534 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



be difflcult, hut the water could be dammed and 

 thrown (Ml with small expense. There is no spring 

 within a liiiiiJied ruds. The Itrook is high in earlj' 

 spring, tlio water from hill sides around coming in 

 hirge (luautitii's from snow and rain, and also to 

 considcralile extent from the sjiring; hut hy the 

 first of June, it is usually dry where I wish to 

 irrigate. I have consulted many jiraetieal farmer*, 

 but none have yet advised me" to Hood the soil. 

 Some say the land will he made sour. Mr. Harvev 

 says the ground must he left hare in the winter to 

 freeze, or the English grasses will die out, and 

 poorer grasses replace them. Some of the soil is 

 clayey, hut most of it is a good loam, of rather a 

 sandy nature below. It is a soil which has re- 

 ceived horn surrounding lieids, hut does not give 

 off to others, in consequence of its (josition. 



If any one can give me information in regard to 

 the effect of such irrigation, they would oI)lige. 

 Perhaps Mr. Harvey can give a chapter from per- 

 sonal experience. f. 



Franklin, Mass., July, 1811. 



Remakks. — We regard the inquiry of our cor- 

 respondent of much importance. The different 

 effects of water Jlow'mg over land and of water 

 standhifi npon it are better known than are the 

 causes of these ditl'ercnt results. But such Howage 

 is not generally included in the term irrigation. 



GEASS SEEDS. 



An editorial in the Farmer, some time ago, re- 

 commended the sowing of a greater variety of 

 grass seed. I have usuallj' sowed ten pounds 

 clover, one bushel redtop, and one peck herdsgrass. 

 How shall I change this, or what add, to make a 

 good vaviety for a common loamy soil ? How- 

 would the following recipe work ? 



Three pecks redtop. 



One bushel orchard grass. 



One peck herdsgrass. 



Please answer soon, as I have three acres to sow- 

 down, which I intend to do early, with grass alone. 



Franklin, Mass., July, 1871. f. 



Remarks. — Add the clover to your formula, and 

 you will have an excellent variety. We do not yet 

 sufficiently appreciate the value of orchard grass 

 as one of our fodder crops. 



P.\CKIXG NEW HAY WITH OLD MEADOW- HAY. 



I Lave ahout six tons of meadow hay of fair 

 quality, hut l)y next winter it will n(jt he as good 

 as it is now, and I wi.-h to make it availalde if 

 possihle. -I have ahout three acres of (piite heavy 

 clovt-r. iNow will it he advisahle for me to lay a 

 course of meadow hay, say twelve inches deep, 

 then a course of fresh cut clover, same thickness, 

 and so on to the end .' 



I think I saw something to this effect in your 

 paper, hut caniKjt now linil it. 1 don't wish to 

 lose or injure my clover, hut sonielKxly has said 

 the fresh cloVL-r would impart its sweet "fragrance 

 to the old hay and cattle would rciish the whole. 

 What do you think of ir ? Would one foot in depth 

 for the courses ht- ton thick ? Would it he well to 

 cure it in i)art, or lay it up green, as it is cut ? &c. 



A SURSCIIIHEU. 



Woousocket, li. I., July 20, 1871. 

 Re-marks. — We have had no experience in pack- 

 ing down clover with meadow hay. Have packed 

 straw with hay, with good results. We should 

 have no liesit:itir)n in packing the two together as 

 you propose,— making the layers ahout one foot 

 thick. Should advise curing the clover, but as far 



as possible in the cock, and handle it carefully 

 while making it and packing it with the hay. It 

 will be a poor time to indulge in doubtful experi- 

 ments, m the present scarcity of good fodder. 



•WITCH GRASS. — RYE GRASS ( ?) 



As the refreshing and much needed rain has cut 

 short our work in the hay held, I will spend a 

 little time in .-ieeking lihgt c n a dark yreen subject. 

 Enclosed you will lind i ;,lk of grass which I 

 pulled up to-day, in front of one of our stores, 

 where I found it growi • in great luxuriance. It 

 was just in l)loom and both stalk and leaves seem 

 very tender as though they would make excellent 

 fodder. Some said it was witch grass, and some 

 gave it other names. So I determined to inquire 

 of the Editor. If it is witch grass, it is its lirst 

 advent into these parts. W. I. Simonds. 



Boxbury, Vt., July IS, 1S71. 



Remarks. — We think it is not witch grass. The 

 leaves are too narrow-, the head too loose, the 

 bristle, or beard, or awn too long. You should 

 have sent more of the root, as this is an hnportant 

 characteristic of the Triticum 7-epens, with its 

 numerous aliases. We think it is one of the Rye 

 grasses. 



COAL ashes. 

 In j'our reply to my questions in regard to the 

 value of coal ashes, in the Farmer of July 15, you 

 speak of using them on your dryest soils. Now 

 my principal attention for the next two years w-ill 

 be directed to the cultivation and fertilizing of 

 lowish land, which, though not very wet, is far 

 from being dry. If I use coal ashes in my stahles 

 as an absorbent, they will be a5)plied as a top- 

 dressing for grass on this land ; and I would ask if 

 they will be hencficial to the grass crop there, the 

 soil being partly of a clayey and partly of a loamy 

 nature ; a small part will Ije irrigated. f. 



Remarks. — We have no doubt but the coal 

 ashes will be beneficial on the soil you described. 

 Having a choice of soils on w-hich to use them, we 

 should always select the dry ones. 



The salt subject being up, I have a word to say 

 on it. I use it some for stock, partly of course, but 

 not wholly, hecause everybody does. When accus- 

 tomed to eating it, young cattle are not as wild 

 \\hen salted occasionally; and with cows giving 

 milk, I have thought it made the butter "come" 

 easier when they were salted often ; hut it always 

 lessens the How of milk for a few milkings. 

 Hence in a dry time when feed is dried up I give 

 salt only after a rain ; lor in a dry tune, if salted, 

 they fail to resume their former flow of milk, al- 

 thcjugh one brother says it increases the flow of 

 milk in his cov>-s. 1 "never had cattle fat better 

 than those that had hut very little salt during the 

 entire season. It is a cathartic, and I do not be- 

 lieve' that physic and ftit go well together. 



Addison County, Vt., July, 1871. T. B. 



COPPERAS and saltpetre WATER. 



In the Farmer of July 22, I read a little article 

 recommending copperas and saltpetre water for 

 pear trees that failed to hear. Will you give direc- 

 tions for using ? Inuliker. 



July 25,1871. 



Remarks. — In reply, we have to say that no 

 tests have ever been made by us on pear trees with 



