170 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
in grass cut before it is ripe than afterward, and 
the liability to such hay of heating or damaging 
by either rain or lying in close heaps is less. 
While the grass is still fresh, it will bear the hot 
son and wilt rapidly, but after it has parted 
with most of its water it ought to be dried 
more slowly. This is effected in cocks which 
lie up loose, so as to permit a free circulation of 
air, and if hay-caps be used, the curing process 
goes on 'during the night or even during rainy 
days. It may be that the heaps do not really 
dry much after the heat of the sun is out of 
them, nights and rainy days, but the moisture in 
the greenest locks distributes itself through the 
rest of the hay and the whole mass becomes 
evenly cured. Hay caps ought not to cover 
more than the upper third of the cock— other- 
wise the ventilation is interfered with. If made 
of good unbleached cotton, a yard and a quarter 
square, they will afford sufficient protection. 
In bright weather hay ought never to be 
spread thin or stirred much on the second day, 
but after getting heated through both by the 
sun and the action of the warmed ground upon 
which the cocks are opened, it should be thrown 
together in loose heaps to finish, and as soon as 
a lock wrung in the hands exhibits no moisture, 
and it has a good, sweet, hay smell, it may be 
considered cured enough to put up in cocks as 
large as can conveniently be made, capped and 
left thus one or several days to "sweat" before 
getting into the barn. — This we think is the 
surest way to get sweet green hay. Yet hay 
may often be cut and made in a single day, and 
housed before night, which if well salted in the 
mow will be good and sweet. It is more import- 
ant to cure clover in cocks, than any other kind. 
The mowing machine makes great changes in 
the labor, but not in the principles of hay mak- 
ing. 1st. The grass is not cut until the dew is 
off. 2d. It lies spread as thin as it stood, and 
needs little, if any, stirring— if any, turning 
with a fork, following the track of the ma- 
chine backward, is most convenient. After 
three or four hours' sunning, the horse-rake will 
gather it into windrows, so that all that is cut 
before noon may be in cocks by 5 o'clock — be- 
fore the dew begins to fall. If capped, it will 
endure a long siege of rainy weather. A few 
hours' exposure to the sun and air fits it for cock- 
ing up to sweat as before stated. This system 
dispenses with the "hay-tedder" or hay-stir- 
ring machine. Hay-loaders, though somewhat 
before the public, have not been sufficiently 
tested. Unloading horse-forks of sundry pat- 
terns all save much hard work, asthmatic tor- 
ture and sweltering up under the ridge pole. 
There is a plan also for lifting the entire load at 
once — which, however, seems of doubtful utili- 
ty. These contrivances for dumping in large 
masses of hay make the old hay knife conve- 
nient in getting it out again. Large mows 
ought never to be made without ventila- 
ting passages running perpendicularly through 
them once in 10 to 15 feet. A few 3-inch auger 
holes being made within a circle of 12 inches in 
diameter in the floor, a grain bag filled with hay 
is set upon them, and as the mow rises the hay 
is trampled bard around the bag and it is grad- 
ually drawn up. — The above principles appli- 
cable to securing the hay crop in the best condi- 
tion, with some slight modifications answer for 
everything else grown to cure for dry fodder. 
during the previous year. When the specie 
paying time arrives, nickels will be plenty. 
What Becomes of the Nickels. — According 
to the annual report of the "U. S. Mint and its 
Branches," up to.Iune, 1863, there had been coin- 
ed 164,011,000 nickel cents, 47,845,000 of them 
Sweet-Scented Vernal Grass. 
The Prairie Parmer in giving a mixture of 
grass seeds found to answer well for pasture in 
New England, recommends that for the West, 
the Vernal-grass, among others, should be 
stricken out. We say don't do it. Haying time 
at the West is deprived of half its enjoyment, 
simply by the absence of this most fragrant 
grass. In New England the' hay-field can be 
scented afar off, and it is this grass which gives 
the " sweet and wholesome odor " to the " har- 
vest of the new mown hay." What if it is not 
very valuable as a pasture grass ? Let us put 
in a little just for the poetry of the thing, if 
nothing more. But it is valuable. It gives fla- 
vor to the butter, and never crowds out more 
valuable grasses — but fills in between them if 
there is room for it to grow. Its seeds maintain 
their vitality so long in the soil that where it 
has once been introduced it springs up when- 
ever sparseness of vegetation gives it a chance. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Dry Fodder. 
Too many farmers are in the habit of looking 
upon hay as the only dry fodder ; for my own 
part I set a very great if not equal value upon 
corn fodder, well cured. I cut at the roots as 
soon as the kernel glazes, bind in small bun- 
dles, and when it is dry, house it if possible. 
Corn sowed for fodder, either broadcast or in. 
drills, I cut when fairly out of blossom. At 
this time the stalks are not so sweet, but the}' 
are less woody than subsequently. If possible, 
we arrange to have our corn fodder sowed in a 
long strip, say two rods wide near a fence, so 
that when it is cut, it can be set up against the 
fence to dry. We have tried sugar cane (sor- 
ghum) in the same way, and like it much, but 
can express no decided preference. Some years 
ago I obtained some seed of what was called 
" Egyptian millet," and though you may say 
this is no name at all, for so many things bear 
it, yet it is the only one I could ever learn. 
The plant grew 6 to 8 feet high in good soil, 
sending up a multitude of suckers. The spikes 
of flowers appeared very late in. the season, and 
I was never able to ripen seed. These spikes 
were like the heads of the cat-tail flag, but point- 
ed and longer, the seeds being enclosed in a 
mass of short bristly hairs. It was very leafy, 
and the stalks not tough and woody like the 
sorghum. This was the most valuable fodder 
crop I ever planted, but since the war I have 
been unable to get seed, as it came from the 
South. Perhaps some readers of the American 
Agriculturist will be able to give information 
about it. The crop was treated in all respects 
like corn or sorghum sowed in drills. 
Some of my neighbors sow peas for dry fod- 
der, threshing them indeed sometimes, but often 
feeding the dried haulm, peas and all. The 
mildew which often covers the pea vines does 
no injury to the hay, but the mold which forms 
if the straw heats in curing, or gets wet after 
drying, renders it unfit for horses, for which, 
otherwise, it is excellent fodder. In this respect, 
however, pea straw does not essentially differ 
from any other dry fodder. Any of the kinds 
of fodder I have mentioned, may be sowed the 
first week in June. Peas however, ought really 
to be put somewhat earlier into the ground, 
but sowed thick and deep they will do well. 
Millet I think may be sowed later than any 
other thing for a dry fodder crop. In ordinary 
seasons a fair crop of hay may be obtained, 
sowed as late as the 25th of July. It may thus 
be used as a second crop to advantage, following 
early potatoes, peas, or grain. The tax upon 
the soil or the manure in it is not great, for 
when sowed so late, it is cut soon after it blos- 
soms, and before the seed forms much. Of late 
years I have not used millet largely, but when 
my hay crop was likely to be short, I tried Hun- 
garian grass, treating it in the same way as I 
would millet (of which it is a variety), and have 
been well satisfied with results. Hay-Seed. 
^ » I f » ■ — 
A Crop of Roots. 
At no distant day a crop of roots upon every 
farm where live stock are wintered, will be 
deemed indispensable. Every year increases 
the number of those who cultivate roots ex- 
tensively, and find it profitable. There are two 
convincing reasons why roots should become 
a staple production : First, animals thrive 
better in winter upon a mixed diet; second, 
more food per acre can be obtained with them, 
than with any other crop. The natural food of 
cattle is succulent. They can live and thrive 
on dry hay and grain, but they will turn greedi- 
ly from these to an occasional feed of beets, 
carrots, or turnips, and the natural taste of ani- 
mals is the best guide in the selection of their 
food. It is true that fifty bushels of corn raised 
on an acre of ground will give more flesh than 
four times the same weight of roots ; but with 
fair culture twelve hundred bushels of mangel- 
wurzels can be taken from an acre, or the nu- 
trient equivalent of this amount in other roots, 
as sugar beets, carrots, or~sweedish turnips. 
There are other minor advantages in root cul- 
ture, which should be taken into account when 
estimating its profits. They draw but lightly 
upon the soil, and thus fills an excellent place 
in a course of cultivation on lands which have 
been too severely taxed. They also leave the 
ground clean and in the best condition for any 
following crop ; and besides they give profit- 
able employment at a season of the year when 
there need not be a great press of other labor. 
Among root crops most valuable for stock we 
place carrots and parsnips ; sugar beets stand 
next, mangel-wurzels and ruta-baga or Swedish 
turnips follow close, and when the season has 
advanced too far for these, English turnips will 
supply the place. These, particularly quick 
growing white turnips are better left until July. 
Whichever sort is taken, the soil should be 
made deep and mellow. An excellent practice 
is to plow down to the depth of the soil (say 5 
to 7 inches,) then follow with the subsoiler. A 
dressing of bone dust or superphosphate of lime 
harrowed in, will pay well ; or well rotted yard 
manure lightly covered will not come amiss. 
Plowing at this season will destroy the early 
crop of weeds, which will add their substance 
to enriching the soil. About four pounds of 
carrot or six of beet seed per acre will be need- 
ed. Sow in drills thirty inches apart for man- 
gels, sugar beets, or ruta bagas, and two feet 
forcarrots. The work will be greatly facilitated 
by the use of a good implement for the purpose. 
Hoe as early as the rows can be plainly seen. 
There are seed sowers in the market which 
will make this much easier than when done in 
the old-fashioned way. At the first hoeing thin 
carrots or white turnips to six inches, and beets, 
etc., to one foot apart in the rows. After the 
first hoeing and thinning, the further culture of 
