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AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY, & FAMILY JOURNAL. 
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Ultra! fto-fforlter* 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
A T> T> U? TJ <5 Q 
OF GOV. WEIGHT, OF INDIANA, 
Pronounced at the New York Agricultural Stale 
Fair at Elmira, Oct. 5, 1855. 
SUBJECT: GRASSES. 
Geytt.itmkn - op thk New York Agricultural Society : 
“ Alp flesh is grass,” is a declaration of an 
inspired writer ; the demonstration of which 
truth lies amid the plainest facts of Nature. 
A3 the law of the grass is, that it “wither- 
eth, and the flower thereof fadeth,” so, un¬ 
der the same law, exists everything which 
the gras3 produceth. 
Of the soul of man—in the superiority and 
immortality of which we all believe—it is not 
my province, nor is this an occasion to dis¬ 
course. Considered simply in his material 
nature — produced, nourished, and repro¬ 
duced, as that nature is, from the earth and 
its fruits—man is not a wanderer, who, after 
“prospecting” through the universe, has se¬ 
lected this beautiful farm of tho Earth for his 
residence and heritage. In common with 
other productions, vegetable and animal, he 
has risen from and lives upon its bosom. He 
is the last born—the perfection'of its fruits. 
In common with the grasses, grains, and 
fruits upon which he subsists, he is subject to 
the law of dissolution and decay. * 4 Dust 
thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return ” 
is the law cf the material man, as surely as 
it is the law of the soul that it shall return 
unto God who gave it: 
“ FacIi speed them to tln ir source,” 
returning to their respective treasuries the life 
and wealth which was loaned them. 
Such, then, being the nature of our alliance 
with the Earth, its cultivation becomes cur 
first duty and necessity. It is the normal 
employment of man; and none other is so 
natural and honorable. The sweet instinct 
and the gentle purity of the suckling nestling 
in the bosom of ijfcs mother, are hut counter¬ 
parts of the purity and dignity of the true 
and diligent cultivator of the Earth. 
In the prosecution of this work we must 
understand and act in conformity with the 
laws of nature. Science in investigating and 
expounding these laws, appears nowhere more 
useful and graceful than as the handmaid of 
tho farmer. Concerning these laws, we can 
gather information from the history of crea¬ 
tion in Genesis—a history as remarkable for 
its science as for its simplicity. 
At first “ the earth was without form and 
void; and darkness was upon the face of the 
deep.” The elements of the earth were all 
there, rude and unshapen, upon the face of 
whose morasses and depths “ darkness” rest¬ 
ed. There was no land—no water—no clouds 
or fertilizing showers—no light—no firma¬ 
ment. 
Now, how was order brought out of this 
chaos ? And what was the first great agricul¬ 
tural result? The first command was, “let 
there he light ; and there was light.” Thus, 
in order of creation, was established that law 
which has ever since prevailed, making light 
a first and indispensable element in the pro¬ 
ductions of the earth. 
In connection with this was established the 
law under which we find repose a necessary 
alternation to stimulus. Tho light nourishes 
and stimulates ; darkness, therefore, precedes 
it, as a period of rest. “ And God called the 
light day; and the darkness he called night; 
and the evening and the morning were the 
first day.” 
The next step in the process was that which 
assigned to the heavens and the earth their 
separate powers of fertility. Light, evapo¬ 
rating the waters, held a portion in suspense, 
to descend in due time, in fertilizing rains and 
showers. “ And God said, let there he a firm¬ 
ament in the midst of the waters, and let 
it divide the waters from the waters.” Then 
followed the separation of the land and the 
water ; and “ God called the dry land earth, 
and .the gathering together cf the waters 
called he seas.” 
Now all was in preparation for production 
and fertility ; and, before the creation of man 
or animated nature, “God said, let the earth 
bring forth grass." Thus, the pioneer settler, 
who now penetrates the vast forests which 
cover with “darkness” the soil he proposes 
to subdue, first, in conformity with the ordqr 
of creation, says, “let there he light,” and 
the sturdy stroke of the woodman repeats the 
command till the treeslie low, and the “light” 
greets the soil. The waters are exhaled by 
its kisses, and ascend above the firmament; 
the ditches are dug ; and every throw of the 
busy spade says, “ let the waters under the 
heavens b8 gathered together in one place, 
and let the dry land appear,” in order that 
the earth may bring forth grass. 
Grass—grass —the great material which sup¬ 
ports all flesh, and forms the material nature 
of man himself! Grass—the cultivation and 
perfection of which it becomes one of the first 
duties of the husbandman to promote ! 
Though this is tho oldest command, and 
lies at the foundation of all agricultural 
wealth, yet the subject to which it has rela¬ 
tion receives from agriculturists less thought, 
less attention, less investigation, than is given 
by them to any other subject of rural interest. 
Our zeal, industry, and wealth, have been 
freely expended in the practical illustration of 
improved methods of cultivating grains 
fruits, and vegetables, and in the improve¬ 
ment of our stock, farming implements, and 
machinery. We have imported, at great ex¬ 
pense, all kinds of domestic animals ; our 
State fairs and our county fairs annually fur¬ 
nish reports, essays, and addresses, on every 
branch of agricultural industry ; we have 
hooks and learned treatises on horses, cattle 
sheep, swine, and even poultry ; and many 
volumes of useful essays on cotton, wheat, 
corn, potatoes, fruits, rice, flax, hemp, and 
tobacco. All well enough ; yet, at this day, 
we have not a book, report, or pamphlet, that 
furnishes the American farmer with even the 
names of the grasses of his country, to say 
nothing of that essential information which, 
by the tests of science, fixes the value of each 
kind, and determines the question of its 
adaptation to different soils and to different 
sections of the United States. 
The American farmer cultivates, or to speak 
more correctly, he bestows some attention on 
the cultivation of ten or a dozen kinds of 
grass, while the teeming earth, without til- 
tage, furnishes innumerable varieties of this 
staff of animal life, in all latitudes and longi¬ 
tudes throughout our wide-spread country._ 
No crop approaches so near a spontaneous, 
uncultivated yield, as the grass, and none 
pays so large a profit. While it is impossible 
for me to state with precision the annual 
value of this crop, I do not hesitate to express 
the opinion that, in this country, the hay crop, 
alone, imperfect as it is, and receiving so lit¬ 
tle attention, is greater in value at this day, 
than the combined crops of ootton, rice, and 
tobacco. 
According to the census of 18-10, the mere 
hay crop of the United States wa3 10,218,108 
tons ; in 1S50, it was 13,S3S,642 tons. I esti¬ 
mate the hay crop of 1S55 at 15,000,000 tons, 
which, at ten dollars per ton, would amount 
to $150,000,000. The cotton of 1853, is val¬ 
ued at $128,000,000. Of the hay crop, more 
than one-half is produced by four States ; to 
wit—New York, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois— 
your own State producing more than one- 
fourth of the whole ; and yet no State has 
made this article a primary object of cultiva¬ 
tion. 
We treat the hay crop as one of minor im¬ 
portance. But little attention is paid to it:— 
the meadow mu3t wait till the other crops 
are disposed of; then the grass is cut too 
often without any reference to its condition, 
or any well prepared place for its reception. 
The value of the hay crop of this country, 
however, is not equal to the value of the 
grass crop appropriated to pasturage, even in 
the present unimproved (condition of the latter 
crop. But if we make tjie values only equal, 
then the total value of the annual grass crop 
— hay and pasturage — of the United States, 
may be estimated at three hundred millions, 
or an amount equal to the aggregate value of 
all other agricultural products of our country, 
excepting wheat and com. 
I use the word “ grass” not in its strict bo¬ 
tanical signification ; but, according to com¬ 
mon usage, to designate the herbage or plants 
which constitute the food of cattle and other 
beasts. 
Beginning with the few facts which are 
known in relation to the number and quality 
of the grasses of this country, we should, by 
means of scientific investigation and j udicious 
experiments, endeavor to increase our know- 
edge with respect to this great branch of ag¬ 
ricultural interest. We find one kind of grass 
in this latitude, which, it is said, is well 
adapted for making a sure crop of hay, and 
good pasture. It stands the drouth well; i 3 
not much injured by rain in harvesting; forms 
a feeble sod ; and is easily subdued when the 
meadow is to be transformed into a grain field. 
Another, elsewhere, that is suitable to wet 
prairies : less exhausting to the soil than the 
first; and is especially recommended for cul¬ 
tivation in the early settlement of a country, 
before a system of drainage can be effected. 
Another, said to he very productive, and ex¬ 
ceedingly nutritious; and, when once well 
set, it forms a permanent sod ; but it is slow 
in taking root, and will not stand our summer 
heat. Another which grows in tuft3 ; and, 
in autumn, its leaves spread out most vigor¬ 
ously, for fall pasturage. Another, from its 
aromatic and astringent qualities, is rendered 
agreeable to the palate of stock ; it retains it£ 
verdure in the depth of winter, and, in the 
beginning of spring, it shoots forth with 
vigor. Another, with its rich, long, slender 
leaves, two feet in height, is seen in the fine 
uplands of the limestone region ; in autumn 
it falls over in thick winrows, matting the 
whole surface together, and retaining its 
freshness and nutritious qualities amid the 
frosts and snows of winter. Another, such as 
the grass which forms the celebrated pastures 
of the Swiss Alps and the Tyrol, is peculiarly 
distinguished for possessing qualities favora¬ 
ble to the secretion of milk, and is therefore 
preferred for milch cows. Another, it is said, 
will endure cold and shade, without suffering 
injury ; another is only suitable for the light 
and heat of summer ; another, rich and nu¬ 
tritious, comes up after the crops are laid by, 
and affords fine crops of hay ; another, adapt¬ 
ed to warm and moist river bottoms, and, in 
some sections of our country, yielding five 
tons of hay per acre, is highly valued by some 
graziers ; another, is found growing on dry, 
gravelly scil3 and hillsides ; and part of its 
value consists in the numerous seeds which 
are retained in the pod, long after they ripen 
—serving as food for beast and fowl. 
“Grasses,” said a distinguished philosopher, 
“are nature’s first care.” They are the most 
general, extensive, and hardy, of the earth’s 
productions. They are nearly of endless va 
riety, and adapted to almost every climate. 
They endure the trampling of men and beasts, 
the browsing of cattle, the parching drouths 
of Summer, and the snows and ice of Winter; 
and spring into new and often more vigoxous 
life, under influences which to other plants 
would prove destructive. 
On mountain tops where the warmth of the 
summer’s sun is not sufficient to ripen their 
seeds, they live by their roots, and with thick 
clustering leaves protect these roots, produ¬ 
cing thereby the densest and most beautiful 
verdure. And it is reported by one writer, 
that for the preservation of grasses in those 
localities where the ripening of their seeds is 
important, the wild beasts, guided by a re¬ 
markable instinct, leave untouched the stems 
that support the flowers. Do not the profu¬ 
sion of grassss with which the earth is clad, 
and the laws which so remarkably preserve 
them, indicate that they are worthy of the 
special attention and culture of those for 
whom the earth is ordered and established in 
fertility and beauty ? 
The farmer who understands the importance 
of bestowing careful attention upon his stock, 
diligently husbands the grasses and grains 
which furnish them with food, and clothe 
them with flesh. But, how little does he 
think of the fact that these very grasses 
should receive attention like that which he 
bestows on his cattle. Plants cannot live 
without food, more easily than the ox and 
sheep ; and hence, there is a great sphere for 
study and care, as to the kind of food which 
is adapted to the most perfect production of 
grasses ; and there is a loud demand to pro¬ 
tect them against injuries and depredations ; 
but, many a farmer will spend money and 
labor in rendering his flock secure from wild 
animals, and in protecting his granaries from 
the pifferings of vermin, and yet think little 
of the noxious influences and weeds that are 
steadily stealing from hi3 grasses the food 
which nature has provided for them. 
All plants receive more or less of their nu¬ 
triment from the atmosphere ; and, for that 
purpose, are furnished with organs adapted to 
absorb aliment from light and moisture.— 
These organs are found in their leaves, while 
the root is the portion that draws sustenance 
from the earth. The larger the leaves, the 
greater the proportion of nutriment received 
from the atmosphere. Honce, glasses with 
small leaves exhaust the soil rapidly ; whereas, 
the larger leaved varieties, like clover, draw¬ 
ing less from the soil and mors from the at¬ 
mosphere, are the best fertilizers — returning 
to the earth when turned under, a larger per¬ 
centage of fertilizing elements; and such 
grasses can, therefore, he successfully adapted 
to the culture of light lands, which would 
entirely refuse to support other varieties. 
I regard it as a well settled principle that 
there are in every country, indigenous plants, 
which, when their qualities are fully under¬ 
stood, are precisely those which are designed 
by a beneficent Providence, to furnish the 
proper elements for the support of animal life. 
The same principle prevails in relation to soils, 
and their capacities to support vegetable life. 
Clay, sand, marl and shell, lying in close prox¬ 
imity to each other, afford to the intelligent 
farmer or planter, the means of increasing and 
preserving the fertility of the land. 
Although neither the number nor the names 
of onr indigenous grasses have been ascer¬ 
tained, we cannot be ignorant of their great 
variety, richness and durability, when we look 
over cur country, from the 49ih degree of 
north latitude to the extreme south, and see 
the health, thrift and superiority of our do¬ 
mestic stock, and the number and condition 
of the wild animals of our forests and prairies. 
On the spurs and slopes of the Rocky Moun¬ 
tains, and on the head-waters of the Red river 
of th north, immense herds of buffalo sub¬ 
sist on a kind cf grass which retains its fresh¬ 
ness throi bout the winter, and which re¬ 
mains green a" u nutritious while other grass¬ 
es of the plains snd valleys are dried up by 
the heat and drouth tf summer. 
It appears, from the statements of botanists, 
that two hundred and fiffcen varieties of her¬ 
baceous plants, commonly cal ed glasses, are 
cultivated in Great Britain. Perhaps, in our 
own country, the student of Nature might 
find more than one-half of this number, p row¬ 
ing spontaneously in the wild prairies which 
cover millions of acres. 
You may make your track through these 
immense plains, and by the side of your path, 
each year, there will spring up new varieties 
of plants and grasses. Where this wild grass 
is cut or pastured, it brings forth ’annually, 
finer, better and different varieties, which are 
eagerly sought for by the stock, while the 
other and wilder varieties are shunned. Who 
shall estimate the number of our grasses?— 
Who shall classify them ? And — what is a 
far more important question—who shall test 
them in the crucible cf science, so that the 
practical farmer may, with certainty, avail 
himself of the advantages which will result 
frem the culti ration of the best varieties ? 
Nature seems to indicate the propriety of 
sowing more than one kind of seed for mead¬ 
ows and pastures ; as, in the natural herbage, 
we rarely find the whole surface of the soil 
occupied by one kind of plants. The earth 
produces almost an infinite variety of grasses, 
adapted to every conceivable kind of soil and 
location. The cold and bleak mount ain sides, 
the arid sand plains, tho alluvial bottom 
lands, the marshes and bogs, are covered with 
various kinds of vegetation, each kind differ¬ 
ing from others in its organic structures and 
qualities, and each requiring certain appropri¬ 
ate and peculiar elements for its support.— 
The agriculturist who avails himself of his 
knowledge of these facts, may greatly increase 
the value of his meadows and pastures.— 
Where as many stalks of one kind of grass is 
produced as the soil is capable of supporting, 
another variety, that will take from the soil 
different elements, may grow between the first 
kind without interfering materially with it; 
as it is not a competitor for the same nutritious 
particles in the soil. 
It is difficult to determine, with respect to 
any country, the proportion of meadow and 
pasture lands, as compared with the total 
quantity of land under cultivation. It is said, 
that, in France, the meadows and pastures 
constitute about one-seventh of the «ultiva- 
ted lands : in England, about three-fourths.— 
In the United States, the amount does not, 
probably, exceed one-third, even in the best 
grazing and hay growing States; and in many 
of the States, the number of acres used for 
meadows and pastures does not amount to one- 
eighth of the total quantity of land under 
cultivation. 
A general agricultural error i3 a national 
error—for the correction of which we must 
look to the agriculturists themselves. Some 
of this class of errors are especiaRy worthy of 
consideration of the people of the United 
States. For instance : possessing, in favora¬ 
ble climates, a rich territory, ninety-five times 
as large as England, more than seventeen 
times as large a3 France, and more than twelve 
times as large as Germany, the people of the 
United States, overlooking and neglecting their 
own vast resources, import annually, millions 
of dollars’ worth of an article, which, for its 
production, depends almost wholly upon grass. 
The holding of land without improving it 
is a public injury. In many portions of the 
country, immense tracts of land having been 
purchased at government prices for purposes 
of speculation, are owned and held by individ¬ 
uals who never intend to plant a tree or turn 
a furrow on the soil. Such lands remain un¬ 
improved, checking the progress of improve¬ 
ments around them, and retarding the settle¬ 
ment and cultivation of many of the mest 
fertile districts in the Western and South- 
Western States. 
In every part of onr country, we have com¬ 
plaints in relation to the spontaneous growth 
of certain weeds and shrubs, which, if not 
eradicated, will invariably injure, and ulti¬ 
mately take the meadows and pastures. In 
certain districts where cattle, horses, mules, 
sheep and other stock run and feed, it is known 
that there is a gradual increase of destructive 
weeds of various classes, depending upon the 
kind of stock pastured, and the character of 
the grass. What a field is here for experi¬ 
ment, investigation and useful discovery! 
Wherever there is found a large supply of 
lime in the soil, and a clay subsoil, grass will 
grow luxuriously, and form a durable sod that 
will stand long continued drouth and excess¬ 
ively hot summers. The Silurian hills on the 
borders of the western waters, and the moun¬ 
tain limestone regions are well adapted to the 
cultivation of grasses. But in these portions 
of onr country, we will find it difficult to com¬ 
pete successfully with the sandstone and drift 
formations in the cultivation of wheat and 
other cereal grains. We cannot raise fifty 
bushels of wheat to the acre in the limestone 
region. Each portion of our country, how¬ 
ever, has its own peculiarly undeveloped ele¬ 
ments of wealth; and the countless and 
increasing facilities which our oceans, lakes, 
rivers, canals and railroads afford for an inter¬ 
change of our various staple productions, 
should induce fanners and planters of the sev¬ 
eral States of the Union to study carefully the 
nature and qualities of the soils which they 
respectively cultivate. Those districts in 
which the cultivation and improvement of our 
indigenous grasses shall receive proper atten¬ 
tion, may become the wealthiest portions of 
the Republic. 
We shall always find superior stock in those 
districts where the cultivation of grasses re¬ 
ceives attention. Many demonstrations of this 
fact may he ssen in our own country, as well 
as in Europe. Not withstanding th8 large pop¬ 
ulation of Great Britain, (who are mainly de¬ 
pendent on her commerce and manufactures,) 
she could not sustain herself, if she were com¬ 
pelled to import hay for her dairies and meat 
markets. There was a time in her history when 
she was dependent upon her mountains, and 
her neighbors, for her butter and meats; hut, 
with her cultivation of grasses, her population 
has increased; and her stock of every kind, 
has attained a degree of excellence which sup¬ 
ports a demand for it in the markets of all 
countries. 
In Holland, where the business of rearing 
cattle constitutes one of the principal sources 
of wealth, and where the price of landed prop¬ 
erty is high, a largo portion of the surface of 
the country i3 devoted to pasturage and the 
cultivation of grasses. It is said that the cul¬ 
tivation of a single kind of grass, in Jamaica, 
has increased beyond computation, the value 
of the trade and commerce of that island. 
{WHOLE NO. 302. 
Y0LUME YI. NO. 42.} 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-SATURDAY, OCTOBER SO, 1855. 
