36 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol 1 



For the Ifeu Oeneaet Fantur. 



On the dUTercnt varieties of Grass and Clover. 



Messrs. Editors — Believing ihat a mutual inter, 

 change of our opinions, througb the medium of the 

 New Geneaee Farmer, is of great advantage to iia far- 

 mers, I will ofTer a few remarks on the dilTerent 

 kinds of grass and clover used fir hay or pasture in 

 this section. 



Red and white clover, timothy or herds grass, red 

 top and Juno grass, are the principal kinds known or 

 used by farmers in Western New York. 



Ju7u Grass, ( Agro$tts rulgaris,) is considered 

 much more injurious than beneficial. It is never 

 sown by farmers, but it seeds and spreads itself so 

 abundantly, that it appears to spring up spontaneous- 

 ly in most of our cultivated fields. It yields but very 

 little pasture, and is worth nothing for hay. It is dif- 

 ficult to eradicate, and is very injurious to cultivated 

 crops. In short, it annoys the cultivator and injures 

 the land, without yielding any profit in return; and it 

 would be well for Western New York if it was whol- 

 ly exterminated. 



Red Top, ( Agrostis slricta,) is sown to some ex- 

 tent in this section, particularly on moist soils, for 

 which it is better adapted than tiinothy. It produces 

 plentiful crops of hay on such lands, but is of little 

 worth for pasture. I do not think the hay contains 

 much nutriment, although some intelligent farmers 

 think differently. Sheep can scarcely live on it, 

 and cattle and horses do not thrive well though 

 fed on it plentifully. It also impoverishes the soil and 

 is difficult to eradicate, consequently it is injurious to 

 grain-rnising farmers. 



Timoiliy or Herds Grass, ( Phleum praicnse. ) This 

 is a most valuable grass for hay or pasture: and on 

 good soil it yields heavy burdens. When intended for 

 pa«ture,it always ehoidd be sown with white clover, as 

 the two together make the best and most nutritious 

 pasture. They do not impoverish the _6oil unless 

 when suflered to remain too long without ploughing, 

 as is frequently the case. 



White Clover I consider more nutritious than any 

 other kind. It is very valuahle for posture, especially 

 when intended to remain long down. If the bottom 

 be smooth so as to cut it close to the ground, it yields 

 tolerable burdens of hay; but, as before stated, its 

 chief excellence is for pasture, and it ought always to 

 be sown with timothy. White clover springs upso spon- 

 taneously in most of our lands, that it is seldom sown 

 by farmers in this section — although I believe it 

 would be of great advantage to the farmer; as it 

 would then start with the timothy, and while the 

 ground is fresh and in order. It is easily eradicated, 

 and it cleanses and enriches th*e soil, so that I consid- 

 er it of great advantage to the farmer. 



Ued Clater. — This is by far tho most valuable to 

 wheat growing farmers, and cannot be too much cul- 

 tivated. It cleanses and enriches the land, and is, in 

 ■^reality, the great renovator of our wheat soils. Ow- 

 ing to its more rapid and succulent growth, it is not so 

 nutritious for pasture as the white clover; but what i, 

 lacks in quality, it more than mokes up in quantity. 

 It yields on abundant crop of hoy which is very good 

 for sheep and cattle. Horses arc also fond of it, and 

 it is very good for them if it is preserved free from 

 must or duet, which is rather difficult to be done. 



There are two, and some eay three, varieties of red 

 clover, the Small, the Medium, and the Large. Far- 

 mers arc not all agreed as to the relative value of the 

 different kinds, particularly for hay. I jirefcr the 

 largo kind for all purposes, especially on a hard dry 

 soil. It is more luxuriant and productive, and more 

 cleansing and fertilizing to the soil; and, owing to its 

 stronger and deeper roots, it is lees liable to sufier 

 "from froel or drought. When red clover is intended 

 to remain for hay more than one year, timothy should 



be sown with it. The large clover and timothy come 

 to maturity at about the same time, so that the full 

 benefit can be obtained from both. When the large 

 clover is intended for mowing, it should be iiasturcd 

 awhile in the spring, so as to reduce its growth and 

 prevent its lodging. It may be pastured till midsum- 

 mer; and it will afterwards yield as much hay as the 

 email kind. I find this early feeding of much advan- 

 tage to me, especially when I have a largo flock of 

 sheep. I frequently pasture my clover meadows until 

 the 20th of June; and this jiast season I pastured one 

 piece until the first of July, and mowed it after har- 

 vest, and it then yielded me full a ton and a half to 

 the acre. If the land is poor, and the season dry, it 

 will not answer to jiasture so late, nor will it do so 

 well with th* email kind as the large. The small 

 kind should be mowed early, and it may be cut a se- 

 cond time in October, or it will aflbrd good pasture 

 in autumn. This is an advantage to those who have 

 time to make hay before harvest. Those who want 

 much clover hay, will do best to bow both varieties, 

 as the difference in time of maturing allows a long- 

 er time for cutting and securing the hay which is 

 a great advantage, as it is very essential that all clover 

 should be cut when In full bloom, or ae nearly so ae 

 possible. Wm. Garbutt. 



Wheatland, Feb. ^Sld., 1840. 



For the New Genesee Farmer. 

 Messrs. Editors. — Being a reader of the old Gen- 

 esee Farmer, and perceiving the establishment of the 

 New, 1 thought I would give my opinion on the best 

 way of improring new farms, especially on a thin and 

 clayey soil. They should always be seeded down at 

 the first or second crops with clover, where intended 

 for ploughing; but with clover and timothy, when for 

 meadow. Clover is much more easily subdued with 

 the plough than timothy, especially if such land is wet. 

 Many think if they lay their land to clover, they will 

 reap but little benefit from it: but they are under a mis- 

 take. Let them stock with cows; and see the profit 

 when one cow can summer on an acre of grass, and 

 winter on another. If rightly managed, at a low cal- 

 culation, she will moke 150 lbs. of butter in a season, 

 besides raising a calf, (by feeding sour and buttermilk 

 after two months, and grass,) and will make 100 Ibe. 

 of pork by feeding a pig. 



Butter, at 15 cents per pound, $22,50 



Calf, in autumn, 5,00 



Pork, six cents per pound, 6,00 



f33,.'->0 

 Some may inquire, where is the pay for the labor ? 

 I consider every industrious man or woman muet use 

 the means for every thing they obtain. Raising wheat 

 is not done without labor; and on lands of this sort, 

 the second or third crop will not average more than 

 from eix to ten buehelsper acre, besides reducing your 

 land; and in a few years you will be obliged to stock 

 down, or lose the benefit of your land and labor en- 

 tirely; when by stocking down while your land is 

 good, you are giving time for the roots to rot, so that 

 you may afterwards plough it with greater cose, and 

 by the abundant product you will find yomself richly 

 rewarded for your labor, 



I give my opinion on this subject from my own ex- 

 perience. It is about twelve years since I first com- 

 menced forming in the woods. I thought at first I 

 must continue ploughing year after year, till I found 

 that raising grain was not what it was "cracked up to 

 be." I thought clover seed so high I could not afibrd 

 to purchase it; but I found I lost a great deal of time 

 and labor, and that it is not wise to starve our land to 

 make it profitable. Clover should be sown ofter every 

 third crop, and always after oats, if possible, for there 

 is no crop that reduces our land so nuich ae oats. By 

 clovering and keeping etock, land of this kind is fitted 



for all kinds of crops, and for heavy crops of wheat, 

 which exceeds in quality that raised on flat land. I 

 still see the old practice among farmers, " no plaster, 

 no clover, no grain, no stock" — they connot afford to 

 purchose the motcrials, their farms will not afford 

 them — well, if they do not commence, they never will 

 be able to obtain them by farming, F. C. 



Tompkins co., 1840. 



Agricultural C'hemistrj'" 



Weoffer our best thanks to the Editor of the Far- 

 mers' Register, (retereburg, V'o.,) for his valuable 

 presents; but at this time would especially notice as 

 one among them, anew and correct edition, in pamph- 

 let form, of Sir Humphrey Davy's " Elements of 

 Agricultural Chemistry," publiehed by our respected 

 correspondent. It is a very important work, and 

 ought to be in the library of every scientific farmer. 



From an advertisement on the first page, it appears 

 iat this is an exact re-print of the last London edition, 

 copied from that of 1827, which had received the la- 

 test alteration and improvements of its illustrious au- 

 thor, after fourteen years observation and discovery 

 since its first publication; and at a later period, notes 

 were added by his brother Dr. John Davy, yet it is 

 remarkable, that all the American editions preceding 

 this, were copied from the early and imperfect edition 

 of 1813. 



In this number of our poper, we shall only give two 

 extracts, but if we find room hereafter, we may bo 

 more liberal. 



The most nutritive Compounds in V^etables. 



" The most nutritive, is gluten, which approaches 

 nearest in its nature to animal matter, and which is 

 the substance that gives to wheat its superiority to other 

 grain. The next in order as to nourishing power, is 

 oil; then sugar; then farina; and lost of all gelatin- 

 ous and extractive matters." 



The best time to apply Manures, 



" There has been no question on which more dif- 

 ference of opinion has existed, than that of the state 

 in which monure ought to be ploughed into the land; 

 whether recent, or when it hos gone through the pro- 

 cess of fermentation; and this question is still a sub- 

 ject of discussion. But whoever will refer to the sim- 

 plest principles of chemistry, cannot entertain a doubt 

 on the subject. As soon as dung begins to decompose, 

 it throws off its volatile parts, which are the most val- 

 uable and the most efficient. Jhing which has fer- 

 mented, so us to become a mere soft cohesive mass, ha^ 

 generally lost from one third to one half of its jnost 

 useful eonstitnejit clcjncnts; and that it may exert its 

 full action upon the plant, and lose none of its nutri- 

 tive powers, it should evidently be applied much soon- 

 er, and long bctbre decomposition has arrived at its ul- 

 timate results." 



This edition is large octavo, about 120 closely prin- 

 ted poges of two columns, (7J sheets) price 75 cents 

 single; but five dollars will pay for eight copies. It 

 is not sent to the booksellers to be sold; but those who 

 have friends in congrcEs may obtam it free of postage, 

 perhaps, after they adjourn next spring. t. 



Siberian Bald Spring; 4Vheat. 



This variety of wheat was introduced into this sec 

 tion from St. Lawrence co., two years ago, and sold 

 at the Rochester Seed Store. It was stated last year, 

 that a former in the town of Wheatland had tested 

 this, together with several other kinds of spring wheat, 

 and it proved superior to them all. The experiments 

 of the past season, although an unfavorable one, 

 fully establish the superiority of this variety over all 

 other spring wheat, not excepting the celebrated Ital- 

 ian. The following account of a crop raised on a 

 farm owned by Mr. Gay, in the town of Gates, near 

 this city, is to the point. 



The land was three acres of good sandy loam, on 

 which corn hod been raised the year previous. The 

 seed was sown the last week in April, at the rate of a 

 bushel and a half to the acre. It grew very strong 

 and handsome, was but little injured by rust, and did 

 not lodge except in some places where the ground was 

 rather too wet, and would have turned out a very fa r 

 sample, but the worm attacked a large part of the 



