USE O:^ SAND ON GRASS, 213 



two years and then seed down, without sowing any "rain 

 with their grass. In this way they think they will be enabled 

 to obtain a greater crop of grass for a longer time, giving 

 them a chance to bring under cultivation more of their 

 ground. I have for the last year or two been attempting to 

 go a little further in this line, by turning over in the fall of 

 the year the sod of as many acres as I can manure thor- 

 oughly, and I endeavor to take all the pains I can to make 

 the manure-heap as large as possible. I agree with our 

 friend from Herkimer, that sand is a fertilizer, and I have 

 practised for a year or two drawing from twenty-five to fifty 

 loads of sand almost one mile, to litter my stock ; and I have 

 found, when I have used that during the winter, and carted 

 out my manure in the spring and spread it on my fields, that 

 it seems to be all pulverized ; there are no lumps in it. It 

 spreads out fine and works into the ground admirably, and as my 

 lauds are rather of a loamy character, sand mixes with them 

 very admirably indeed, and I see the profit, by putting on 

 about fifty ox-loads to the acre, and then raising a crop. As 

 soon as I take the crop off, or very soon after, I put on a har- 

 row, manufactured by the same company, I think, which 

 manufactures the Sprague Mower, and I plough the ground 

 and cultivJite it with this harrow. By going over it twice, 

 my laud will be mellowed up very fine and light, and fitted to 

 seed right down. Last year I sowed in the spring three 

 acres, and seeded it down with oats. The oat-crop being 

 very late this year generally, I mowed about the first of Oc- 

 tober what I considered good three tons of grass, with what 

 little stubble there was in it. My cattle at the present time 

 seem to eat it as eagerly as any hay or any rowen that I cut, 

 and by seeding down so early, the grass grew so luxuriantly 

 that it gave me a great crop. I took off my crop of the 

 Connecticut River staple on five acres, used this harrow, and 

 seeded it down. Now, I propose next year to do the same 

 thing. I have broken up nearly four acres of turf, and I am 

 now drawing manure four miles for the next season. When I 

 break up a piece of land, I hold to manuring it thoroughly. 

 I think I can do it in one 3'ear, and by so doing and following 

 it up in rotation, I shall bring my twenty-five acres into rota- 

 tion at different times, before the grasses are worn down or 



