1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



489 



In sending a communication to the Mirror and 

 Farmer, Mr. Levi Bartlett, of Warner, N. H., who 

 has measured more than his "threescore and ten," 

 remarks, in a note, that the health of his hired 

 man failing this spring, he was left to depend on 

 himself and son, with an occasional day's work, 

 to carry on the farm. He says, "Since the 18th of 

 May I have performed as much labor on the farm 

 as I used to forty years ago. By letting into my 

 work like a 'thousand of brick,' my crops are free 

 from weeds, and, except some falling off in the 

 hay crop, they are a full average with previous 

 years. Never had a better corn crop ; oats ditto ; 

 five varieties of winter wheat, some winter Jiilled, 

 but what survived the winter is No. 1 ; ten kinds 

 of oats." 



Carlos Pierce, of the firm of Pierce, Flanders, & 

 Co., of Boston, and a breeder and exhibitor of 

 stock, died at his residence in Stanstead, Can., 

 Aug. 20, aged 40 years. He had spent the winter 

 in Washington, and returned home somewhat un- 

 well. His disease was typhoid fever, complicated 

 with an attack of cholera morbus. 



For the Kew Englanf' Farmer, 

 ILLINOIS PASTURES AND MEADOWS. 



BY JOHN DAVIS. 



If the great State of Illinois has any forte, 

 it is agriculture. Soil naturally rich, and so 

 level that there is scarcely a waste acre in a 

 thoi^sand, one can hardly fix a limit to the 

 number of people she will be able to feed, 

 when careful and intelligent farmers shall hus- 

 band all her resources, and bring the soil to 

 its utmost capacity. 



I am not ignorant of the fact that much of 

 her soil is underlaid with vast coal beds, and 

 that hence her manufacturing capacity is im- 

 mense. Yet, vast as is this capacity, it is not 

 so universal or so cheaply available as is the 

 fertility of the soil. Her climate, of course, 

 is continental, and is more or less subject to 

 extremes of temperature, drought and humid- 

 ity. Yet, on the whole, not more than the 

 average of fertile continental countries. 



Grazing or grass growing for the production 

 of live stock, is at the very foundation- of Illi- 

 nois agriculture. Reduce her to raising grain 

 merely, and she would cut no great' hgure in 

 the markets of the country. Bat if you would 

 learn of her capacity, look over the cattle 

 market reports of New York city. It is not 

 uncommon to see the number of cattle from 

 Illinois footing up greater than all the other 

 States put together. And when we consider 

 Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa and all the other great 

 grazing States, this report respecting Illinois 

 means a great deal. 



Our best pasture grass is the Kentucky blue 

 grass {poa pratensis) . It stands drought and 

 cold well. Its season of rest is from the ri- 

 pening of the seed in June, until fall showers 

 commence, say about the first of September. 



It is reliable for pasturage of the richest qual- 

 ity, from September till July, unless covered 

 by snow. 



The Redtop (agrGsiis vulgaris) is a fine 

 pasture grass for wet lands. It makes a tight, 

 strong sod, which drives out the weeds and 

 wild grasses, and is not easily poached by the 

 animals. 



White clover (trifoUum repens) is a hardy, 

 tlutritive little plant, which furnishes much 

 pasturage in spite of us. It is the most ag- 

 gressive plant we have, on some soils ; will 

 stand feeding, grief and abuse better than 

 would appear possible. Upland clay soil, with 

 considerable lime, appears to be its most suit- 

 able home. It is fine for cattle, sheep and 

 hogs ; but for horses, timothy (pMeum pra- 

 tense) is our great meadow grass. It is the 

 universal preference for hay, and in the fall, 

 after mowing, is largely fed down as pasture. 

 Considering its universality, it must be reck- 

 oned, as a pasture grass, next to, if not equal 

 to the blue grass itself. 



Red clover (trifolmm pratense) is usually 

 the companion of timothy in the meadow for 

 hay, and is most excellent as an early pasture, 

 after mowing. Its season of rest is not in 

 midsummer, but, regardless of heat or drought, 

 springs up immediately after mowing, when 

 it is sometimes much needed. It is not much 

 uj-ed alone, either for hay or pasture. We 

 do not use it much yet as a green crop to be 

 ploughed under. In . the meadow we prefer 

 that it form about one-third or one-fourth of 

 the crop of hay. The periodic decay of its 

 long tap-roots enrich the soil and keeps it mel- 

 low. It does not run out in this region, but 

 continually comes from the seeds, keeping its 

 foot-hold in the meadow, with timothy, quite 

 well. 



The best time to sow blue grass, is with 

 wheat or rye in the fall, though it frequently 

 comes in the pastures, driving out all else, 

 without the agency of man. Timothy is also 

 sown in the fall, with the winter grains. It 

 never appears of itself, as does blue grass. 

 I have frequently seeded land by carefully 

 scattering hay for the cattle, when snow is on, 

 to prevent waste, on land sown to rye. Sown 

 thus late, the first crop is rye entirely. After 

 that timothy, making good fall pasture among 

 the rye stubble. 



Red clover is not safely sown in fall, as the 

 young plants sometimes winter kill. It is 

 mostly sown in March or early April, on land 

 sown the fall previous, to timothy. Red clo- 

 ver does not appear on land itself, except the 

 land has in times previous borne clover seed, 

 or has been accidentally seeded by scattering 

 manure. 



White clover is seldom or never sown. It 

 is universally viewed as an intruder. Though 

 valuable, yet it is objectionable. Never grow- 

 ing large enough for hay, frequently causing 

 horses to slabber badly, it is not near so prof- 

 itable as other grasses. 



