:J0 



NEW ENGLAND 1 AUMER. 



August ir, \6-2' 



meadow. The merits of this last mentioned gras? 

 are not generally known, and I suspect it to be 

 the best, for low alluvial soils, to be found in our 

 conntry. It appears to me to be a variety of the 



the summer of 1792, it was said that £3,000 ^vonh I great consequence. Wet weather ought likewise 

 of tin was obtained from this extraordinary mine, to be avoided, as the least degree of poaching is 

 There was a steam-engine erected on the shore injurious." 



with a wooden stage or causeway, above high j S. D \Vitt, Esq. of Albany, in a va uable pa- 

 vater to the rock on which the working rods ! per published in the third volume ot Memoirs of red top, ./?gTos(!« rulgatis, and preferable to it, 

 were conducted to the mine pump, and this bridge! the New-York Board of Agriculture observes, 1 being more delicate in its structure, and having 

 served to convey the sacks of ore. ! " that in order to have good pastures or meadows, ; leaves more slender, longer, and in greater abun- 



ImaTine (says Dr. Maton) the descent into a | no pains or expense must be spared to enrich the I dance. I have boon told by an acquaintance from 

 mine through the sea ' — the miners working j soil where that is needed,to destroy as fast as pos- ; Orange county, that it is chiefly used on the re- 

 seventeen fathoms below the waves, the rod of! sible by a suitable course of husbandry, every I claimed drowned lands there, and preferred to all 

 the sleam-eno-ine on shore 120 fathoms in length 1 weed and 'plant that previously occupied the field, , other grasses, and that it yields most abundant 

 the water aUvnys draininc-'through in every part, to have the ground perfectly pulverised by plough- ; crops. I know from my own observation for a 

 and the roarino- of the "sea continually heard ! j ing and harrowing, and then to sow on it a plen- number of years, that without any artificial pre - 

 Those scientific" trcntlemen, J. Hawkins, Esq. and tiful quantity of grass seeds, suited to the soil, i paration it has gradually supplanted the coarse 

 D Gilbert, Esq. vliluable m'embers -of the Geolo- and of those kinds which hath been proved to he' aquatic grasses on the lower parts of the low- 

 cri'cal Society, have ably written on this mine ; the the best for those purposes. The fault I mean to ! lands at Ithaca. There can be no better liay than 

 former concludes thus :— •' In this manner the find with our practice contrasted with that of the ; that which is made of it. On a rich moist soil it 

 mine was conducted, and ore to the amount of English, is this, for pasture or meadow we sow in will grow uncommonly dense, and I should think 

 £70,000 was raised from it. The treasures were I the spring of the year, on a field of winter grain.a , would yield as much from an acre as any other of 

 not Mhausted at its close, which occured in the i small quantity of grass seed, from which we ex- the best cultivated grasses, 

 year 1798 ; and the conclusion was as romantic as pect our future pastures and meadows, and trust 

 its commencement. An American vessel in Gowas 1 to their branching out in two or three years so as 

 Lake broke from its anchorage, and striking | as to make tolerable pastures or meadows. In the 

 against the stage, demolished the machinery, and ' mean while other grasses and weeds spring up 

 thus put an end to the adventure, which both in ; so as to occupy most of the ground; and this is 

 its ingenuity rind success was probably never 1 most notoriously the case in our new country, 

 equalled in any country. ' I where tlie seeds of thousands of varieties of plants 



The adventurers were awed by the expense of : lie in the ground ready to spring up and overcome 

 repair, with the perpetual danger and risk ; so all | the growth of artificial grasses. In order to do 

 was removed, and no trace at this time is visible." ; this the English practice before described is the 

 I » more necessary here. The aboriginal \vecds must 



be first destroyed by preceding crops, especially 

 I by such as require tiie use of the hoe, and then 

 such a quantity of clean well selected grass seeds 

 must be sown as will cleverly fill the ground, and 

 in their growth smother every other vegetable. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, AUG UST 17, 18 27. 



LAYING DOWN LAND TO GRASS. 



Young's Farmer's Calendar, under the date \ p^j n^jg purpose too much seed cannot be put in 

 August says "This is the best season of the I ti^^ gj-ound at once. The practice of putting a 



1 OR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMETt. 



whole year for laying down land to grass ; and no 

 other is admissible for it on strong, wet or heavy 



mall quantity of grass seed on ground laid down 

 for pastures or meadows, is one of the greatest er 



soils. Spring sowings with corn [grain,] may sue- jojs i„ Hjg husbandly of our country. On this 

 ceed,.anddo often, but that they are hazardous Lybject I wish that our farmers would consult a 



I know from forty years' experience." 

 The mould of the ground, which is laid down 



MULBERRY HEDGES. 

 Mn Fessende-n — During a short tour in Eng- 

 land, last summer, I was much pleased with the 

 appearance of the beautiful green living partitions, 

 which separate the fields and plantations one from 

 another, and aflord a protection and security to 

 every enclosure against the intrusion of domestic 

 animals and fowls, which our walls and fences can 

 never give. Most farmers are but too well ac- 

 quainted with the vexation that often attends upon 

 a fence being broken down, and cattle, hogs and 

 sheep admitted to a field where rest, perhaps, the 

 hopes of tlie owner for the coming year. By sub- 

 stituting strong and well pruned live hedges, these 

 vexations and disappoint uieiits would be in a great 

 measure avoided ; for though rains sometimes un- 

 dermine your walls, and winds lay your fencet 

 prostrate, the fast-rooted hedge stands secure, — 

 sheep may climb your walls, your oxen throw your 

 fences, your pigs and geese creep through vour 

 barn door, fowls fly, the well set living hedsfe op 

 poses to all a barrier, which none will dare at- 



a book published in London, called llie Complete 



Grazicy. It gives recipes for the kinds and quan- 

 to grass, should be made very fine, as the seeds j tuies of seed per acre proper to be sown on all 



being very small, may otherwise be covered too yJ^rieties of soils, such as cZa^, loam, sand, chulk,\^^"lP^'' and even from unruly boys your gardens- 

 deep, by falling below, or be scorchcdi hy ]ying \ p^^fg^ j^^.i^nds, mid-lands, lotolands. 

 above large clods. Like other seeds they require j _^g ^ sample I will copy the lecipe for an acre 

 a due degree of moisture to cause them to vege- j j-^^. jg^^ lauds. 



tate, and therefore should not be left exposed to 

 the sun's rays without being covered ; for unless 

 rainy weather follows immediately after sowing, 

 many of the seeds will not vegetate. On this ac- 

 count it is well to harrow tlic ground immediately 

 after sowing, with a light close-toothed harrow, 

 and it should then be rolled with a wooden roller, 

 which will make the surface even for the scythe, 

 and prevent the seed from blowing into patchc 



and orchards will be more secure. 

 One improvement on the English plan of iiedg'- 



ing seems to be important ; and to- suggest such 

 Meadow Fox-tail - - 2 pecks. i hnprovement is the object of the present article. — 



Meadow Fescue - - 2 do. It is probable that the thousandth part of the land 



Rough stalked poa, . - 2 do. '" England is occupied by hedges which serve no 



Ray grass, - - - 1 do. ' other purpose than that of giving beauty and se- 



^'ernal crass, - - - 1 quart. ^ curity to the enclosures. Upon this reficction I 



White clover, - - - 2 do.- I '■^is led to inquire whether these hedges iniglit not 



Marl Tass - - - - 2 do. i ^^ made a source of profit by adopting some shrub 



Rib grass - - - 2 do. i 'hat would yield a valuable produce ; and having 



In the recipes for the various soils the quantity i had some experience in growing H'hite Mulhcinj 

 No one circumstance so effectually ensures the ' ^^--gggj jg o.gj]pj.^]]y j^ljout, ^^ ljyj]jg] p„f jj(,f(,_ j^g. j/rees, I believe that secure and permanent hedge.s 

 vegetating of these small seeds, as sowing them ' ^j^j^ [j^ compared witli our practice. ' '""y he made with them in a shorter time than witli 



as soon as possible after the ground is ploughed, \ jjg^g it is proper to be observed, that in layin" ''"Y °^ ^he shrubs now used for that purpose ; and 

 while the soil remains moist. It is always good | (]Qy^,n ^rounds for pasture lands, the English se- ! 'he trimming necessary to keep the hedge close 

 economy to lay down rich and not poor ground j^^.^ j|°g gggjg of such grasses as 'will come to ma- 

 10 grass. turity in succession ; but I think they carrv this 



Sir John Sinclair says, " it is a bad system to | g,hgn,e (q excess, and that there is no necessity 

 mi.x seeds of difterent sorts of grass before sowing ij-gr „ mi.xture of such a variety of seeds to be 

 them, in order to have the fewer casts. It is bet- ^ggj f^r these purposes. In our country the most 

 ter to sow each sort separately, as the expense of I ggjgg,j,g,i gfa^ggs are— white and red clover, 

 going several times over the ground is nothing jii,nothy or herds grass, the red top and foul mca 

 compared to the benefit of each sort equally dis- N^^^. -with these some other indigenous grasses 

 tributed. The seeds of grasses being so light, i„termix, the merits of which deserve to be inves- 

 ought never to be sown in a windy day, except by (jgated. Our best grasses for meadows are un- 

 machinery, an eqnal delivery being a point of !^yggtion„i,]y (he timothy, the red top, and foul 



strong and within proper limits, woald furnish and 

 abundant supply of food for silk worms, by which 

 means alone the United States might produce silk 

 enough to clothe the whole world. 



The above suggestion is tlirown out with the 

 liope that some practical agriculturist will make 

 the experiment next spring by setting a hedge of 

 young mulberry trees. 'I'hey should be placed a- 

 bout one foot apart, and should be protected until 

 they have acquired sufficient strength. When the 

 hedge has attained five feet in height, the clipping?- 



