120 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVAl’OR 
®l)e 00iitl)ern ^Hitlttuator, 
AUGUSTA, GA. 
VOSl.. IV.. KO. 8 AVGUST, 1846. 
Col. McDonald’s Proposition.— See ihe Card of the 
Pubhsheis in reference to the proposition of Col. 
McD. on the last page of this No. of the Cultivator. 
Hay. 
Those who have the means of making hay, 
will, of course, not neglect to attend to it in pro- 
per season. And that there will be abundant 
material wherewithal to make hay, this year, the 
copious rains we have had, give full assurance ; 
particularly if planters can be persualed that 
crab grass, if properly managed, will make as 
good hay as any other grass whatever. That 
crab-grass wdll be abundant we hear from all 
quarters. One anecdote connected with the 
luxuriant growth of this grass, w^e copy from the 
Marion {Ala.) Republican! 
“ Tall Grass. — We heard several planters, the 
other day, whose crops were like all others 
‘ smartly in the grass,’ making themselves merry 
ever the following incident : ‘ Sam,’ said the 
overseer, ‘I give you to this stump as your day’s 
work.’ ‘ Yes, master,’ said Sam, ‘please shake 
the grass, so I may know where you is !” 
Not many years ago it would have been in the 
Southern States, rather a dangerous affair to a 
man’s reputation for good sense, to say anything 
about crab grass as an useful article. This was 
proved in one instance, at least, by the fate of 
our deceased friend, Bevan. He was a member 
of the Legislature, representing in part the 
county of Chatham, and was, we think. Chair- 
man of the Committee on Agriculture in the 
House ofRepresentatives. In a very able report 
which he drew up, he happened to recommend 
the careful culture of crab grass for the purpose 
of making hay. This brought upon him a storm 
of ridicule, the effect of which ho never got over. 
Almost every body about Milledgeville looked 
upon him as a fool. What, said they, recommend 
the culture of an article that we have been all our 
lives striving to get rid of — that has cost us more 
hard work, to keep it under, than all the other 
nuisances about our plantations put together ! — 
Why the man must be a fool, they said. 
Those times have passed away — and with them 
most of the men who were the foremost of their 
day. Better sense on this subject prevails now; 
and one may venture to speak in favor of crab- 
grass hay without much fear of ridicule, Men 
are disposed to look at their interest in the proper 
light now, and to turn even crab-grass to a pro- 
fitable account. Dr. Phillips, in a very good ar- 
ticle, copied on page 71 of the present volume of 
the Cultivator, boldly recommends the careful 
saving of crab-grass hay; asserting, that if saved 
early, it will be but little, if any, inferior to timo- 
thy. He recommends to let it lie, after cutting, 
about a day ; then to throw it up into heaps, and 
let it remain for two nights and a day; then to 
open it out to sun. It must never be spread out 
and exposed to rain or even dew. We have found 
crab-grass hay, saved thus, in every respect 
better than corn blades. And we do not hesitate 
to say, that looking to the injury and loss always 
occasioned to corn by pulling the blades off, it 
would be decidedly to the interest of e very plan 
ter, when the crop of crab-grass is good, to make 
hay of it in preference to stripping his corn of its 
blades. We will go even farther, and say that, 
when once properly tried, it will be found to be 
the interest of Southern planters to prepare 
ground carefully and sow crab-grass seed for the 
purpose of making hay. If our people could be 
persuaded to do this we might be spared the mor- 
tification of seeing northern hay brought to our 
cities for sale, and even carried into the country 
to Atlanta to feed the stage horses on the route 
thence to Chehaw. 
We subjoin an article on hay-making that con- 
tains hints that may be useful to those who are 
thinking of making hay this summer : 
HAY-MAKING. 
From the Albatiy Cultivator. 
Why not adopt the same rule in regard to the 
time of cutting clover and grass for hay, that is 
followed in cutting medicinal herbs 7 The object 
in both cases is to secure the intrinsic virtues of 
the plant. In curing herbs, as all acquainted 
with the subject admit, the most proper time for 
cutting is when they are in full bloom ; and it is 
also admitted that they should be cured in the 
shade, because if exposed to the more direct in- 
fluence of the sun and air, soire of their valua- 
ble properties would be evaporated. 
We know there is some difference of opinion 
in regard to the proper time for cutting grass. — 
The advocates for ripe hay contend that there is 
more “substance” in it, and that it will “go far 
ther” in feeding stock, than that which is cut 
while it is in blossom. And so we suppose there 
is still more “ substance” in scrub oak brush, and 
that it would go still fartherin feeding (not sup- 
porting) stock. Admitting there is more sub- 
stance in ripe grass, is it a kind of substance 
which affords nourishment to animals? 
Plants, at the timeofflowering, contain starch, 
gum, and sugar; all of which are known to nour- 
ish animals. In theformation ofseed, the stems 
and leaves are exhausted of these substances, 
and the substance which remains is chiefly 
woody fibre. But it may be said that the com- 
position of woody fibre, starch and gum, are 
nearly the same. Admitted; but this does not 
prove that animals are able to extract nearly an 
equal amount of nourishment from each. The 
composition of the diamond, the hardest of all 
substances, may be said to be similar to that of 
starch, gum, &c. — carbon being the chief element 
of all ; but the digestive organs of animals would 
hardly be able to convert the diamond into or- 
ganized tissue And though woody fibre, if eaten 
by catile or sheep, might “sticK by the ribs,” 
v/e think the ribs would not acquire from it much 
fat, or the system much strength. 
In some parts of the country animals are ac- 
tually^affenec^ for market on hay alone. This 
may sound strange to those who feed their stock 
only with clover and timothy which has gone to 
seed ; for we presume their stock was never 
thus fattened. But where this object is attained, 
the grass is cut while it is quite green, (not past 
bloom) and made and preserved svith great care. 
It is true there are some kinds of grasses— as 
the “ spite grass,” or “ Kentucky blue grass,” 
(Poapratensis) which makes but little bulk in 
seed stalks, the chief growth consisting of leaves 
which spring from the root. The greatest value 
in fodder would be obtained in such eases by al- 
lowing the crop to grow until it had acquired its 
greatest bulk. This remark, however, by no 
means applies to clover, or timothy, or the grasses 
usually cultivated for hay. 
In making hay, we would expose it to the sun 
and ah no more than is required to effect its pre- 
servation, for the same reason that is above given 
in reference to curing herbs. Clover can be 
cured— indeed it is more conveniently cured — 
with but very little exposure to the sun. If it is 
not wmt, and is fairly willed, it may be put with 
forks, into cocks, which will weigh, when dry, 
about fifty pounds each, and vi 1 effectually cure, 
Timothy also may be cured in the same manner. 
The finer grasses, when throwm into a body, pack 
more closely and afford less space for the air ; 
consequently, they require to be more thinly 
spread in the making. 
Excepting wiih clover, which we never spread 
out of the swath, our practice has been to spread 
out the swaths as evenly as posrible, if the burden 
is stout, as soon as the dew is off; in the after- 
noon, rake and cock it before the dew falls. We 
prefer putting it in cocks, even if it is no more than 
wilted, because the sweating it will there under- 
go in the course of twelve hours, will much fa- 
cilitate the making, and if the grass is coarse and 
hard, it will render it much more soft. Besides, 
hay that has been well sweated in cock, is not 
liable to ferment in the stack or mow. 
Whether the hay which was mowed and put 
in cocks on the first day will make so that it wull 
do to go to the barn on the second day, depends 
of course on its condition and the state of the 
weather. If all appearances indicate that the 
hay can be made sufldciently on the second day, 
(and repeated observations only can determine 
the degree of dryness which is required.) open 
the cocks and shake the hay out lightly, tho- 
roughly breaking all tlielocks with theTork. But 
it should not lie spread out later than three or 
four o’clock in the afternoon but should be put 
up again, or if dry enough, put in the barn by 
this time, lest it contract moisture. If from the 
condition of hay, or the appearance of the wea- 
ther, there is a probability that the hay cannot 
be made enough in one day, let it remain undis- 
turbed till the weather is favoiable. 
There are one or two other con.^iderations in 
favor of early cutting which we omitted to notice 
above. Itis admittedby physiologists thatplants 
exhaust both their own energies and the soil, 
more in forming seed, than in the whole preced- 
ing portion of their growth. Thus when grass 
is suffered to ripen, it gives but little after growth, 
and from the exhaustion mentioned, the sward 
more quickly dies out. 
Marl, 
In the last number of the Cultivator we had 
the pleasure of laying before our readers the con- 
clusion of Gov. Hammond’s admirable letter on 
Marl. We hope the whole letter has been atten- 
tively read, and that it will induce every one who 
has marl at command to commence the use of it 
atonce. And that it will have the farther effect 
of convincing those who have not marl, but can 
get lime, of the certain profit that must come of 
the liberal application of lime to their fields, 
whenever they can get it on reasonable terms. 
As to the result of marling in Gov. Hammond’s 
case, a Charleston paper says : 
“ Gov. Hammond’s experiments this season, 
with marl, are attended with a remarkable de- 
gree of success. He has upwards of 2, POO acres 
of his soil covered with it, which is likely to 
prove invaluable. Every body who sees the 
plantation of Gov. H., says the above journal, 
gives up his doubts and opposition One thou- 
sand acres of pine land, said to be originally very 
poor, arc in corn, which, from present appear- 
ances, can scarcely yield less than 20,f00 bushels 
— this is considered an immense yield in that 
section, for such a body, and all lying together, 
spotted as pine land usually is, and the Governor 
is of opinion that the land is very far from hav- 
ing reached its maximum yet; the impression 
is, that ‘he beneficial results of marling willshow 
themselves advantageously for 20 years. The 
effect of marl on his cotton crop, is equally as 
favorable as it is on the corn.” 
European Agriculture. 
We have received from the publishers at Bos- 
ton, the 6th part of Caiman's European Agricul~ 
ture and Rural Economy. Its contents are : Par- 
ing and Burning ; Burning Land ; Admixture of 
Soils; Improvement of Peat Lands ; Warping; 
An Experim.ent ; Straightening a River; Work 
