1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



281 



year, with a better prospect of a good yield. 

 Grass is our principal crop, therefore when it 

 fails, plow, apply manure, and plant. The 

 second year seed to grass with <;Tain. Keep 

 the ground up only two years, if it island that 

 can be hoed ; if not, sow grain two years and 

 seed with the second crop. Wm. Jameson 

 plowed up a piece [How large ?] of unproduc- 

 tive land and spread manure that cost $1.50. 

 He had two crops of grain and has cut grass six 

 years since. Grass is our best crop. With it 

 we can keep stock, with stock make manure, 

 and with manure we get good crops again. He 

 plowed four acres, harrowed it and sowed oats 

 and grass seed. Grass grew four feet high, 

 and has continued to produce a good yield. 

 Three years ago he plowed a third of an 

 acre. Raised barley, potatoes and turnips. 

 Second year he had twenty bushels of barley, 

 and this year he got six loads, which he was 

 quite sure was full two tons of dry hay ; some 

 of it reached to his forehead, over Ave feet 

 high. He don't believe it pays to raise a lot 

 of oats to sell, but feeds grain to stock. His 

 farm is only sixty acres, and when he built an 

 addition to his barns, his neighbors asked why 

 he did so. He told them to fill with hay. His 

 barns are now crowded. Still he intends to 

 double the present yield. If his land was 

 suitable, he would cultivate it all in rotation, 

 but as some of it is wet and rather clayey, he 

 top-dresses and keeps it in grass, and hoes 

 the dryer portions. 



Mr. Church said grass is the chief object, 

 and we only plow to tit the land for the better 

 production of this crop. If land is easily 

 worked, and the sod readily decomposed, 

 would only plow two years ; first hoed ci'ops, 

 second oats. Ajjply the manure the first year 

 before plowing. If the ground is heavy Avith 

 a very firm sod, keep it up three years. First 

 crop oats ; second, corn or potatoes ; third, 

 oats and seed to grass. Mr. Webster said 

 where the grass gets poor, he first plows and 

 sows to oats ; the second year plants and hoes ; 

 third year sows wheat, and stocks down with 

 eight quarts herds grass, and six pounds clover 

 per acre ; and gets a good quality of hay and 

 no sorrel. Applies manure to the hoed crops. 



Mr. Tenney said our system of culture must 

 vary according to the soil. We get money by 

 selling beef, wool and butter, and to produce 

 these our main reliance is hay. Pie com- 

 menced farming in 1840, and had had twenty- 

 six year's experience. His course had been to 

 take the poorest soil and break up in the 

 spring, — never in the fall, — turning in the 

 manure. Plants and cultivates well. Does 

 not plow in the fall, for that would expose the 

 manure to sun, wind and weather. Plows in 

 the spring and sows with grain and grass seed. 

 The hardest land to keep fertile is that which 

 is sandy. It bears our heaviest timber. When 

 that is removed, it yields bountiful crops, but 

 is soon exhausted, and requires very liberal 

 manuring. He was set against potatoes, and 



would as soon sell hay as potatoes. He was 

 also opposed to the use of plaster (gypsum). 

 It draws the fertility from the soil ; makes a 

 good crop, and leaves it more barren. He 

 knew a piece of land about one mile from 

 Montpelier, Vt., which produced very poor 

 hay, that was heavily dressed with plaster five 

 years. The first year there was a good crop ; 

 the second year a monstrous one — it could 

 hardly be dried on the ground ; third year, 

 not quite as good ; fourth year still less, and 

 the fifth year hardly enough to wipe a scythe. 

 This was some sixteen years ago. Since that 

 time there have been libera) applications of 

 manure, but it has not been brought back to 

 its original fertility. Manure should be ap- 

 plied with a view to benefiting the crop and 

 improving the land. Would stock down the 

 second year. We should so manage as to 

 raise two or three tons per acre of hay. 



E. B. Hill remarked that he had tilled light 

 soil and got the best result by applying manure 

 near the surfiice. He once plowed in the ma- 

 nure on a piece and planted potatoes, but re- 

 ceived no benefit whatever. 



Mr. Clougli would keep up moist land three 

 years : first, oats : second, corn and potatoes ; 

 third, wheat. On half of one field spread the 

 manure and plowed it in ; on the other half he 

 spread it on the furrows after plowing. All 

 the crops were better during the whole rota- 

 tion where the manure was put on top. 



A. A. Webster practiced a rotation like 

 that described bv Mr. Clousrh. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FENCES. 



A great deal has been written upon this 

 subject, and many experiments have been 

 made to test the utility of various materials 

 for the purpose of enclosure. The amount of 

 capital invested in fences is enormous, and he 

 who will invent anything permanent, will be a 

 public benefactor. 



In this section of the country, rails are 

 almost universally used for farm fences. White 

 cedar is employed whenever it can be pro- 

 cured ; but it is becoming scarce. Good cedar 

 rails sell for $70 or $80 a thousand. Some 

 farmers have enough to replenish their fences, 

 but many who once had enough have sold 

 nearly or quite all their timber. 



Next to cedar, black ash is extensively used. 

 This makes a good substitute, but it is not so 

 durable. Rails were also formerly made of 

 pine, but as the country became older, pine 

 lumber increased in value, and was requii-ed 

 for other purposes. 



The great expense of keeping fences in re- 

 pair has caused farmers to experiment upon a 

 variety of trees and shrubs to supply the place 

 of rails or other timber. Thorn, cedar, arbor 

 vitffi, osage orange, and white willow, have all 

 been tried, and each has found its admirers. 

 I think if thorn is properly trimmed it will 



