VOt,. XVtf. XO. *8. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



381 



lount of hay up to the crops of previous years, 



t in Aiiyii-it it coinmenced rniiimg with n vtry 



t and wirin fall, (niid from some minutes I have, 



e lirst frost »e had was on tlie 1 1th ot Oct.) the 



rinant seeds sprnn;^ into lifi;, :ind the next sea- 



n afTordfd a very jxroat crop of hay. There 



;ro two farmers here, who cut hay enough to 



ve kept all their stool;, but probably with the 



pcctalion of rt-alizing n great price for their hay 



e next .spring, they drove a part of their cattle t.i 



e north part of the State (some 80 niih's) ai.d 



red them wintered, but the recollection of the 



arcity and high price of hay in the spring of 1817, 



19 too fresh in tlie minds of most persons, and 



ey cut their stock down to their (odder, and hay 



IS plenty enough in tli« .spring of '27 at $10 per 



n. In the latter part of June, or first of July, 



ese fanners that drove their cattle to the north to 



! wintered — sold their surplus hny (several tons) 



.$7 per ton, and carted two nules to the 8tag:e 



vcrn — proving the truth of Biirns's assertion — 



'hat the best laid schemes of mice and men, oft gang 

 aglee." 



I have thus attempted in my homely way to ac- 

 lunt for the " sudden appearance of clover." I 

 <ive selected the two cases, related, as being the 

 1 est remarkable and think that the ob.servations of 

 ^telligeiit farmers will substantiate the views I 

 •ive taken in accounting for the occurrence. 



I think that the crops of winter rye are much 

 ore likely to be good, after seasons of drought, 

 lan on those following wet seasons. I have not 

 ad much experience in raising rye, hut know this 

 luch, that the crop^ of winter rye were vastly bct- 

 ;r in '4ii than in '4li, or last season. The two dry 

 sasons had brought the salts within the reach of 

 le crop in '42 — the rains of the following autumn 

 issolved and carried them into the subsoil, beyond 

 he reach of tlie roots of the grain last year. On# 

 r two other facts, in connexion with this subject I 

 fill mention. I think red clover is more natural 

 r likely to make its appearance after droughts, in 

 oils in which sulphate of i.'on, &c. exists, or 

 rhcre the rocks contain sulphur and iron in such 

 luantities as to be acted upon and disintegrated 

 ly the oxygen of the air and moisture. Red clover 

 ;ontain3 more lime and sulplior and less potash, 

 .nd not one fourth the silica that white clover 

 loes. Therefore the red clover abounds upon the 

 ulpher soils — while the white is found to flourish 

 lestupon the soils when the rocks are pure crystal. 

 ne granite, and upon the gravelly silicous pine 

 ilains. I have seen acres of gravelly plains on 

 oine particular years white with the blossoms of 

 he honey suckle. These plains afford a greater 

 imount of the silicate of potash. Facts on experi- 

 nents have proved that gypsum is the best for red ; 

 ind sulphate or nitrate of potash for white clover. 

 Po quote again from Prof. Johnson ; in speaking 

 if the ascent of water from the soil, he says " and 

 18 this ascent and evaporation goes on as long as 

 he dry weather continues, the saline matter acru- 

 nidates, about the roots of plants, so as to put within 

 heir reach an ample supply of every soluble sub- 

 tance which is not really defective in the soil. I 

 lelieve in sandy soils, and generally in all light 

 loils, of which the particles are very fine, this ca- 

 )illary action is of great importance, and intimate- 

 y connccti.'d with their power of producing reinu- 

 lerating crops." 



The most careless observer cannot but have no- 

 ,iced the beautiful and striking change efl'ected 

 ipon vegetation by a shower or gentle rain after 



several weeks of dry warm weather in the suni- 

 lui'r, but this change is always greater up m the 

 gravelly or sandy soils, than upon the hard wood 

 lands, whirh bre n:ore generally underlaid by a 

 pan or hard impervious subsoil, which prevents in a 

 great measure the ascent of water by evaporation. 



'I he facts above stated concerning the ascent of 

 water and bringing with it the soluble matters of 

 the subsoil which are dissolved by the first rains 

 j that fall, have as much to do in affecting the plea- 

 sing change upon vegetation, and to luy view quite 

 as satisfactorily account for it, as the tlieory of 

 Prof. Liebig, who says it is to be all credited to 

 the ammonia that falls in the rain. 



In relation to the length of time that seeds will 

 lie dormant, I will relate a fact that has come un- 

 der my observation. 



Some J4 years ago, a farmer in this place was 

 ditching a large swamp, and he draw me a cart 

 load of muck taken from the bottom of u ditch, 

 more than 3 feet below the surfiice of the swamp ; 

 it was mixed with some green horse manure and 

 shovelled over a few weeks ; it became (luite fine, 

 it was used aJout my garden, and a part of it 

 mixed with sand for forming a bed for bulbous 

 rooted dowers. I thought 1 had got a compost 

 free from weeds or their seeds, but I was greatly 

 surprised, when I discovered hundreds of seedling 

 trees of every kind, that ever grew in or about the 

 swamp, springing up — ash, elm, birch, popl:;r, wil- 

 low, &,c. &c. 



I eradicated all but one elm and one poplnr; 

 they were cut down about three weeks ago, the 

 elm was 14 inches and the poplar 10 inches in 

 diameter, and they each counted twelve annular 

 rings or grains. This mick was taken from the 

 bottom of a new ditch directly to the cart, and I 

 think the seeds must have been deposited there 

 centuries ago — and if they had not been disturbed, 

 would have preserved their vitality for centuries to 

 come — and then under favorable circumstances 

 would have sprang into life. Yours, &c. 



LEVI BARTLETT. 



Warner, May 22, 1844. 



THINGS TO BE AIMED AT ON A FARM. 



1. To exhibit a considerable ambition to be es- 

 teemed a good farmer, to contribute all that can be 

 done to the stock of human happiness, and which 

 may be undertaken with profit to himself and bene- 

 fit to the community. 



2. To make a compost of one part stable ma- 

 nure and two parts of earth, or other properly de- 

 composed matter, instead of using long nianuro 

 from the stable, in its green state. 



3. To use manure spread and plowed in, and 

 not to apply it green in the hill — particularly with 

 potatoes; as, by this practice, the crop sulTers both 

 in quantity and quality, especially in dry seasons. 



4. Where a crop of grain is wanted from land 

 to be laid down to grass, the better plan is to sow 

 grass seed in September, after taking off the grain 

 crop, and plowing in the stubble. Grass-seed 

 should be sown thick: from two to three pecks of 

 timothy and a bushel of redtop should be allowed 

 to the acre. 



.5. All barns should, if possible, be provided 

 with cellars — part for roots and part fiir manure ; 

 and should be made warm and comfortable. This 

 will operate, too, as a saving of food. Water 

 should also he always at hand. 



C. Improvements should be made on a farm on a 



good scale, and with liberal outlay, if practicable, 

 instead of laying out surplus funds in buying more 

 land. 



7. Tliere should be a systematic course of cul- 

 ture of the land ; there should be a plentiful plant- 

 ing of fruit and ornamental trees, and all the small 

 fruits should be in abundance. 



8. Deep plowing, good in general, should be re- 

 sorted to as a remedy for the washing of the land 

 on hill-sides: it absorbs the water that falls upon 

 the surface. 



9. To plant unproductive and waste lands with 

 trees — such as locusts, for posts, &.c. 



10. Not to be alarmed at scientific, or what are 

 more commonly denoted " book farmers" and •' gen- 

 tlemen farmers ;" their experiments are often ex- 

 ceedingly valuable to the "standstill" farmers, 

 who are often induced by them to move on, and to 

 be improving in their practice. 



11. To keep all tools in good order, and in their 

 proper place when done with. 



12. To take one good agricultural and horticul- 

 tural paper, so as to keep up, to the best of their 

 means, with their neighbors and the world at large. 

 — K'estern Far. <^ Gard. 



Hedges. — We have seen it frequently [stated by 

 the correspondents and editors of the New England 

 agricultural papers, that the buckthorn is proved 

 there to be the best plant for liedgee. The seed 

 or plants can be procured in Boston. It also 

 grows from cuttings. A correspondent in a late 

 Massachusetts Ploughman, says : 



" After some experience in growing hedges, and 

 from frequent and continued observations, I should 

 select the buckthorn. My reasons for giving it 

 the preference are the facts that it is easy of cul- 

 ture, of very rapid vegetation, having beautiful fo- 

 liage, is compact and unyielding in its natural 

 growth, and is more hardy than any other variety. 

 It also possesses certain medicinal qualities, which 

 render it impalatable and nauseous to cattle, and 

 deters them from browsing upon it. The usual 

 age at which the plants are set is two years, and as 

 the price now asked lor them by the nurserymen is 

 rather high, it would perhaps be the most economi- 

 cal plan for a farmer, who may wish to set a con- 

 siderable length of hedge, and who has land and 

 manure to spare, to procure seed and raise the 

 plants for himself." — Louisville Jour. 



Bedsteads. — Those who wish for neat bedsteads 

 for the ensuing year, should wash them well with 

 boiling water, and then put quicksilver beaten with 

 the white of eggs, in every crack and corner. One 

 white is enough for a bedstead, with as much quick- 

 silver as it will receive. It is the only thing that 

 will keep bugs away when the bedstead cannot be 

 often attended to. It is a certain poison to bugs. 

 —Ibid. 



Salting Hay. — Salt cannot, as some persons fan- 

 cy, make badly cured hay good, and well cured 

 hay does not need it. Salt is irood in a trough or 

 manger, where cattle can help themselves. Hay 

 should invariably be put up into cocks at 4 o'clock, 

 at which time the dew begins to collect. When 

 thus put up, it cures rapidly in the cock, requires 

 less hauling afterwards, and loses less in weiuht 

 than if put up when cold and wet with dew. — ]b. 



Farmers cannot afford to keep poor cows, or to 

 keep cows poor. — Ploughman. 



