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THE \ E W a E .\ E S E 1-: !• A R M E 1(, 



\' 



OL. 



Btat e, in the fields, yards, ond pastures in this vicinity. I Uiil form of the spike of flowers, 

 [is nppearnnce, nearly reedy to blossom, and abound- | 10. Meadoto Fescue. Botanists name it Festuca 

 infj with Tudical foliage, indicates its value as a grass j priilciisis. It is found in our fields only sparingly — its 

 fov early pasturage, not for mowing. seed is now imported. It is nearly erect, branching. 



The kinds of Poa are many, and some are very I ""d its flowers are somewhat inclined to one side. It 

 valuable. The generic name is the Greek word for ' i^ «'"^'i «" "^"'V """i valuable grass by the English, 

 forage or feed. 



6. Rtmgh- Stalked Mcadoio Grass. Poa tiiralis, of 

 bC'tanists. This appears to be a more valuable grass 

 thliu the preceding,and not to be common in the fields. 

 It8 flowers are in a rather spreading panicle, and the 

 bpikelels rather small,- the culm and leaves are rough, 

 and the roots ftljrous ; so that it is readily known. — 

 The value of the crop cut at seed time, is considerably 

 greater than when in fljwer. This grass is suited to 

 moist soils, where it forms a dense sward. The Eng- 

 lish describe it as a favorite grass of horses, cattle, 

 and sheep. As it does not spring up soon or abun- 

 dantly after being mown, it should be cultivated with 

 ■olhor grasses. — Sinclair. The seed of these two spe- 

 cies have been introduced for cultivation, and are sold 

 at Boston. 



7. Flat-slalked Meiidoxo Grass. Poa coviprcssa, of 

 botanical writers. Two varieties of this grass are 

 spoken of by Sinclair, one of which grows more erect 

 and yields more culms, and is much more valuable. — 

 This "variety is not probably in our fields. The smal- 

 ler variety, and lees erect, is common about open 

 hedges, and along banks, and is a fine looking grass, 

 of a dark green. The culm is very much compressed, 

 and the flowers have a web-like connecting substance, 

 and are rather onesided. The other variety forms a 

 fine iward. Neither of them will compare, for utilitvi 

 with many other grasses. 



This is the Blue Grass of botanists, and the Kcii- 

 tuchy, or Southern Blue Grn.5s, is supposed to be a va- 

 riety of it. It is diflicult to decide from the English 

 name what grass is intended. A gross of this name 

 is considered very valuable by some farmei's, yielding 

 a good crop of the best kind of hay, rich in quality, 

 heavy, and highly relished, especially by horses. We 

 hope to be able to determine what of doubt now ex- 

 iBls on this subject in the course of a few months. 



8. Annual Meadow Grass. — This is the low, small 

 grass that springs up about our houses, and yards, and 

 walks, every where forming, when unmolested, a 

 dense mat of short leaves and culms, of a yellowish 

 gieen color. AVhere it is needed, it is considered a 

 beautit'ul grass, and whore not, a troublesome weed. It 

 is calied Poa annua, by the botanists, probably because 

 it flowers and ripens its seed through much of the year: 

 Eaily in spring its flowers appear, and late in aulvmin 

 they are scarcely gone. It is readily cropped by sheep. 

 Il can scarcely bo called a meadow grass, but is wor- 

 thy of being known as forming some of our beautiful 

 award. " This, and I*, trivialie, arc almost the only 

 grasses that will thrive in grass plats in towns." — 

 Loudon. 



9. Crested Dog's tail Grass is a^caufiful species, 

 With deeply parted floral leaven, so as to give the long 

 apdte a bristly appearance, especially as the leofets of 

 the cnly.t arc owned. The latter eiop was found, by 

 the Wohurn experiments, to be about half that of the 

 :(iowei'ing c;-ip, and the nutriment o( this grass in 

 flower is to that at seed time as seventeen to ten. — 

 Hence it should be mowed early in the season. It 

 yield.-i much early pasture. It delights in soils rather 

 tenacious and somewhat iiioisi, or in meadows that 

 are irrigated. Raised iVom the seed, it does not soon 

 come to its full perfection, and is not a grass that can 

 be profitably changed or broken up. Its cidni is used 

 ijl the mnnufaclure of straw honnels. The sward is 

 den?e and fine, and with some other grobbce, must be 

 'Valuable for culture. — Sinclair. The botanists call 

 lUis grass Cyitoeurus crislatus, from the crested dog- 



fS-" 



as it yields a larger quantity of foliage than even the 

 Meadow Fox-tail Graaa, ( alopecurus, ) so highly com- 

 mended by them. It contains three times as much 

 nutriment in flowering time as in the seed. It is adap- 

 ted to a clayey soil. It is found to grow slowly after 

 it haa been mowed. It is one of the six grasses re- 

 commended by Curtis for pastures. — London. Next 

 to the true Fox-tail Grass, it seems to be desirable to 

 make a trial of it in our agriculture. Its seed is being 

 introduccdinto our country. Festuca is from theCeltic 

 for pasture. — Loudon. 



II. Hard Fescue Grass, Festuca duriusaila, of 

 botanists. The flowers grow onesided and spreading. 

 It IS found, in small quantity among our grasses, on 

 light soils, ond in rich pastures. It is a pretty early 

 grass, and is in flower here in May. The first crop is 

 enid, in the Woburn experiments, to be three times 

 greater than the second, and to be one filth greater in 

 flower than in seed. The first crop is only one-tenth 

 less than that of Fox-tail, ( alopcctirus, ) and two- 

 thirds that of Doctylis glomeroto, panielcd cock's-foot 

 grass. In English agriculture, the Hard Fescue is 

 considered a very valuable grass, and very important 

 to be mixed with other grasses, to form one of the most 

 valuable combinations of the grasses for hay or pastu- 

 rage. It is probable that the seed will be imported in 

 quantity, as some has already been introduced. 



Several other species of Festuca are scattered over 

 the country; F. clatior L., tall and large in wrt places: 

 F. tcnella, Willd., dwarf fescue, on dry soil in open 

 woods and along hedges, are common, hut not abun- 

 dant. The latter isa beautiful, though not a very use- 

 ful grass. F. orina, W.' Sheep Fescue, is a "fine, 

 short, sweet" grass for sheep, and offbrds "delicate 

 mutton," while it aflords a thick turf: it is beginning 

 '.0 be cultivated. C. D. 



CTu be continued. J 



i.t 



From tht Maine Farmer. 

 Signs of the Times. * 



Although we have put a poliiicul caption to the 

 head of this article — or rather, one which politicians 

 love to use, we are not about to enter the battle ground 

 of either of the contending parties as they ore at pre- 

 sent organized. We wish, however, to call the atten- 

 tion of the friends of our own country to some of the 

 signs now rising in the distant horizon, which indicate 

 that belure many years there will be a change in the 

 existing tnrifl", and that thooe who live south of Mason 

 ond Dixon's line, and who so bitterly opposed that 

 portion of tlie tarilT which aflforded encouragement to 

 Northern Manufacturers and Northern Wool Grow- 

 ers, even to threatening a dissolution of the Union, 

 will ere long change positions and beg right heartily 

 for such an alteration as shall also protect them — aye, 

 protect them in their own staple products, viz; cotton, 

 tobacco, and hereafter, silk. And we much mistake 

 if they will not then be willing to shake hands with 

 their brcthercn of the North, and unite in forming such 

 a schedule of duties as shall be mutnnlly beneficial to 

 all sections of the Union. This is what they ought 

 to have done hrtore — this is what nature itself points 

 out should be dune. The t^\•o extremes of our couit- 

 try, enibrncing as it does, such an extent of territory 

 — stretching through such a voriety of climate, are 

 well adapted to sup|ily the wants of each other, and 

 one would suppose that it would be on ohjoct for each 

 to study the other's welfare in accommodating each 

 other. The North is well adopted to the growth of 

 wool, lumber, hay,oots, ond to manufociuring. The 

 South to the production of cotton, rice, eilk, sugar, 

 &c.- Why not then arronge our tarifl" that each 

 branch shall bo encouraged 7 But the Snuth, by their 

 opposition to those points which were bencficol to the 

 North, have virtually said, \vc core nothing about you 

 — we had rather trade with Europe— she will occom- 

 modflte us on most any terms — and we are not going 

 j to assist in building you up when our mother country 



is so kind to us. So off with your duties upon w 

 lens, &«., or we will blow up the Union. Engli 

 too, when she saw that she could occomplish two 

 jects with one act, namely, sow dissension anion ^iitt*. 

 and hove our duties reduced, sung cheerily the s; . - 

 song of free irode to us, but at the some time shut 

 own ports to the -n-hole world, except in such c 

 and in such times as it woidd be for her own pan 

 lor benefit to open them or change her restriction 

 So, to keep the peace among ourselves, the dutiei ' ^.^^ 

 woollens, &«., were reduced — litllcorno duty put *_ 

 on silks, and some other articles. But to the si • ' 

 what are they? We see, by the American Fan '^"° 

 that there is to be a grand convention of tobacco gi >' ''" 

 era in Washington city next month. What ie »" 

 matter? Why it is found that this article, which is s;- 

 an immense article of trade throughout the world.ii r 

 stricted in some countries. France, lor instance, [: 

 fer to encourage her own people in this business u 

 great detriment ot the growers of the United St: ; 

 and while we have been so good natured as to ac , 

 her silk almost duty free — she has been so ill not - 

 as t:* hamper our tobacco trade in euch a \s*ay, ai 

 give her own people the monopoly. And 

 Southerners begin to think that it will be best to 

 down the gates upon their silk?, unless they ^ 

 change their course in regard to tobacco. Besi 

 the culture of silk is coming into vogue in the So • 

 and may be made so extensive as to put Europe ir 

 shade, if it could be encouraged, or the French 

 other silks kept back. 



Again, England is waking up to the culture of 

 ton in her East India possesions. She has sent c 

 gent into this country and has engaged nine prai 

 cotton planters to go and take charge of as r : 

 plantations in India. They are to have o solo ; 

 twelve hundred pounds per annum each. Nativ '.. 

 borers can be employed to any extent in India fo: ■ 

 dollars per month. Greot Britoin has oppropr 

 twelve thousand poundj to push forward the e 

 prise, and it will not be long before the Nori 

 manufacturer can obtain his cotton from India, cl 

 er than from Georgia or Alabamo. In addition to 

 Texus will be pouring it into the market also, 

 not the Southern planter cry out for a prohibitory 

 on cotton ? We have no doubt of it — and for on 

 should be willing to give it, provided they would 

 consent to such on orrangement that all sections i 

 be miftually encouraged in the ci^ops and manufac 

 peculiar to their climate and situotion. 



Our farmers, who control the ballol-boi, mus 

 judicious legislation, provide a stayle home mark' 

 the products of their industry. We beseech tht 

 weigh well the fact, that there was brought int 

 United States and sold, no less than one hundrc 

 fifty-seven millions' worth of foreign goods in tht 

 1839. And in this connection, remember tha 

 duty on American flour in English ports, on the 

 of April, 1840, was two dollars and fifty cent 

 barrel. This is more than the flour is worth i 

 wheat growing sections of Ohio, Michigan, Ind 

 and Illinois. Shall our own agricultural interest 

 no countervailing protection ? We imported 

 year, twenty-one millions of silks, dutyfree. 

 pose, instead of sending abroad twenty-one mil 

 of specie, or its ei]uivalent, to pay for these silki 

 had manufactured that amount more of goods at b 

 at least ten millions of provisions, in one shop' 

 onother, would hove been consumed in the open 

 and oil the profits of the manufacturers, the prod 

 of the row moicriol, mechonic labor, and the 

 consumed by all, would hove enriched our own 

 zens. 



Our inechonics, such os shoemakers, blacksn 

 carpenters, tailors, and the like, have a deep ini 

 in the encouragement and protection of don 

 manufactures. Indeed their interests are the 

 w ith ncorly oil other classes, who must depend o' 

 productive industry of the country for their own j 

 vidual prosperity. Hence, the great national ini 

 tance of cncouroging, bv all suitable meons, t 

 man, woman, ond child, to be both industrioui 

 economical. Hence our republican fnmily shoul 

 so disgrace themeolvos as to madly run into d( 

 Europe 157 millions a year, for worthless aristoi 

 finery, and then have one half of the property i 

 Union sold under the hammer to foot the bill, 

 sensible men should insist on an eflcclual protc 

 tariff", thot shall cut ofl" this disastrous extravag 

 If the rich will have one hundred millions woi 

 silks, wines, and the like, from abroad, let then 

 into the national treasury at least forty millions, > 

 can be well exiiended as a common school fund, n 

 been done with the sui-plus belonging to the S' 

 New-York. This will be a tax upon luxury i 

 benefit of education, general eciencc, and intelliS' 



