SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
91 
All that we contend for is the maintaining of the trne 
balance between the plants and animals kept, reared and 
improved, (not deteriorated) on a farm. One may have 
too few animals for the highest pront, as well as too matiy. 
Extremes in either direction are to be avoided; while the 
unknown latent resources of the soil are to be studied with 
all po.ssible care. These may happily enable us to grow, 
and bring to full maturity, far more of our most profimble 
crops. The subsoil may have hidden treasures in store for 
us, and for our live stock that will make both rejoice in 
the fatness of the land. Well directed industry and sound 
economy rarely fail to receive a liberal reward, even where 
the soil is not of the most promising character. By cherish- 
ing moderate expectations, and working up to the line of 
duty in the management of all kinds of stock — in saving 
their manure and producing feed for them — few will be 
disappointed. L. 
Davy’s Devon Herd Book. — The second volnme of 
this work is just published, and now ready for distribution 
at the New York State Agricultural Rooms, Albany. By 
enclosing R. P. Johnson (Corresponding Secretary) 
Si. 50, he will forward the book to any address desired. 
The liberality in registering animals of American breed- 
ers, giving them equal advantages with those of the lo- 
cation where the breed originated, deserves the good feel- 
ing and patronage of this country. 
WHEN AND EOW TO SOW CLOVER SEED. 
Messrs. Editors — I see you recommend Red Clover 
to be used at the South. I am particularly fond of raising 
stock and wish to have the best pastures I can procure. 
You say Red Clover grews well in South Alabama ; I am 
anxious to try it on my farm. I wish the information as 
to the best time of the year to sow the Clover seeds, and 
how to prepare the ground '? Whether to sow it with 
Oats or Rye 1 or whether to put anything on the ground 
but the Clover seed at the time the seed is sown or the 
same season 1 Very respectfully yours, &c., 
Oakley, La., 1855. C. Lewis. 
In the Northern wheat-growing districts, clover is gene- 
rally sown in March on snow and before the frost is out 
of the ground, and upon land seeded with wheat in Sep- 
tember The snow enables one to scatter clean fine clover 
seed more evenly over the whole surface than can be done , 
without it as a guide. As the snow melts and the frost | 
leaves the ground, the seed sinks into the moist earth, 
soon germinates, and gives an even stand of young plants. 
At the South, we should sow clover seed either in De- 
cember, January or February, preferring the first named 
month, upon land rich enough to bring a good crop of 
wheat, that had been recently plowed and harrowed. For 
covering clover seed, and all grass seeds, we prefer a 
bush, or light tree-top to any other means; and mainly be- 
cause it covers none of the seed too deeply, and leaves 
little or none naked, and at the same time the surface is 
smoother than it would have been had the seed been 
covered with a harrow or plow. As a general rule it is 
best to roll the ground after the seed is bushed in or har- 
rowed in. 
We doubt whether it is wise to sow rye, wheat, oats or 
barley with clover seed with a view to protect the young 
plants from* a Southern sun ; and we weuld prefer 
to try clover seed alone. On comparatively poor land, 
there is danger of robbing the soil of its fertility by the 
growing cereals, to the serious injury of clover ; and if the 
latter can endure the climate at all, give its deep tap-root 
rich earth in which to grow, and the plant will need no 
other plant to shelter it. According to our experience, 
step-mother plants are bad nurses j they consume more 
nutriment than they pay for in shade, or any other bene- 
fit to the main crop. 
From eight to twelve pounds of clean clover seed are 
usually sown upon an acre : when sown in chaff (as is 
done by most men who raise their seed) each farmer is 
governed b)'’ his judgment us to the quantity to be given to 
any given area. It is better to put on too much seed than 
too little, for the excess does no harm. L. 
Durham and Devo.'; Catti.e, Shekp, Swine, &c. — See 
advertisement of L. G. Morris, Esq , in present number. 
Mr. M. is one of our most reliable breeders and importers 
of fine stock, and those who send him orders can depend, 
upon having them satisfactorily filled. 
OSAGE ORANGE HEDGES. 
Messrs. McGrew, Leas iL Co., of Dayton, Ohio, give us 
the following directions for propagating, planting and 
training Osage Orange Hedge Plants. We have been 
quite successful in sprouting the seed as follows : enclose 
it in a strong cotton bag of open texture, and soak it five 
or six days in running water; then mix with sand, and 
manage as directed below. We lost great quantities of 
seed by attempting to soak it in warm water, and never 
succeeded till we tried Mr. Pitkin’s plan of steeping 
several days in a running stream. The proper time to do 
this is from the 20th of February to the 1st of April (in 
the South.) In other respects the subjoined directions are 
judicious and practical : 
directions to grow plants SETTING AND MATURING 
THE FENCE. 
Soak the seed in warm water from 30 to 40 hours, mix it 
with an equal quantity of clean sand ; put it into a shal- 
low box not more than 4 or 5 inches deep; keep it in a 
warm place and wet it two or three times a day, stirring 
it up well each time, 'i'hus attended, it will sprout in 10 
or 15 days. The ground should be new, fertile, and as 
free as possible from weeds ; deeply and thoroughly culti- 
vated, it may then be planted in rows of from one to two 
feet wide, at the rate of one quart to 3 or 4 square rods, it 
should be covered from one to two inches deep. They 
must be kept clear of grass and weed.s, and be well culti- 
vated during the summer. 
SETTING the PLANTS IN HEDGE ROW. 
The ground should be thoroughly broken up, to the 
depth of 12 or 14 inches, and from 8 to 10 feet wide, well 
prepared. It is then necessary to stake off the row, and 
draw a line to work by. The hole for inserting the plants 
should be made with a steel dibUe of proper size. Plants 
to beset G to 8 inches in the single line, and well put in ; 
the soil on both sides of the hedge wants thorough cultiva- 
tion each season until a fence is matured. No stock should 
be allowed in the enclosure when the hedge is set, until 
after harvest, and it is better to have none in until fall. 
The next spring it must be cut off just above the surface 
of the ground. If a vigorous growth is obtained by the 
last of June it may then be cut within 4 inches of the first 
cutting, if not the second should lie deferred until the 
•spring, thereafter twice a year, in the spring and mid- 
summer, each cutting to be from 4 to G inches above the 
former. The cutting should be simply square off, letting 
the side branches .grow until a height of 12 to 15 inches is 
obtained, after which it should be rounded, so as to have 
a fence, when matured, 4 or 5 feet wide at the base. 
Be admonished that a stitch in time saves nine, for 
the laying up one rail or nailing one board may save the 
ninth repetition and unruly stock. 
