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TO KEEP NEW LANDS IN GRASS,-HOOD’S BALANCE GATE. 
TO KEEP NEW LANDS IN GRASS. 
As I have spent the best of my days in the 
woods, this is the first time I have attempted to 
write You will not expect much of me; but as 
others have had something to say of their country 
in your columns, why not I ? The people of West¬ 
ern Pennsylvania are very much engaged in the 
business of lumbering. Our forests present a for¬ 
midable growth, some of the pine trees of which are 
from 4 to 5 feet in diameter, and from 120 to 150 
feet high—some declare there are individual trees 
200 feet high. These are intermixed with a sturdy 
growth of beech and maple, and most other kinds 
of timber peculiar to our country—consequently, 
there is chopping and logging for boys to do here 
before they can go to farming. And that is not all, 
there are some stumps and roots in the way after 
this; but sometimes we get good crops of potatoes, 
corn, wheat, and oats, and we sometimes get good 
grass ; and we want to know what is the best way 
to keep those grasses in, for they frequently run 
out before the stumps and roots get sufficiently 
rotted so that we can break up with the plow to 
advantage ( a ). What are the best manures we can 
get here, seeing lime is high, and a considerable 
distance off to haul it; and plaster the same, only 
$7 to $10 per ton; and your guano and poudrette 
are still farther off ( b ). Our soil is generally a sandy 
loam—in some places a gravelly loam. 
I should like to keep my farm in grass as much 
as I could at present, and clear for grain every year, 
as my stock increases faster than my pastures and 
meadows. I should like to have some of your 
choice implements and farming tools here to try 
experiments with; also some of your Merino sheep 
and Short-horned cattle, to draw logs with, and see 
if they would outdraw my Bakewell steers; and, 
finally, Mr. Editor, please to give us all the infor¬ 
mation you can how to manage our farms and 
stock in this new country. A Young Farmer. 
(a) We have had considerable experience in 
clearing and cropping forest lands, and the best 
method we found to keep in the grass was, as soon 
as it began to run out, to let the first growffh of the 
season go to seed, and when the seed was ripe, roll 
down the grass with a roller. The second growth 
also should not be disturbed, and if any bare 
spots show themselves in the month of August, 
or the following spring, harrow’ them, then sow 
grass seed and roll. The fog or dead grass would 
be rather in the way of mowing the next year, we 
therefore should prefer pasturing it, and mowing 
the succeeding years. By this system the land lies 
idle one year; but this gives it an excellent oppor¬ 
tunity to re-seed and manure itself; and consider¬ 
ing the low price of land in all new countries, it is 
the best and cheapest plan we know of. Another 
method is, to harrow the bare places the moment 
the frost is sufficiently out of the ground to do so in 
the spring, sow grass seed plentifully upon them, 
then sow’ plaster over the whole field at the rate of 
three bushels per acre, and as soon as the grass gets 
up to a good bite, turn the cattle upon it, and keep 
them there the whole season. In the fall of the 
year go over the field with dung beetles and beat 
the droppings of the cattle fine, and in doing so, dis¬ 
tribute them as evenly as possible. Follow this 
course two years, and the meadows will usually 
produce good crops of hay again. 
(6) Ashes are usually cheap in a new country, 
and these, whether leached or unleached, should be 
carefully saved and applied broadcast upon the 
land, at the rate of 20 to 30 bushels per acre. There 
is no better top-dressing for grass lands. Lime or 
plaster may be applied w’hen cheap. As to other 
manures, they are usually too costly to think of in 
a new country. 
For further particulars on the subject of cultivat 
ing newly cleared lands, we refer our correspondent 
to Yol. 3 of the Agriculturist, pages 3 and 174. 
hood’s”balance gate. 
The inventor of this gate having felt the incon¬ 
venience and danger connected with the ordinary 
road gates, arising from the necessity of getting out 
of the carriage and leaving the horses, to open the 
gate, and again, after leading them through, being 
obliged to return and shut it, thereby exposing his 
vehicle to be run away with, gave his mind to the 
subject, and the result w T as the plan of the above 
gate, which he now submits to those interested, and 
as entirely adapted to obviate this danger and trou¬ 
ble ; besides, being a complete protection against the 
inroads of cattle, as it will be seen, by examining 
the principle, that a carriage cannot pass through 
without leaving it closed. The gate has been in 
use now for twelve months; never been out of order, 
and on no occasion has it failed to answer the pur¬ 
pose intended; and it can be made very ornamental 
as well as useful. 
Fig. 34. 
The gate is hung on a centre, and surrounded by 
a fence as represented by the drawing, and may be 
either square or oval, according to fancy, with two 
openings of the ordinary width, with posts furnish¬ 
ed with catches, to receive the latches at the end of 
the gate; these latches are moved by either of the 
handles placed on the top-rail of the gate, about 
4 feet from the centre post. 
It will be observed on reference to the sketch, 
that the gate is always open for the admission of 
carriages, for ingress or egress. The driver comes 
up to the handles farthest from the opening he en¬ 
tered by, he unfastens the latches, and, by a slight 
push, fie sends the gate to the opposite post, w r hen, 
by the impetus given to it, it fastens itself, and he 
tfien can drive on without moving from his seat. 
A model can be seen at the Agricultural Ware¬ 
house of A. B. Allen, No. 187 Water Street, and 
inquiries answered. 
The gate is alw’ays to be seen at the entrance to 
the farm of the inventor, Andrew Hood. 
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