I 
EXCELSIOR 
5 ileekninn St., New York 
8!2 liiillalo St., lloeiiemer. 
SWEET-SCENTED VERNAL, 
ORCHARD GRASS 
POA COMPREPSA 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 187 1, by D. D. T. Moornc, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
tops, 
DAIRY GRASSES. 
The nutter Grasses of Ornnaro Comity. 
From AUvnDce Sbeetsof Practinul Dairy Husbandry. 
In l lie old pastures there are several varie¬ 
ties ol'grasses, that spring up spontaneously, 
and afford sweet and nutritions feed, and 
from which the liest. qualities of milk and 
butler tiro produced. These grasses form a 
licit, thick turf, leaving no intervening 
spaces. In our conversation with farmers, 
much importance was given to these natural 
grasses ns a means of seem ing the richest 
milk au<l the finest butter, and some affirmed 
that it was Impossible to obtain Mi© best fla¬ 
vored butter or so largo a result from recent¬ 
ly re seeded grounds of clover and timothy. 
These grasses are similar to those found in 
the old postures of Herkimer, Lewis and 
Oneida—they embrace the June or blue 
grass, the foul meadow grass, Poaftcrolina, 
meadow fescue, Frshtm pratenm, red-top, 
Agmtii vulf/nrvt, the wire grass, Poa com pres¬ 
et, and the sweet-scented vernal and vanilla 
grasses. Timothy, orchard grass, ml clo¬ 
ver, and other forage plants are also grown 
in pastures and meadows. The sweet-scented 
vernal grass grows best upon the moist soil 
of the old meadows; it starts very early and 
gives rdf an agreeable odor. The J une grass 
is regarded ns very valuable, throwing out a 
dense mass of leaves, highly relished by cat¬ 
tle, and from which a superior quality of 
butter is made. It in found growing through¬ 
out the butter districts of the county. The 
wire grass is deemed one of the most nutri¬ 
tious of the grasses, is very hardy, eagerly 
sought after by cattle, and is one of the best 
grasses for fattening. Cows feeding upon it 
yield milk of the richest quality, and from 
which the nicest butter is made. It flour¬ 
ishes well upon gravelly knolls and in shaded 
places, and its stem is green after the seed 
1ms ripened. If is found growing in all parts 
of the county. The meadow fescue is coin- 
1,1011 in the old grass lands where the sod is 
thick and grasses of different variety mingled 
together. It starts up early in spring, is rel- 
■ he l by stock, and furnishes good early feed. 
Tl,e ’“ilk farmers hold it in high estimation 
us a reliable grass, tenacious of life, and not 
running out like timothy or clover. 
I have been thus particular in describing 
die soil and grasses of Orange comity, that 
farmers in other sections may make a com¬ 
parison with their own lands, and be better 
l! de to judge wherein the one differs from 
die other. ] may remark here, that weeds 
' amuon in other sections are common also 
h' Oi%gt* county. The white daisy, the 
1 iistle, the golden rod, the fire weed, the 
snap-dragon and other weeds, seem to be 
common in the county. West of the Wall- 
I > tanners complain of the snap-dragon as 
\' Vorst v>T, jed against which they have to 
contend. The daisy is not regarded as for- 
11; mble, since manuring with barn-yard 
manure, salt and plaster, it is said, will rid 
Ia ! ul of this post. The rag weed, we ob- 
[ ei . ' ' V!ls common in cultivated grounds, 
II 11 Waa sait U did not trouble grass lands. 
-♦-*--*- 
TURNIP flTTT.TTT.RE, 
" lmt a t’anndlnn Says of tlie Value of 
Tuiuip*. 
Jhe ability, in case of failure, of any 
mment, farm crop, to replace it by sub- 
tiinr* i " 01 pl “ ntf “S another, which yet has 
’into 1 0Ul -ture, is Something to be desired; 
to, il °t1hat tliis expedient is resorted 
of i, ' . lans occasionally, in the sowing 
one cr;- n ^ , *“ a " 8iit ''v cr °i>' i* 
by nn.- .! ° Hote * and ' V1 *i bear imitation 
of a I,.." 1(1 1U| W wish to avail themselves 
will, !. 80 Sl0re ^ green feed to combine 
stock t, e r COa T fodder for winter store 
’ u, uish a very desirable auxiliary 
JUNE GRASS. 
RED-TOP. 
in feeding for the beef market. This very lines; but we firmly believe that with belter 
much neglected shelter, more tidy care of stock in winter, and 
Turnip a better diffused conviction of the desirahil- 
is a vegetable which, we are aware, is not a ity of a rotation of crops, will increase the 
great favorite with the farmers over the breadth cultivated in this crop in the border 
JT' 
MEADOW FESCUE. 
and Northern States. Some indications of 
disappointment crop out in the reeding re¬ 
sults of this vegetable; but here, with us, 
the practice is almost universal in store and 
stall feeding, and with an uncommon una¬ 
nimity of opinion as to beneficial results. 
Canadian Export of Turnip*. 
It is a very common occurence along our 
lines of railroad to find factors from Buffalo 
and the East buying car loads of the Swe¬ 
dish turnip. I saw one letter from Newark, 
N. J., making inquiries for turnips last 
March. We can have no possible ‘objection 
to furnishing a supply for the American 
market at fourteen cents per bushel, deliv¬ 
ered at the cars, that being tho price a 
neighbor received for a quantity sufficient 
to freight two cars; doubtless, many were 
sold for less, but even a less price would 
pay handsomely at an average crop, which 
is estimated at four to eight hundred bush¬ 
els to the acre. The Sweepstake prizes 
awarded, by County Agricultural Societies 
indicate a yield occasionally as high as ten 
to thirteen hundred bushels. 
A Mystery 
which is not easy of solution when there i 3 
an abundance of the very best, of soil for 
the production of this vegetable all over the 
States, is why farmers who live near the 
large towns and cities do not cultivate a 
supply sufficient lbr the demand at then- 
very door. We do not suppose they are 
. consumed for other than table purposes; 
but that consumption in large cities creates 
a demand that, local farmers would find it 
profitable to supply. 
How to Raise Turnips. 
Farmers who raise from five to twenty or 
thirty acres, consider clay soil first-class; 
clay loam, gravel loam—in fact, any soil that 
will grow wheat or grass is good; a light, 
mucky soil will produce plenty of top, but 
they do not bottom well, nor are they as 
sound, as on firmer soil. Plow stubble 
ground in the fall and manure after, or be¬ 
fore, as circumstances may admit; the main 
tiling is to have the manure- the more the 
better—say tc 11 to twenty wagon loads per 
acre. Harrow down in the spring, and plow 
about the middle of May, All extra harrow¬ 
ing or cultivating will better prepare (lie soil 
for the seed before the final ridging, which 
is done in (bis section from the ISth to the 
20th of June. Ridging is literally turning 
back furrows two feet apart, from one apex 
to the other. Wo have one-horse drills here 
that sow two rows at a time—a roller before 
and behind tlie seed spout; the front rollers 
are cast iron, flanged at the ends, adapted to 
the convexity of ridge, and a lateral motion 
on the axle to follow slight deviations from a 
straight line. The quantity of seed should 
not he less than three pounds to the acre. 
As soon us the turnips are up, run through 
with the cultivator, cutting as close as con¬ 
venient without disturbing the plant. When 
four to six indies high, thin out, leaving 
twelve to fifteen inches space; less space is 
sometimes given, but the size is diminished 
by the diminution of space, other things be¬ 
ing equal. 
The plowing of sod in the fall is prac¬ 
ticed by some, claiming that less labor is re¬ 
quired to subdue weeds, which is undoubt¬ 
edly true; hut the plowing should be deep, 
with manure in the spring and cultivating, 
but not so deep ns to disturb the sod. Ex¬ 
cept the thinning out, a crop of turnips can 
be grown ns economically as a crop of corn. 
As ability Improves, provision is made in 
bank or side-hill barns for storing, while 
many pit them out in easy access to their 
stables. They may require an extra run 
will) the cultivator after thinning, depend- 
I ing upon the growth of weeds or tho need 
for stirring tho soil, they are not unlike 
other hoed crops; (hey bear attention well. 
A Frozen Turnip. 
“It is not worth a frozen turnip,” is a say¬ 
ing which leaves the impression that the said 
article is among the most worthless; but 
chemical analysis, although giving a largo 
percentage (ninety per cent.) of water, fails 
to give a fair solution of the beneficial 
effect that is manifest in the assimilation of 
WHOLE NO. M22. 
wtihivtcj. if 3 -*** PER YEAR. 
TLIilUS*. * Single A«.. Eight Cei 
NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, N. Y, 
YOLXXIY. NO. 4 . 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JULY 29,1871. 
