210 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



with equal propriety, be said. Protect your crop 

 against the weeds, and your crop will protect you 

 agiiiust want. 



Frequent stirring the soil is the cheapest and most 

 effectnal protection of crops against drought. The 

 Boil that is often stirred, in a dry time, is moist al- 

 most to the surface, while that which is neglected, 

 or lands in grass or small grains, which do not ad- 

 mit of this operation, are dry to a great depth ; and 

 this is one reason why wheat sowed in drills, and 

 cultivated as other crops sowed in the same way, 

 yields more than that which is sowed broadcast. At 

 another time, we may make further remarks on this 

 Bubjcct. 



Every good cultivator is aware of the important 

 advantages in stining the soil often, and he prac- 

 tises on this ] rinci^ le with excellent success. Let 

 tho.se who have any doubts on the subject, select a 

 part of a lot, give it extra culture, and mark the 

 result. 



BEETS FOR WINTER. 



Beets for winter use, and for seed, are better for 

 late so\\ing. When sowed early, they attain their 

 growth before cold weather, and become dry and 

 hard, and are tending to decay, and are gradually 

 losing in value. But sow beets rather late, so that 

 they will not have attained quite a full growth as 

 vegetation ceases, and they will be young and ten- 

 der for the table, will keep well, and if set for seed, 

 they will be vigorous and send forth strong shoots. 



"We sowed beets last season the 7th of June, and 

 they grew too large, and were too old and hard at 

 harvest time ; and we shall sow this season about the 

 15th or 20th : the latter period would be early enough 

 should the fall be as warm as it was last year. In 

 Maine, we used to sow our beets the first week in 

 June. In this way we succeeded far better than 

 ■when we sowed earlv in May, for in such cases the 

 crown of the roots would decay in winter, and we 

 could not keep them in good condition for seed or 

 any other purpose. 



A partially grown beet, or other root, will keep 

 far better than those that are full grown. '^V'e turn 

 warm water on our seed, and keep it in a v.arm place 

 about two days before sowing, which forwards it 

 about one week, and gives the plants a slait of the 

 weeds. 



PASTURAGE. 



It is said that in North Wiltonshire, famoTis for its 

 excellent dairy ])roducts, the farmers are in tlie prac- 

 tice of mixing sheep with cows to prevent the pas- 

 tures from becoming too luxuriant, in the proportion 

 of one sheep to one cow. An English author recom- 

 mends the mixing of a few sheep and one or two 

 colts, in eich pasture for horned cattle. Another 

 writer on English husbandry says, that the follow- 

 ing method hai long been successfully ])iactiscd by 

 the Hollanders, and recommends its adoption in his 

 own country. He remark:! that when eight cows 

 have been in the pasture so long as entirely to con- 

 eume all the grass they can graze, and can of course 

 no longer obtain the necessary quantity of food, two 

 horses w ill hud a sufficiency of food for several days. 



After those begin to fail of procuring an adequate 

 amount daily, to supply their wants, four sheep Avill t 

 be able to live in the enclosure, and procure food for W 

 weeks. Sheep, however, should never be permitted 

 to occupy the same pasture with black cattle or 

 horses ; they foul and trample m.ore food than they 

 consume ; but when it is convenient to take the 

 former from a field or pasture, sheep may be profit- 

 ablv introduced, to consume what the cattle have 

 left. A PRACTICAL FAllMER. 



Bald Eagle Farm, Mai/ lo, 1819. 

 — Gennantowii Tele(/ra]]h. 



Remarks by Editor N. E. Farmer. — We suppose 

 that the object of the foregoing article is to show the 

 advantage of changing animals in the same way as in 

 a rotation of crops. By a change of crops, one will 

 often take up the elements which the preceding left, 

 and in this way a larger amount of produce may be 

 obtained in a number of years, or in the course of a 

 regular rotation. 



One kind of animals may go over a pasture and 

 eat all the food that is acceptable. Then another 

 kind will find a good supply in what their predeces- 

 sors have neglected. The third race may follow, and 

 do well. A horse will often cat coarse herbage which 

 other animals refuse. We have seen horses eat this- 

 tles and burdocks, which some animals never taste. 



In New England, cattle, horses, sheep, and some- 

 times pigs and geese, run in the same pasture ; and 

 the fine condition which we have observed in all the 

 animals under such circumstances, would not lead us 

 to think that any injury resulted from such practice, 

 but the advantage in regard to rotation of pasturage 

 was great. This mode of putting different kinds of 

 animals into the pasture together, compared with 

 tillage, may be considered like mixed crops, where 

 the different j^lants are selecting each its appropriate 

 food at the same time, instead of succeeding each 

 other, as in rotation. 



NORFOLK AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



On our 72d page we give notice of the formation 

 of this society, under the most favorable auspices. 

 In due time the trustees held meetings, and fixed 

 on a list of premiums, apj ointcd a committee of 

 arrangements, and committees or judges on the 

 awards of premiums. The list of premiums is exten- 

 sive, and includes a great variety of subjects. 



The offers are liberal, and in some cases very large. 

 The spirit of enterprise and intelligence that goner- 

 ally pervades this county, the efficiency of tlio 

 officers of this association, anil the liberal funds al- 

 ready raised, are a sure guaranty of success. Al- 

 though this society is in its infancy, we think, 

 judging from the amount of work laid out, that they 

 will not be inferior to older associations in the c.Ktent 

 and utility of their operations. 



We have not deemed it necessary to publish the 

 lists of i:)reraiums and names of awarding commit- 

 tees of this and other societies, as they are scattered 

 all over the counties by means of local papers bcfoio 

 we see them, and such matter is generally of intcrctt 

 only to the county to which it appertains. 



