350 



1sT:W ENGLAND FARIVIER. 



Aug. 



ers in the vegetable world. We have cut off 

 the same plant with a spade an inch or two 

 below the surface, ten different times in a 

 summer, and still it flourished beyond all other 

 plants of the field. Its stem rises from two 

 to four feet. The flowers are a bright blue, 

 and quite showy. 



It was a foreigner, but is becoming exten- 

 sively naturalized. It has a large and long 

 tap root, which goes to make up a consider- 

 able portion of what is sold for coffee in the 

 shops. Left to its own powers of propagation, 

 we think it would cover a fifty acre farm in a 

 few years. 



Then we have the buttercup, or croicfoot, 

 with its fair name and face. These are all 

 there is to commend it. It is a highly acrid 

 plant ; cattle do not eat it in the pastures ; it 

 is hard}', and soon drives out the grasses. 



There are many other weeds that are costly 

 nuisances to the farmer. 



What are we to do about it ? Who intro- 

 duced them ? Did any of their seeds come to 

 us by a cool, money-maker's design, or were 

 they accidentally brought to us ? Let us see. 



Some years ago the members of the Royal 

 Ao^ricultural Society of England offered a 

 prize for the best essay on ''Agricultural 

 Weeds.'''' It was awarded to Professor Buck- 

 man. He says the following extract from the 

 letter of a French dealer in London, addressed 

 to the well-known seed establishment of the 

 Messrs. Sutton, of Reading, Eng., will show 

 how systematically this fraudulent trade is 

 carried on : 



"I have sold this day some India rape-seed for 

 mixing with turnip seed, and enclose a sample. 

 If you will have some at 56s. per quarter, in the 

 docks, you can have it, if unsold, to your answer. 

 I have some East India radish seed at Qs. per 

 bushel. If you want some for mixing, I shall be 

 very happy to serve you." 



A man guilty of such frauds as these de- 

 serves to be shot with some of his own vile 

 mixtures. 



There are two ways to prevent sowing the 

 seeds ourselves. One of these we have al- 

 ready suggested. The other is, that no dealer 

 in seeds should sell any until he has had them 

 thoroughly examined by a competent person, 

 and separated, if there is a mixture. No 

 sensible person would decline paying the ad- 

 ditional cost of such cleansing. 



The duty before us now is to allow no 

 weeds to go to seed in our fields. When 



they are in mowing fields, cut all before the 

 seeds are ripened in the weeds ; and where 

 they are in the cultivated crops, see that none 

 ripen. Weeds multiply themselves surpris- 

 ingly. A stem of wheat may have twenty-five 

 or even fifty kernels upon it ; but some of the 

 weeds we have mentioned would be more 

 likely to have some thousands of seeds than 

 only fifty ! On this point we will remark 

 further hereafter. 



For the Neiv England Farmer. 

 CUTTING AND DKYINQ QEASS. 



The time to cut grass and the amount of 

 drying it needs in order to keep well, are im- 

 portant questions. There is no crop that the 

 farmer of New England raises, that exceeds 

 in value that of grass. Hence the best way 

 of saving it is of the greatest importance. 



If the farmer wishes to cut but one crop of 

 grass from the land in a year, it should be 

 done when he can secure, every thing consid- 

 ered, the greatest value. In my opinion, that 

 time is when it is in full blossom. Cut at this 

 time and well cured, it certainly makes the 

 best hay. I judge this to be so, from the fact 

 that cattle of all kinds are very fond of it, 

 and, when otherwise cared for, always thrive 

 upon it. Cut at a later stage, while ripening 

 its seed, there may be a larger bulk of hay 

 but of much less value. It may keep the same 

 number of cattle longer for the reason that 

 they do not like it as well, and consequently 

 will not thrive upon it. This is one reason 

 why some cut their grass late, because the 

 stock win not eat it up so quick. Another 

 reason is, it takes less time to make it. 



Farmers who have much grass to cut, and 

 comparatively a small amount of help to do 

 It, should commence some time before the 

 grass is in the blossom, that they may not be 

 too late on the last cutting. When there is a 

 good prospect of fair weather, cut the heaviest 

 grass, and when it is otherwise, cut the light- 

 est, and that where much time and labor are 

 required in getting it. 



How much grass needs to be cured to keep 

 well, can be answered by saying that the water 

 or sap, which is the same thing, should be 

 nearly all dried out of it; just as you would 

 evaporate the water contained in maple sap in 

 order to keep it, or as you would dry fruit in 

 order to keep that. Farmers need not talk 

 about cutting clover in bloom, averaging two 

 tons to the acre, and in ordinary weather cur- 

 ing it sufficiently in one day to keep well in 

 the mow. It cannot be done. No man of 

 common sense believes it can. It is true that 

 grass will make more in one hour sometimes 

 than it will during a whole day at other times. 



Do grasses drying in the heat of the sun 

 lose any of their value as food for stock.!* 

 Particles of matter pass from grass while dry- 



