2D4 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



preserved samples of the herds grass, and also of 

 the meadow grass which were growing side by 

 side. If a little compost were spread, and some 

 red top and herds grass added this month, I think 

 two tons per acre of the best of hay might be 

 made next season. 



Such is the result of simply drawtng away the 

 surplus water. I will not disguise the fact, that 

 the cost will be considerable, perhaps $50 per 

 acre, in the way I manage it. My drains, howev- 

 er, are only twenty feet apart, and are four feet 

 deep. There is no doubt on my mind, that, on 

 lands which lie near the buildings, and which pro- 

 duce water grasses, it will be a matter of econo- 

 my to drain, in most cases. Let us see : 



The crop on this land for many years has been 

 one ton per acre, and worth $10,00. 



Under the treatment I have suggested above, it 

 •will certainly be increased to two tons, each worth 

 $16.00, making, per acre, $32.00. Leaving a 

 gain of $22.00. It will not take long, therefore, 

 to get back in an increased crop all the cost of 

 draining, and then, as the work is permanent, the 

 per centage of profit will be very large for a life- 

 time. 



I am happy to say, gentlemen, that my invita- 

 tion to our friends to visit the farm has been kind- 

 ly received by some, and that this piece of drain- 

 age has been several times critically examined 

 •with approbation. I shall be glad to see others 

 who are progressive farmers, and spend as much 

 time with them as they may consider profitable. 

 I am truly yours, Simon Brown. 



Messrs. Noubse. Eaton & Tolman. 



GREAT INTEKKTATIONAI. WHEAT SHOW. 

 A great International Wheat Show will be held 

 at Rochester, N. Y., Sept. 8th, 9th, and 10th, un- 

 der the auspices of the Monroe County Agricul- 

 tural Society. The following premiums are of- 

 fered : 



For the best 20 bushels of white winter wheat ...$150 00 



For the second best *' " " 75 00 



For the best 20 bushels red winter wheat 100 00 



For the second best " " " 60 00 



For the best 2 bushels white winter wheat 50 00 



For the second best " " " 25 00 



For the best 2 bushels red winter wheat 40 00 



For the second best " " " .20 00 



For the best 2 bushels spring wheat 20 00 



For tlie second best " " " ..10 00 



Competitors for these prizes will be required to 

 furnish samples of the wheat in the ear and with 

 the straw attached, (say 50 ears of wheat and 

 straw,) also to furnish a written statement of the 

 nature of the soil on which the wheat grew, meth- 

 od of cultivation, time of sowing, quantity of seed 

 sown, manures (if any used,) and mode and time 

 of application ; also the time of ripening and har- 

 vesting, and the yield per acre, with such other 

 particulars as may be deemed of practical impor- 

 tance ; also the name by which the vai-iety is 

 known in the locality where it was grown. 



The wheat must be one variety, pure and un- 

 mixed. The prize to be awarded to the actual 

 grower of the wheat, and the wheat which takes 



a prize is to become the property of the Society. 

 It is hoped that farmers in all sections of the 

 United States and Canada, who have good sam- 

 ples of wheat, will compete for these prizes. We 

 have never yet had a good wheat show in the 

 United States. It is highly important that the 

 wheat-growers of the country should meet togeth- 

 er and compare samples of wheat raised in differ- 

 ent sections. Full particulars can be obtained by 

 addressing the President of the Society, Joseph 

 Harris, Editor Genesee Farmer, Rochester, N. Y. 



TOP-DKESSINQ GKASS LAMDS. 



As the haying progresses, let the subject of top- 

 dressing be kept in mind. Grass lands that be- 

 gin to fail and yet have a plenty of grass may be 

 made almost as good as new by the application of 

 compost. It will wake into newness of life the 

 old roots, and cause new ones to form. It will 

 wake up the slumbering energies of the soil. It 

 is like oats to the old work horse. It gives him 

 vigor. He must have them or falter in the har- 

 ness. The soil must be fed, or it makes but a 

 feeble effort to respond to the demands of the 

 farmer. Top-dress those fields that just begin to 

 fail. It will save ploughing them so soon. 

 Ploughing is expensive. It takes muscle, both of 

 man and beast. It should be avoided, when anoth- 

 er system pays better. The shortest route to a 

 destined place is pi'eferable, other things being 

 equal. The shortest cut to a good grass crop is to 

 feed it well all the time. This being the crop for 

 New England, above all others, should be the 

 first. Being the first born of the family, it is en- 

 titled to extra care and attention. It being the 

 corner stone of the whole fabric, it should be priz- 

 ed accordingly, and be kept continually in remem- 

 brance, and never suffered to become a matter of 

 secondary consideration. This is the case with 

 many persons at the present time. The corn and 

 the potatoes must have the lion's share of the ma- 

 nure. The grass must take what is left, and a 

 scanty pittance it often is. Now then what shall 

 be done ? 



Let every farmer begin in the spring to save. 

 His first care should be for the summer droppings 

 of his cattle. If they are not stabled they should 

 be put in a good yard, or into the barn-cellar — the 

 latter is the better place, if it can be well ventil- 

 ated — with a good supply of loam or muck under 

 them. Once every week the whole should be 

 ploughed over. No better plan can possibly be 

 devised for the manufacture of compost, than a 

 barn cellar, with doors and windows so arranged 

 that a good draught of air may pass through at all 

 limes. It is very comfortable for cattle, and a 

 large amount of saltpetre will be deposited, ren- 

 dering the manure much more valuable than it 

 would be if out of doors. By frequent plough- 

 ing, or by the service of hogs' noses, the mass 

 will be well mixed, and the manure completely 

 divided, which is of much importance. 



Before the fall rains, this compost should be 

 evenly spread upon the surface. The better way 

 is to spread it from the cart. Some apply a brush 

 harrow and brush it in. — B. in Journal of Agricul- 

 ture. 



Even those who smoke and drink at the ex- 

 pense of others do so still more at their own. 



