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some pursued, is to cover with gravel or sand, top dress v^rith manure^ 
sow the grass seed, and then rake, or bush it over. This, for the first 
year or two, will give a good crop of hay ; but after this, I have inva- 
riably found that the more coarse and hardy kinds of wild grass would 
work their way through the sand, or gravel, and entirely supplant the 
cultivated grasses — when the whole must have another covering, or be 
adandoned as worthless. If to be planted with corn, or any of the root 
crops, my course has been to turn over the turf or sward with a plough 
having a wrought iron share or coulter, ground to a sharp edge, in the 
dryest season, say in the month of September, roll down as hard as pos- 
sible, carry on in the winter a sufficient top dressing of compost, twen- 
ty cart loads to the acre, and in the spring plant with corn or roots with- 
out disturbing the sod. When the corn or roots are taken off, the sur- 
face is made smooth with the cultivator, or hoe and harrow, and late in 
November, or just before the heavy frosts set in, sow with herds grass 
and red top seed, half a bushel of the former and one bushel of the 
latter to the acre. The field is then rolled, which completes the pro- 
cess. If the plough does not turn the sods smooth, it will be necessa- 
ry to follow it with the bog-hoe, to level the uneven places. By keep- 
ing the sod undisturbed in the cultivation, a more firm and compact 
surface is formed, upon which horses or oxen may work, generally, 
without danger of miring. If the land is intended for grass, without 
the intervention of a hoed crop, the turf is turned over with the plough, 
as before stated, in August or September, or as early as the surface 
becomes dry enough to admit the oxen or horses upon it ; then follow 
with the bog-hoe, and turn over such parts as the plough has left un- 
turned, make the whole smooth with the hoe, and late in November 
spread on a dressing of compost, not less than twenty cart loads, made 
half of loam and half of stable manure, to the acre ; then sow the 
grass seed, and bash and roll down. If the ground be miry, so as to 
render the use of the plough impracticable, the bog-hoe must be re- 
sorted to, and the whole turned over by hand, and top dressed and 
seeded to grass, as above stated. The cost of turning over with the 
hoe will be twenty dollars per acre, at the usual price of labor. This 
mode of culture completely subdues the natural wild grasses, and gives 
a compact and rich surface of vegetable mould, which will give an abun- 
dant crop of the best English hay, for four or five years, without the 
aid of more manure. If the sod is disturbed, and attempted to be pul- 
verized, in the course of the cultivation, the surface, when laid to 
grass, will be loose and spongy ; an extra top dressing of loam and 
