledge that our hay is as good as ever was import- 

 ed from the eastward ; and in a few years, I hope 

 to see our old fields transformed into profitable 

 meadows. I have now before me a few spears of 

 Timothy of my last crop, to verify my assertion. 

 They measure five feet and upwards in length. I 

 do not offer them of course as a sample of the crop, 

 but merely as an evidence of what our soil and cli- 

 mate are capable of producing : for if twenty spears 

 can be raised, twenty acres may, under similar 

 circumstances of soil, location, &c. 



I committed a serious error in my noviciate, in 

 mixing my seed without a proper reference to their 

 period of ripening : for instance, I sowed Red Clo- 

 ver, Timothy, and Herds Grass together : the 

 Clover was ready for the scythe in May, the other 

 two were not ripe for three or four weeks after- 

 wards : I consequently lost the best part of my 

 clover crop. But that was not all ; had I cut (he 

 clover as early as I might, (and the proper time is 

 when it is fully in bloom, without waiting for half 

 the heads to turn brown,) it would have had a 

 chance of springing before the hot and dry weather 

 set in here; whereas, waiting for the ri{)eningof 

 the Timothy, the roots became suddenly exposed 

 to the full influence of the sun, and were totally 

 killed. The like objection applies to mixing Mea- 

 dow Oat and Timothy ; the first ripening three 

 or four weeks before the latter. Here, however, 

 the same inconvenience does not result to the same 

 extent. The Meadow Oat is much more hardy 

 than the Clover, and even after it has shed its seed, 

 and become perfectly dry and yellow, it still 

 makes good hay, and is eagerly eaten by stock. 

 The best mixtures therefore, if mixtures are to be 

 used, are Timothy and Herds Grass, and MeadoAv 

 Oat and Clover, as they ripen about the same time. 

 I think the latter very important, as they make 

 much better hay than either separately. Clover is 

 at all times difficult to cure, and in the process 

 loses a large proportion of its leaves : this is in a 

 great measure obviated by curing it with the 

 Meadow Oat; besides, the stubble affords conside- 

 rable protection to the exposed roots of t!ie clover. 



As to the best time for sowing grass seed, I am 

 still somewhat in doubt ; that is, 1 have very little 

 choice between early fall and early spring sowing; 

 say the latter part of September and February. 

 If deferred until November, the young plants can- 

 not withstand the winters cold : if delayed until 

 April, they are burned up by the summers sun. 

 When sown alone then, I should prefer Septem- 

 ber, as you thereby save nearly a year ; but if I 

 wish to sow on a grain crop, I would do it in Feb- 

 ruary or early in March. 



I last spring soAved Orchard Grass and Clover 

 on wheat; half the field was first harrowed, and 

 the seed sown and left on the surface ; the remain- 

 der was harrowed after the seed were sown : I can 

 now perceive no difference whatever in the ap- 

 pearance of the grass. I believe the wheat was 

 benefitted by the operation. 



I apprehend the great causes of failure with 

 those who have had courage to attempt the culti- 

 vation of grasses in this section of country, have 

 been, first, an unwillingness to risk a doubtful ex- 

 periment on good land ; and secondly, the unpro- 

 mising appearance of the crop the first year. I 

 confess I was myself very much disheartened, and 

 actually broke up several pieces of grass, which 

 would have turned out well, had I exercised a lit- 

 tle patience. This was particularly illustrated on 

 sowing a low piece of ground two years since. It 

 was roughly ploughed, and the seed covered with 

 a heavy drag in September. I watched if very 

 closely, and as late as the following March, could 

 not discover a single blade of grass. I concluded 

 the seed were bad : the fact is, they were buried 

 so far beneath the surface, that they did not vege- 

 tate until spring; and I this year cut a fine crop of 

 Timothy and Herds Grass from it. This fact de- 

 termined me in all future soAvings, either to leave 

 the seed on the surface^ or to cover them lightly 

 with a bush harrow. 



My experience with Lucern has been very satis- 

 factory. I have cultivated it six years, anil consi- 

 der it one of the most valuable grasses known : 

 its yield is immense, and is preferred by stock to 

 almost any other, either green, or in the form of 

 hay. I cut it five times a year, and get as much 

 from each cutting as if it were repeated but twice 

 or three times : for soiling therefore, it is invalua- 

 ble. I usually sow it in drills three feet apart : 

 this enables me to cultivate a cleansing crop be- 

 tween them, so that in Avorking one I Avork the 

 other, which is absolutely necessary, as Avithout 

 it, the Lucern is soon overrun and destroyed by 

 the native grasses. This appears almost a paradox 

 in vegetable physiology, considering the great 

 depth (50 or 100 feet) to Avhich the tap root of the 

 Lucern has been traced in ])ursuit of Avater. I this 

 year raised a crd{) of mangel Avurfzel betAveenmy 

 rows, Avith as little inconvenience as I could have 

 cultivated either separately. 



The Lucern is a very hardy j)lant, and resists 

 heat and cold belter than any other grass Avith 

 which I am acquainted. It groAvs luxuriantly at 

 this place in the sand fertilized with stable ma- 

 nure, Avithout the addition of a particle of clay or 

 vegetable mould. It Avill also groAv on a stiff soil, 

 but a light loam is best adapfed to it. In Februa- 

 ry 1832, the Aveather mild and open, I drilled a 

 small lot of rather stiff shelly land Avith Lucern : 

 it came up beautifully in eight or ten days. Every 

 body here recollects the extreme cold Aveather Ave 



