No. 4.] MANURIAL PROBLEMS. 189 



Mr. Q. L. Reed (of South Wojniouth). Some of my 

 neighbors in adjoining towns, and where they carry on more 

 farming than they do where I live, rather laugh at i)lowing 

 and re-seeding. Now, in regard to that formula that you 

 gave, whether that will work on clayey land, where in the 

 spring of the year if you dig a hole it will fill with water, 

 and if you spread manure on that the timothy gets run out 

 a little. 



Dr. AYheeler. I don't think, if the timothy has disap- 

 peared, that any top-dressing you can put on will bring it 

 back in any considerable quantity. 



Mr. Reed. Suppose we put on top-dressing and re-seed 

 it in the spring, and tlirow on timothy seed ? 



Dr. Wheeler. If the land is well seeded, and is cla^'^ey 

 soil with lime, I think the chances are good that you will get 

 timothv and retain it. I know fields in Rhode Island, and 

 know of those in Massachusetts, where at least the second 

 year's grass crop is largely red-top, notwithstanding the fact 

 that timothy seed was sown ; and I think, if pains were taken 

 to investigate those instances, it would be found that it was 

 due to the fact that the soil was acid, and that there was not 

 enough lime and nitrogen there. 



Mr. J. H. Allen (of Barre) . We have a piece of mowing, 

 2i acres of which I am sure has not been plowed for thirty- 

 three years. I am sure that on this piece we have seciu-ed 

 3 tons of hay to the acre, with a second crop. Every fall 

 it has had a good top-dressing of stable manure, and I am 

 sure the grass crop is on the increase. We do not seed to 

 any extent in the fall. I believe in top-dressing with stable 

 manure. I would say that considerable manure from horses 

 and cattle is dumped in the same pile in the cellar. It gets 

 a little bit of handling when loaded in the cart. 



Dr. Wheeler. I shoidd like to ask the gentleman if this 

 hay he produced for a long series of years was first-class 

 timothy hay ? 



Mr. Allen. First-class herd's grass, June grass, etc., 

 which for our cows is better than clear herd's grass. 



Dr. Wheeler. I agfree with the orentleman that if a man 

 has stable manure enough for both his hoed crops and his 



