1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



85 



FOWL MEADOW. 



On re-publishing from our paper an article on 

 this grass, the editor of the Wisconsin Farmer 

 asked for information of its growth in that State. 

 From a communication in reply to this request 

 we take the following statement, made by a gen- 

 tleman who found a strange weed in his strawber- 

 ry patch, which he preserved out of curiosity, and 

 which a friend while eating some of the strawber- 

 ries, recognized as the Fowl Meadow grass : 



A fcAV weeks afterwards, I took the handful of 

 seed (all there Avas) and sowed it on the edge of 

 my marsh where I had burned a few heaps of wil- 

 loAV bushes in the spring, and put nothing on the 

 ground. The next season I did not make hay un- 

 til after harvest, and found tliis grass mostly all 

 rotten, as it had grown too rank, and fell or lodged 

 down. There was nothing done to the strawberry 

 bed that year, and the few bunches left there were 

 down and the seed wasted, as I thought. But in 

 1854 the strawberries had run out, and a fine 

 patch of this grass was cut, and the seed saved ; 

 which was sown with some clover seed in the 

 spring of 1855 on a small piece of ground with rye 

 near the river, and about five feet above its level. 

 In 1856 I had a very good crop of clover, and 

 here and there a few spears of this grass. In 1857 

 the clover was badly killed out by the previous 

 severe winter, and I did not cut it until quite ripe, 

 and it being a very wet time, did not get much, 

 nor very good hay. In 1858 I had as heavy a crop 

 of hay as could be Avished for, as the clover and 

 gi-ass had both shelled and seeded it perfectly in 

 1857. And this year,' 1859,) I had a full crop of 

 fowl meadow grass, the clover having been com- 

 pletely killed out last winter ; there was about 

 four tons (six loads) on two and one-eighth acres 

 of land ; this I have saved for seed, and shall sow 

 all my marsh and lowland with it in the spring, 

 as the fire has burned over most of my marsh 

 lands, and they require seeding again. 



The few little willow patches sown with it at 

 first had spread all over the driest parts of the 

 marsh, and made a very good mixture of marsh 

 hay. 



For the Neio England Farmer. 



SAW-DUST AS A PEBTILIZER. 



To a notice rendered some weeks since, in your 

 valued journal, Messrs. Editors, asking the Avorth 

 of "Saw-Dust as a Fertilizer," I respond as far as 

 able, through your columns. Since then, further 

 inquiries have been made, to which I am unable 

 to answer, until a coming year. But in looking 

 over some books of "clippings" from newspapers 

 (the gathering of Avhich I commenced some twenty 

 years ago, until they have swelled to many large 

 folio volumes,) I find the following, Avhich, if of any 

 use, I shall amply be repaid for looking it up. Un- 

 fortunately, I do not find from Avhat pajier I took 

 it, or of what date it Avas. But I copy it exactly 

 as I find it. Let me hope if it does no good, like 

 the stick in the old Avoman's porridge, "it Avill do 

 no harm." In using "SaAA'-Dust as a Fertilizer," 

 I presume it is not needed for me to say if used on 

 dry soil, it must be Avell rotted or dampened. But 

 I have found it to Avork best generally on soft or 



moist ground. I give the extract herewith as re- 

 ferred to. 



"SAAV-DUST FOR ORCHATtDS. 



"A year last fall, I hauled a load of old rotten 

 'saAA'-dust,' and threw it around my young apple 

 trees. My neighbor over the Avay is one of those 

 characters Avho plods on, in the same old track 

 that his father and gi'and-fathor did before him, 

 believing that they kneAV all, and more too. My 

 neighbor said, if I put saw-dust around my trees 

 I should surely kill them ! I told him I Avould 

 risk it, 'any hoAV.' I put fresh stable manure 

 around one row, and saAV-dust, around the next. 

 Around another roAV I put leached ashes. And 

 the remainder of the orchard I manured Avith rot- 

 ten barn-yard manure, and in the spring spread 

 it, and Avell planted the ground with corn and 

 potatoes. The result was, many trees grew very 

 luxuriantly, but the trees Avhere the saAv-dust 

 Avas grew the best, the bark being smoother, and 

 the trees had a healthier appearance. I Avill state, 

 also, that that part of the orchard planted to po- 

 tatoes grCAV greatly better than that part planted 

 Avith corn. The soil Avas clay loam." 



December 15, 1859. Oak Hill. 



For the New Enshmd Farmer. 

 TAXES. 



Me. Editor : — As a new Legislature is soon 

 to assemble, and as you Avill have the honor of a 

 scat in that branch Avhere farmers most do con- 

 gregate, I Avish to call your attention, and that of 

 your readers, to the laAvs of Massachusetts for the 

 assessment of taxes. Ever since the time of Cit- 

 sar Augustus, and I knoAV not hoAv long before, 

 the decree has gone forth that all the Avorld 

 shall be taxed, and in this countr}', the coiTCct 

 principle of taxation is generally admitted to be 

 in proportion to property. Ability to pay, how- 

 ever, is far from being in that ratio. For in- 

 stance, Mr. A, Avith a familv to support, is Avorth 

 but §1000, and is taxed '$7. ^Ir. B is AVfulh 

 $2000, and is taxed $14. Noav it is plain to see 

 that Mr. B, Avitli an equally expensive family can 

 pay $14 much easier than Mr. A can pay $7. Yet 

 no one supposes that any plan can be adopted 

 Avhich Avould make it equally easy for every man 

 to pay. The principle of taxing in proportion to 

 property, I think, is right and practical ; but you 

 Avill see that our laAvs need a radical alteration to 

 make them conform to this rule. 



To illustrate, suppose two young farmers Avish 

 to purchase homes for themselves and families. 

 They go to the same neighborhood, and buy farms 

 of equal value, say $3000. One has the cash, 

 probably left him by his fixther, to pay for his, and 

 $1000 left for stock and tools. The other, by six 

 A'ears of economy and hard labor, has saved $1000. 

 He pays this, gives his note for the balance, $2000. 

 and secures .by a mortgage on the farm, and 

 buys his stock and tools on credit. Noav he is 

 Avorth but one-fourth as much as the first ; but by 

 our laAvs they must be taxed equally. Again, sup- 

 pose tAvo merchants or mechanics commence busi- 

 ness in the same place, and require an equal amount 

 of capital to carry on their business, perhajis 

 $3000 ; one has cash to pay for his Avhole stock, 

 and begin clear of debt ; the other has nothing 

 but a character for honestv and inte^iritv, and ke 



