vo»^•. xvm. NO. 50. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



4il 



Krom ' 



.ue Allaiiy Cullivalor. 



ON THE CULTUKE OF LUCERNE. 



Res/iected Fritnil, Jesse Biiei- — I snnietiiTie since 

 K-ceived a letter frimi thy fallier, reqiiestinjr me to 

 :;ive him such information as I am posse-sed of, re- 

 .-■pectinor the culture of lucerne ; and thiiikiiij; thou 

 would lilieto have it, I have concluded to send it lo 

 lliee, as I tiiink every farmer who has land suitable 

 lor it, ought to have pk-nty ol this valuable grass. 

 It requires a good deep soil, tliat has not clay bot- 

 tom. I have succeeded beyond my expectation, 

 and now find no more difficulty in raising it than 

 any other crop. In order to prepare the land for 

 it, spread plenty of unfermented manure on it, and 

 plough it in and plant corn, which ought to be well 

 managed, allowing no weeds to grow. After the 

 corn is taken off, give it a jrood deep ploughin;.', 

 and let it remain in that state until spring, if it be 

 sown with barley ; but if with winter wheat, harrow 

 it well, and collect the roots and loose stones, and 

 should there be any fast stones they ought to be 

 removed ; then spread about forty bushels of ground 

 bones per acre and harrow it in ; but if bones are 

 not to be obtained, any good rotten manure that lias 

 no seeds of weeds in it, will answer it. And as it 

 is best to lay the land in ridges about 24 feet wide, 

 open a furrow about 12 feet from tlie fence, and 

 let the near horse return in it; then open another 

 in the same manner, 24 feet from it, and so contin- 

 ue until the whole is finished: then sow the wheat 

 and plough it in, not very deep, filling the furrows 

 which were opened, and harrow it once over. As 

 it is best to have it as smooth as may be, I made a 

 hone with a plank about nine feet long, and two 

 poles, pretty much the shape as those we smooth 

 our roads with ; and if it is not heavy enough lay a 

 post or two on it. It ought to be so constructed as 

 to draw the loose earth towards the furrows. In 

 the spring, about the time clover seed is sown, sow 

 about twenty pounds of lucerne seed to the acre, 

 and harrow it in with a sharp, heavy iron-toothed 

 harrow twice over, once each way, and roll it with 

 a light roller, across the ridges, to be drawn by one 

 horse. After the grain is taken off, let it remais 

 in that state (not pastured) until spring. Soon after 

 the frost is out of the ground, before it is much set- 

 tled, harrow it once each way with the heavy bar- 

 row. I hail mine pointed with steel. The harrow 

 ought to be U)nde in two parts and hung together 

 with hooks and eyes ; then it can readily be lifted 

 up on one side by the driver, and cleared by a boy 

 to accompany him with a rake. It may be harrow- 

 ed three or four times over after every mowing, re- 

 membering to pick up the loose stones. The rea- 

 son I recommen<led laying it in ridges is, because 

 it can be more readily smoothed with the hone. If 

 it Is not smoothed, the harrow will not have the de- 

 sired effect; and the natural grasses are apt to get 

 in. I generally let mire stand until in blossi>m, 

 when it is designed for hay. I usually get three 

 ^rood crops, and think the hay is better for "II kmds 

 ■ r stock than any I have ever seen. My first crop 

 liis sometimes been so large, that it is best to cut 

 it rather earlier, as it will sometimes lodge and may 

 injure the roots. 



As this grass requires more time to cure than 

 some others, I thought it might be well to inform 

 thee how I manage it. 'I'hat which is cut in the 

 forenoon, if the sun shines, may he turned with a 

 rake towards evening, but not opened ; and that 

 which is cut in the afternoon may remain until the 

 next afternoon, before turning it. That which was 



first turned ought to be turned the next forenoon, 

 and put in cocks early in the altornoon, and let it 

 remain two nights in cocks; then open it and lay 

 the fork-fulls separate, shaking it well, and if it does 

 not appear to be sufficiently cured alter being turn- 

 ed, put it up in cocks and let it remain one night 

 more. When the hay is housed, I generally put 

 half a bushel of salt to a load — say to about fifteen 

 hundred. 



As this grass, especially the first crop, is apt to 

 be very large, it is liable to be injured by heavy 

 rains when in cock. I would therefore recommend 

 to those who raise it, lo get a quantity of low-priced 

 yard-wide linen cloth, and give it a thin covering 

 with boiled tar, with a painter's brush, on both sides, 

 and sift some fine sand on it while warm ; and 

 when dry, cut it in squares and fasten a small stone 

 to each corner to prevent tiieir blowing off the 

 cocks. These cloths cost but little, and with care 

 will last many years, and may be very useful for 

 other kinds of hay ; for want of thein, one of my 

 neighbors had a large quantity of clover hay mucli 

 injured. 



When the swaths are turned the second time, 

 let two be turned towards each other, then when it 

 is raked, the horse can walk between them, and let 

 a boy keep by the side of the horse, and when the 

 rake is full, let him ojien the swaths with a fork, 

 that the rake may readily enter. 



I have been thus particular, being desirous that 

 whoever may wish to raise this grass, may succeed, 

 as a number of my friends have been disappointed 

 for want of proper management. 

 Thy assured friend, 



JAMES BYRD. 



P. S. If the seed is sown on winter wheat in 

 the spring, it ought to be done when the ground is 

 neither too wet nor too dry, but when it will crum- 

 ble. 



Flushing, 2J mo., 19th, 1840. 



From ibe Albany Cultivator. 



PREPARATION OF SEED CORN. 

 Messrs Gaylord Sf Tucker— I send you the result 

 of an experiment made in planting corn the past 

 season. Having seen stattments of the benefits 

 derived from steeping the seed in a solution of the 

 sulphate of iron (copperas,) as securing it against 

 the ravages of birds and cut-worms, we resolved up- 

 on giving it a trial. Mr Jacob Kirk, (with whose 

 crop the experiment was tried,) procured a few oun- 

 ces, dissolved it in hot water, and pourctl over the 

 corn. After remaining in the solution from six to 

 eight hours, the corn was taken out, rolled thor- 

 oughly in plaster, and planted. A few rows of the 

 same kind of corn was planted in the middle of the 

 field, without steeping the seed, but just as it came 

 from the cob. The field was likewise planted with 

 pumpkin seeds, also without preparation. After 

 the corn and pumpkins had come up, I observed 

 that many of the latter were cut off by the worms, 

 bill cotil'd not see a single stalk of corn disturbed, 

 until I examined the rows (for I had marked them) 

 the seed of which had not been prepared. Here I 

 found the worms at work, nearly a tenth part of 

 which tliey had destroyed: the birds had likewise 

 taken some. The steeped corn was of a greener 

 and more healthy color than the other ; grew fast- 

 er, with stouter stalks, while that from the unpre- 

 pared seed could readily be pointed out by its more 

 yellow and dwuKlliiig appearance ; neither was 

 the yield so ^reat as the other. 



Now whether this difference in yield is to be at- 

 tributed to the copperas or to the plaster, or to both, 

 I have yet to learii ; but think the copperas prevent- 

 ed the birds and worms I roin committing depreda- 

 tions, as we have Irequently rolled scrd corn in 

 plaster, but have never found M'(< a security againut 

 either birds or worms. 



The above is nt your service: you will please 

 pardon errors in composition, as my province is be- 

 hind the plough and not the pen. 



Yours, R. FOSTER. 



Blast — A disease of plants, to which by differ- 

 ent writers has been given the name of blight, 

 blast, and mildew. The latter, however, is evi- 

 dently a distinct disease, and produced by different 

 causes. The blight which sometimes strikes the 

 grain of whole districts, would seem to be owing to 

 atmospheric causes, and governed by the course of 

 the winds. Impoverished land, too great qiiantitiea 

 of seed, or injudicious culture, may produce this 

 blight, but in this country it is ofteiior observed as 

 an effect of drought Blast from fune;i is the kind 

 of blight which attacks grain also, and which has 

 been erroneously attributed to particular plants, as 

 the barberry bush, since the fungi on the leaves of 

 this plant, and those that cause the blight in wheat 

 are clearly distinct Alh. Cult. 



Family Flour. — By fji8 initroduction, into some 

 of the mills in this vicinity, of the improved ma- 

 chinery for the manufacture of superfine fiour, we 

 are now enabled to get that article of the very best 

 quality, as regards the manufacture, witii the ad- 

 ditional recommendation of having \l/re-h /;rotind. 

 This very important difference — a difference that 

 is generally appreciated in relation to common 

 meal, and will be in relation to flour, when once 

 tried — is a consideration which will recommend 

 the flour to all those who love to have their bread 

 of the best and mo.st wh<desome kind. We have 

 used two sacks of it, which was prepared by Put- 

 nam King, at Clark's Mills, in Sutton, and found 

 it decidedly better than any other flour we have 

 tried. It is kept constantly for sale, in this town, 

 by Francis Blake & Co., who are the agents for 

 the manufactureis. — ff'oiccster Spy. 



A Good Thing — a strong cement for glata, 

 wood, &)•<: — Steep isinglass twentyfour hour» in 

 common whitt: brandy, then gently boil and keep 

 stirring until the composition is well mixed, a:id 

 a drop, if cooled, will become a strong jelly. 

 I hen strain it through a clean linen cloth into a 

 vessel to be kept closely stopped. A gentle heat 

 will dissolve this glue into a colorle-<s fluid. Dish- 

 es of wood, glass, or earthen, if united with this 

 cement, will break elsewhere rath«ir than separate 

 in the old break. In applying the cement, rub the 

 edges which are to be united, then piqco them to- 

 gether, and hold them for two miiiutoR, and tiie 

 work is done. This is very easily done, and in- 

 comparably better than any thing else for tlie pur- 

 pose. 



Vegelahle Valine — In 1043, a Ipswich, lndiai> 

 beans were ordered to be used in voting. The 

 white denoted yea, the black nay. In J()4S, they 

 were required to be sealed up and forwarded lo 

 Boston. In KiSU, Indian corn was ordered to be 

 used for this purpose, and sealed up in a paper 

 containing the name of each candidate, andaent 

 to Boston, on election day. 



