No. 200. 1 345 



Morrintown, JV. /., June Ibth, 1848. 

 Thaddeus B. Wakeman, Esq, — My Dear Sir: — When I proposed 

 curing clover hay as a subject for discussion at the next meetin<T of 

 the Farmers' Club, it was ray intention to have been there to have 

 gained wisdom from the mouths of the members present, but as I 

 cannot, I will briefly state how I intend to proceed with a field of 

 clover which I propose to commence next Monday. 



1st. Mow only when the grass is perfectly free from moisture, eith- 

 er from dew or previous rains. 



2d. Put into cocks of conical form the same afternoon it is mowed, 

 and before the dew begins to fall. 



3d. I intend by way of experiment to cover a lew ot these cocks 

 with cotton cloth, painted on one side, a yard square, with a small 

 hole worked in the centre, through which to run an iron rod 3-8 of an 

 inch thick, sharp point, with flat head riveted on the top, size of a dol- 

 lar, two feet long, to hold the cloth from blowing off", these I shall 

 let stand several days, perhaps weeks, or until it has undergone a 

 thorough heating and become cool again, I will then open and ex- 

 pose it to the air and sun for a few hours, and then haul it into the 

 barn, to be fed out to milk cows during the winter. Now don't 

 laugh, my brother farmers, with your three or four hundred acres, as 

 you did some time since at a similar article which appeared in the 

 American Agriculturist, calling us umbrella farmers; this is not in- 

 tended for you, but for persons living near our large towns, and ci- 

 ties, who can get more nutritious food for cows giving milk, in this 

 way at a less expense, than from any other crop by cutting three 

 times and proper top dressings. 



Clover hay has been greatly undervalued, owing to the bad man= 

 ageraent of the crop. In the first p];^•^. it is frequently left to stand 

 until the heads are fully ripe, and ti.c lower leaves most fallen oflf, 

 and then cut perhaps on a rainy day, or which is equally as bad, 

 while a heavy dew is upon it, left to dry in a hot sun, carefully 

 spread out, raked, and left in the winrow over night; if spread out 

 next day, if it dont happen to rain, it has another days sunning, and 

 by the time it gets into the barn very littl; i.-, !i ft oi it :•. -ides the 

 stalks, which no doubt called forth this strong expression from an 

 Octogenarian, when his opinion of the load of hay standing before 

 him, and offered for sale, would weigh a ton! ! there never was a 



