48 
THE LOCUST TKtE.-GRASSES ON CLAY LANDS-FEEDING STOCK. 
ever following the shepherd, always feeding or seek¬ 
ing with their heads toward the ground, till they 
arrive at their journey’s end. The chief shepherd is 
cautious to see that each tribe is conducted to the 
■same district in which it fed the winter before, and 
where the sheep were yeaned; for it is thought to 
prevent a variation in tire wool, though, indeed, this 
requires but little care, as it is a notorious truth that 
the sheep would go to that very spot of their own 
accord, although the distance is sometimes full one 
hundred and fifty leagues, which cannot be travelled 
in much less than forty days. D 5 Jay Browne. 
New York, January 10, 1845. 
THE LOCUST TREE. 
In answer to a Subscriber, page 345 of your last 
volume, inquiring respecting the spread of the locust, 
1 will state that Judge Beatty, of Kentucky, has writ¬ 
ten a very interesting article on the cultivation of this 
beautiful shade and timber tree, "which appears in a 
volume lately published by him on Agriculture. 1 
shall not quote from it, but merely state what he told 
me a few weeks since, when visiting his plantation, 
in answer to the same question which I asked myself. 
I found he had locust groves at various points, in 
every direction, all over his plantation, of one or more 
acres each. These groves are surrounded by a strong 
rail fence, to keep the cattle from them ; and although 
the locust is the natural growth of the farm, not a 
single shoot or tree appears outside the fence. He 
says stock will utterly destroy the suckers or shoots, 
whenever they can get at them. I think, however, 
it would be inexpedient to plant them near a garden 
or other enclosure, where cattle or sheep are not 
allowed to range, unless it be such as is thoroughly 
cultivated by deep plowing or spading every year, in 
which case they would be entirely eradicated and de¬ 
stroyed as they made their appearance. The locust 
is a most valuable timber, as well as beautiful shade 
tree; and it has always been a matter of surprise to 
me why it has not been more generally cultivated. I 
knew a tree standing within 20 miles of New York 
city, a few years since, which was sold for $50, in 
case it proved sound on being cut. It was intended 
for ships’ trunnels. It makes durable posts for open 
board fence, as well as bottom rails fora worm fence; 
also stakes for the same purpose, which are said to 
last for ever , although I have not tried them quite so 
long. A Traveller. 
What are the best Grasses for Dairy Stock 
on Clay Lands? — I am clearing off 100 acres of 
clay land, and wish information as to the best grass 
seeds to be sown upon it, for permanent pasture for 
dairy cows. The soil, of course, is virgin mould, of 
good quality, and is “ natural,” as they say, to white 
clover, and blue, goose, spear, or June grass; for such 
are the four local names of poa pratensis . Much of 
the land is nearly level, and difficult of drainage, 
being filled with numerous ponds of surface water, 
the bottoms of which are rich in vegetable matter. 
This must be first drained off, or I shall have no pro¬ 
fitable vegetation on it. Other portions are a stiff 
clay with little veg*;a.ble mould intermixed. The 
lan 1 is covered with stumps and roots. What grasses 
shall I sow, single mixed ? The best season 
for sowing, and manner of getting them 
well in 1 
The art of procuring rich pasturage for cattle is, in 
this country, little understood or practised ; yet it is 
an item of vast consequence, as many fields might be 
made to produce twice, and even thrice the amount of 
food now obtained from them. An early answer 
will oblige, Querist. 
The best manner of getting in grass seed has 
already been frequently detailed in this periodical 
Our correspondent cannot do better than to stock his 
land with a mixture of timothy, red top, and red clover, 
in equal quantities. August and September are the 
best months for sowing the two former, and March 
and April the latter Then let the white clover and 
spear grass {poa pratensis), come and occupy the 
land as the cultivated grasses die out Of the value 
of white clover and spear grass for dairy stock, see 
Mr. Bellows’ letter, page 52 of this No.; and for 
their value for fatting sheep and other animals, see 
notice of Mr. Clift’s farm, page 226 of last volume. 
The quantity of these grasses per acre is not as great 
as timothy, red top, and red clover, but it is thought 
the superior quality of them more than compensates 
the loss in quantity. 
FEEDING STOCK. 
There is no branch of agriculture in which the 
farmer suffers so much loss as in that of feeding his 
stock. Some men seem to think that all they can 
save from being consumed by their stock, is so much 
saved, provided the cattle do not die by starvation. I 
knew a man, half a century ago, who was proverbial 
for overstocking his farm, and always lost more or 
less cattle and sheep every winter by actual starva¬ 
tion, until the public would bear it no longer, and pre¬ 
sented him to the Grand Jury, who found a bill against 
him for cruelty to dumb beasts. He was tried by the 
court, then in session, found guilty, and suffered the 
penalty of the law. It was said (but your readers 
are not bound to believe any more of it than they 
choose) that the wife used to go into the yard every 
morning, in the spring of the year, with a large 
pocket on each side of her, such as used to be 
worn in those days, the one filled with potatoes, the 
other with corn-cobs. As she approached an animal 
she would give it a push with her hand; if it stood , 
she would give it a cob ! if it fell, she would give it 
a potato ! I have been led to reflect on this subject, 
from having just returned from a visit to a friend ; 
and although fatigued with my day’s ride, have takers 
up my pen to communicate what \ have seen of his 
management. 
All will recollect the snow-storm which we had 
here on the 26th and 27th of October. The cattle 
were then in fine condition, and were fed a little hay 
while the snow lay upon the ground, which was only 
a few days. In the mean while, they have been 
allowed to run in every direction over the farm, 
which is a large one, poaching the lands that have 
been seeded down the past season, and gnawing the 
grass to the very roots of the meadow grounds, de¬ 
stroying a foundation for four times as much hay, 
which would have probably grown next year, as it 
would have taken to keep the cattle during the month 
which they have been running. Nor is this all, for the 
cattle have come into winter quarters actually shrivell¬ 
ed up—trembling with the cold, and will not recover 
from the check given to their growth until they are 
