THE GEKESEE FARMER. 



277 



HOW SHALL WE STOCK GROUND WITH GRASS? 



The cornraon practice in New England has been 

 to seed down with oats in the spring, sowing about 

 a peck of herdsgrass or red-top and ten or twelve 

 pounds of clover seed to the acre, after the oats 

 were harrowed in. The advantage of this course 

 was supposed to lie in the saving of labor in plow- 

 ing, and in the shading of the grass, while the 

 plartts were young. It was thought that the plants 

 would be damaged by having the full power of the 

 sun upon them in summer. If the seed was not 

 sown in the spring, it was sometimes sown with 

 rye in the fall. 



Neither of these reasons is satisfactory. Plow- 

 ing is a great advantage to all good land, and if the 

 •oat-tield were to be plowed up to fit it for a grass 

 crop the last of August, it would result in a much 

 better grass crop than it is possible to get by spring 

 sowing with oats, or any other grain. The grain 

 ■shades the grass quite too much. The grain is to 

 the grass what weeds are to any hoed crop. Many 

 of the grass seeds and plants die, or are stunted so 

 that they will never grow strong. Every one no- 

 tices among the oat stubble, patches where the 

 seed has not taken. The young herds and clover 

 have been smothered. The evil is made worse in 

 fields that have not had clean tillage. TJie weeds 

 start vigorously after the oats come off, so that the 

 grasses get very little hold the first season. It not 

 imfrequently happens that a crop of wormwood is 

 t-aken oft" after the oats, leaving a few feeble grass 

 plants in October, as the stock for the year. 



We have sown herdsgrass in the spring, and ta- 

 ken a crop otr in July, and we are fully persuaded 

 that the better way of stocking meadows is to give 

 the grass full possession of the land, when it is 

 sown. The plants then have all the advantage of 

 n fresh, loose soil, and the sunshine. They take 

 root immediately, and soon make top enough to 

 protect their roots from the heat of summer. The 

 best months for sowing grass seed are either March 

 or April, in the spring, or from the loth of August 

 to the loth of September in tlie fall. If oats are 

 raised as the crop to precede grass, we would plow 

 the land again and manure with compost early in 

 September, and sow with grass seed alone. The 

 .plants will be well rooted before winter sets in, and 

 will not be very liable to winter-kill. — Homestecid, 



NOTES FROM CANADA. 



The Wea-Thee axd the Ceops. — The weather 

 during the past four weeks has been very warm, 

 with an occasional shower. The winter wheat is 

 now all safely housed, and much of the spring bar- 

 ley has been got in. Thyre is yet much spring 

 wheat and oats to be harvested — most of the Fife 

 wheat being still quite green. Owing to a slight 

 frost which occurred in July, the ears of the spring 

 wheat have not filled out well in some places. I 

 noticed one field entirely blighted — the grain being 

 light and small, and tlie straw of a violet hue. I 

 have examined a great many fields of wheat during 

 the progress of hai" vesting, and have not found one 

 entirely free from the presence of the midge. Those 

 who have threshed out their wheat say they find 

 the yield greater than they expected. Oats are 

 very heavy in most localities, and the equine tribe 



will have a good time generally next winter. Po- 

 tatoes have been planted largely, and look sound at 

 present. They will probably command fair pricet^, 

 should there be a demand for wheat for shipment. 

 Fruit abundant ; but the apple trees are so loaded 

 that the fruit will be of a very inferior quality; in 

 fact, much of it will be fit only for hogs or making 

 into cider. Plums have been les.s destroyed by tlie 

 curculio this year than usual, and some trees are 

 heavily loaded with fruit. 



A heavy rain storm set in at 6 P. M. yesterday, 

 and it looks like rain for a 2-i hours' spell. 



The Provincial Agkicultcral Faie. — Great 

 preparations are making this year for this Faii-, 

 which is to be held at Hamilton. A handsome 

 crystal palace has been erected, and large grounds 

 have been enclosed and well provided with stables, 

 cattle-sheds, etc. It is not yet definitely settled on 

 what days the fair will be held, but it is expected 

 to commence on the 11th of Sept.* Entries, in till 

 the departments except those of Horticulture and 

 Foreign Stock and Implements, must be made be- 

 fore the 1st of Sept. $15,000 is ofl'ered in premi- 

 ums. As it is expected that the Prince of Wales 

 will be present to inaugurate tlie fair, a large attend- 

 ance is expected ; anditisanticipated tJiis will betiie 

 most successful exhibition ever held by the Society. 

 A prize of $40 is ofiered for the best collection of 

 live fishes, and a large tank has been built on the 

 ground to contain them. I wonder if it ever en- 

 tered into the heads of the committee that it would 

 be necessary to provide some moans for preventing 

 the pikes and other large fish from devouring all 

 the smaller fry. 



Sowing Wheat. — There is no question but that 

 it is better to sow winter wheat early, say not la- 

 ter than the first week in September, and cover it 

 in three or four inches deep, either by tlie u.se of 

 the grain drill or by plowing it in with a gang 

 plow. I think were this more generally done, we 

 should hear fewer complaints of the loss of crops 

 by winter kill; and the wheat wiil take time to 

 come up, and therefore will not be apt to put on a 

 heavy top, and become smothered should a heavy 

 snow lie on it all winter. j. maceelcax, jk. 



UamUion, C.W., Aug. Vith, ISGO. 



GOOD PROSPECTS FOR THE FARMER. 



Eds. Genesee Faemkr : — It is but a little over 

 30 yetirs since tliis county was one vast wilderne^is, 

 with the exception of a small strip on the Thames 

 •ind on the shores of Lake Erie. Now there are 

 thousands ot acres waving with grass and grain. 

 Upon the whole, we liave not had so good a harvet^t 

 for this la.st ten years as the pi-esent. As regards 

 wheat, this last two or three years there has not 

 been more than half as much sown as usual, on ac- 

 count of its destructicm by the midge. We have 

 had to de[>end on the United States and otiier jjarts 

 of Canad'i for a great portion of our breadstufis; 

 but this year we sliall have enough and to spare. 

 There is no doubt that the farmers will be encour- 

 aged to sow more this fall. 



It is my opinion, there is no better remedy 

 against the midge than to cultivate well, drain well, 

 sow early, and let that be the variety which will 



* It has since been decided to hold the Fair Sept- 18— 21.— Eis 



