1853. 



NEW ENGLAND 1<ARMER. 



333 



capital come from to make railways and docks, to 

 build steam vessels, to erect a whole town of new 

 squares and streets, and to carry out every other 

 useful and profitable undertaking. 



For the Netv England Farmer. 

 WITCH GRASS— STATE CHEMIST. 



Friend Brown : — In the June number of your 

 excellent Farmer I see an article on Witch Grass, 

 in which you give a description of the various 

 means resorted to, to free our soil from this most 

 stubborn and troublesome occupant. The reme- 

 dies you propose are much more expensive and te- 

 dious than I think is required. And as I have 

 had to battle with it fyr the past ten years, I will, 

 with your permission, give you the outlines of the 

 course I have pursued, which is very simple, and 

 has proved entirely successful. 



It is this. Let the first plowing be rather late 

 in the spring ; not till after the witch grass is 

 pretty well up. Let the ground remain some four 

 or five days after plowing — then harrow, and 

 ridge up as you would for carrots, let it remain in 

 this condition some three or four days, watch fur 

 a hot sun, and throw open the ridges with a cul- 

 tivator. Let it remain in this way some two or 

 three days, then ridge again as before — and by 

 following out the process of ridging and throwing 

 open with the cultivator twice, you may be sure 

 you have destroyed the witch grass, and for suc- 

 ceeding years too, providing you plant a crop that 

 will cover the ground pretty quick. As I have 

 occasion to use a large quantity of corn fodder, 

 (which by the way, is the most profitable crop I 

 believe that can be raised, for green feeding to 

 milch cows,) I usually plant this. You perceive 

 that it will be towards the first of June before you 

 can have gone thoroughly through with this pro- 

 cess, but still in ample time for corn fodder, pota 

 toes, or even field corn — but one of these crops is 

 better than any other I think of, to make complete 

 clearing out, both of root and branch. The advan- 

 tage of this plan over any other is, that you can 

 do it all with your plow and cultivator, making a 

 great saving in hand labor, and without being un- 

 der the necessity of removing any of the roots from 

 the field — let them remain — they will all disappear 

 in the course of the season. So that the second 

 year you wouldn't know there had ever been a 

 root in the ground. I am now, (the 7th of June,) 

 working a piece of land in the way I have described, 

 and if you have any that you wish to try my plan 

 upon, just let me know the result. 



I notice, what I am sorry for, that the State 

 Board of Agriculture report against the employ- 

 ment of a State chemist. You say the committee 

 are "fully impressed with the importance of such 

 operations and knowledge, but are still of the 

 opinion that the time has not yet arrived when it 

 will be expedient to recommend any distinct action 

 on the subject." 



Now as you are a member of the Board, it is 

 quite possible you can give your readers some good 

 reason for such a conclusion. For my own part, 

 I know of none. If you wait for our State Legis- 

 latures to propose any thing of the kind, the time 

 is surely a great way off, for action ;— there can be 

 no political capital made out of all this matter of 

 agriculture, it is too common a thing altogether 

 for so wise and dignified a body to meddl* with 



How long will the people remain contented and 

 satisfied with all this, can you tell me, friend 

 Brown? If so I wish you would. For one, I am ready 

 to move — and let the people move, through their 

 County Societies, and Conventions ; and in my 

 humble opinion, we shall see some movements 

 through our State authorities different from that 

 we have yet seen. I have written enough for 

 once, and will stop. Yours, j. h. r, 



Dorchester, June 7th, 1853. 



Remarks. — Thank you, friend R., for the above, 

 and hope that now your pen is in motion, we shall 

 hear from you often. 



With regard to the appointment of a State 

 Chemist, our own convictions corresponded with 

 the report of the Committee. Our rule of prac- 

 tice would be like that of the miller; that is, to 

 keep the means of improvement always ready, as 

 he keeps his hopper filled with corn, but not to 

 supply it faster than it can be received and well 

 ground. We would scatter the higher agricultural 

 information as all other knowledge is spread, when 

 it will fall, not upon a rock, but upon a soil pre- 

 pared in some degree to receive it. The mind 

 may be overburdened, as well as the mill-stones, 

 and by attempting too much, you gain nothing, 

 but actually retard the natural current. 



EDUCATION OF OXEN. 



A "Glenburn Farmer," in the Bangor Whig, 

 contends that the practice of testing the merits of 

 working oxen, at cattle shows, by the mere abili- 

 ty to drag the heaviest possible burden, is unsat- 

 isfactory and unsafe, as not exhibiting the most' 

 valuable qualities of the animals, nor showing their 

 most useful capacities in the performance of their 

 ordinary work. AVe annex a part of his sensible 

 remarks : 



"I would suggest that at the next trial of oxen 

 at the Society's Show, it would be upon a judicious- 

 ly loaded cart, and that the exercise should con- 

 sist of drawing, turning, and backing. What the 

 public want in regard to working oxen, is an ex- 

 hibition of the best trained cattle for farm purpo- 

 ses. Nor is this all. AVe want to see the man 

 who trained them, and his manner of doing it. 

 We want an exhibition of good teamsters as well 

 as good teams ; for very much of the merit of a 

 yoke or team of cattle belong to the teamsters. 

 And instead of giving all the premiums to good 

 oxen, one-half at least should go to good drivers. 

 No driver, however, should receive a premium for 

 himself or oxen, however good they may be, who 

 uses profane language during the exhibition. A 

 rule of this kind would have changed the direction 

 of more than one premium at the late trial. 



"Good teamsters are worth from five to ten dol- 

 lars a month more than poor ones ; and yet, with 

 this difference in price, it is very easy to find a 

 hundred, and I might say a thousand, poor ones 

 for one good one. No man can be a good team- 

 ster who is not a gentleman. He must be gentle, 

 kind and careful. No good teamster will put his 

 oxen to an unnecessary waste of strength, or to 

 unnecessary pain, by the use of the goad stick or 

 brad. — Wisconsin Farmer. 



