214 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



run out. I know that by following this method I shall get a 

 first-rate quality of grass, and I think I shall be able to get 

 large crops, too, which I think will be the manner of pro- 

 ceeding with us that will increase our grass-crops up and 

 down the river exceedingly. 



Mr. Slade, of Somerset. I tried a little experiment con- 

 nected with this matter which may jDcrhaps be worth Avhile to 

 state to the gentlemen present, considering the discussion has 

 taken the course that it has. I know the subject of raising 

 grasses is a very important one, and I think that the old cus- 

 tom of sowing grass-seed with grain is one that should be 

 discontinued ; there is no fact better established on my own • 

 land than that. Consequently, last spring I experimented in 

 that respect. I took a piece of ground that had been planted 

 some dozen or fifteen years (and by the way, it was unfavor- 

 ably situated, from the fact that it was penetrated on its 

 borders by the roots of elm-trees which ran under it for a 

 hundred feet or more) . I ploughed it the first day of April, 

 and pulverized it perfectly. I worked it over and got it 

 smooth, and sowed herdsgrass, red-top and clover. The 

 grass came up very readily, much more so than I expected, 

 and looked finely up to about the 20th day of May, when the 

 drought commenced, and having the roots of these elm-trees 

 under it, of course it sufiered severely from drought ; but 

 notwithstanding that fact, when the rains came on, the grass 

 improved, and on the 9th day of July, I cut a ton to the 

 acre — estimated. On the 19th of August, it was cut a second 

 time, and produced at the rate of two tons to the acre. 

 Those two crops were simply clover. On the 22d day of 

 September, it was estimated by good judges that there w^ere 

 two tons to the acre standing on the ground. All the manure 

 or fertilizer that was applied to it was some of the animal- 

 dust, which I purchased of Mr. North, of which we had an 

 ■ analysis at our last meeting. I used that at the rate of $10 

 worth to the acre. 



On the 15th day of April, I took another piece, which was 

 situated on a side-hill where the soil was gravelly. I did not 

 expect very fovorable results from that ; and in fact I did 

 not get very fiivorable results ; but I established this fact, 

 that by sowing my grass-seed, I got an excellent sward for 



