whether it is sown early or late, and conse¬ 
quently the earlier it is sown the more time 
it will have to grow, and the larger and 
nicer the crop will be. 
Those who favor late sowing say that 
grain is not as liable to be smothered ■with 
snow late os it is If it is got in early ; that in 
lots where cattle are allowed to feed that 
which is sown early is more likely to be in¬ 
jured by being pulled up, trod in, and eaten 
off, and that the berry will be as plump, and 
the yield as gocd on fields tbut are sown late 
as on any other. 
So much for the theories. I think in prac¬ 
tice early sowing is to be preferred, although 
I have sometimes sown late with good results. 
The theory that grain will ripen at a certain 
time without regard to when it is sown is 
certainly incorrect. I sowed a piece to win¬ 
ter rye late last fall near other fields which 
were got in earl}-. Except the time of sow¬ 
ing the conditions were equally favorable 
for all the fields, but mine was several days 
later than the others. On an adjoining lot 
the owner had a field of coru. As soon at, it 
was ripe enough he cut it, plowed narrow 
strips on which to stock it, and sowed these 
strips to rye. The remainder of the piece 
was sown considerably later. The result 
was that the early sown strips ripened a week 
or ten days before the rest of the piece, and 
they also produced a heavier crop of gruin. 
But while the quantity was in favor of the 
early sowing there was no appreciable differ¬ 
ence in the quality. 
Whila I prefer early sowing I should not 
hesitate to sow late if for any reason I could 
not do it early. The quality of the seed and 
soil, and the way the latter is prepared, has 
more to do with making up the results than 
the time when the sowing is done. At least 
such is the lesson 1 have learned both from 
experience and observation. 
VARIETY OF GRASSES FOR PASTURES 
GOOD FARMING PAYS, 
In an article written by myself and pub¬ 
lished in the Rural, of April 35, under the 
head of “Farm Labor,” I said the excuse 
given for not paying more for help is that 
people claim that farming does not pay. I 
asserted, if it did not, it was not the fault of 
the hands, but of the employer. Bare as¬ 
sertions prove nothing, and now I will at¬ 
tempt to show that farming does pay here 
in Southern Michigan. 
The writer came here in 1845, a mere boy, 
when land ranged at 81.25 to $10 per acre— 
four-fifths of it in the state of nature. He 
has seen young men who came here with 
barely enough means to get here earn money 
enough in the. course of four or five years to 
pay for SO acres of land. Others, with a 
family on their hands “article” for 40 or 
SO acres without paying a cent, down, and in 
the course of from four to eight years have 
a good home for themselves and family, 
Some of them have kept adding to their 
posses3ionsnnt.il they have 300 or 400 acres, 
worth from 850 to SICK)per acre. 
I have known several instances where the 
first crop has paid for the land and improve¬ 
ments, and 1 feel safe in asserting that three- 
fifths of those who have undertaken farm¬ 
ing have made a success, or, in other words, 
have secured to themselves homes and the 
comforts of life. Wm. Mathews, LL.D., of 
Chicago, in a book entitled “ (Jetting On in 
the World,” states that according to statis¬ 
tics which parsons have been at pains to 
collect, in large towns only three out of a 
hundred have made a success or have been 
successful in mercantile business. In a few 
instances improved farms have changed 
hands within the last twelve years, bringing 
$35 to $70 per acre. The men who purchased 
were men who had sold small farms or rough 
ones. 
The great variety of grasses, both peren¬ 
nial and annual, which abound throughout 
the Northern States upon soils which are 
adapted to their growth, makes it almost, 
needless to recommend to farmers to sow a 
vai lety of seed. But there are not a few 
localities, often tracts of vast extent, as in 
parts of New Jersey and Long Island, and 
increasing as we go southward, where but 
few grasses grow naturally and all the better 
kinds need encouragement. Besides, as soon 
as land begins to wear, that is to grow poor 
in certain conditions of fertility, some natu¬ 
ral grasses are sure to disappear. The re¬ 
marks of the editor of fhe Rural Sun, pub¬ 
lished at Na-hville, may well therefore be 
read and heeded by farmers all over the 
oountry. Ho writer: 
Of the importance of grass in every wise 
system of farming we have &poken often 
and shall do so again as occasion offers, or 
the spirit moves us. Tuking this point as 
established wo wish to call attention to the 
importance of the use of a variety of grasses 
in all lauds to be laid down to permanent 
pasture. We are satisfied that this is a weak 
point in the practice of our very best grass 
farmers. They rely too exclusively on two 
or three grasses, in most cases on one alone. 
This practice is contrary to the dictates of 
reason aud the teachings of experience. 
There are over two hundred known species 
of grass in the United States, and it is very 
strange indue if out of this great number 
outy two, three or a half a dozen should in¬ 
clude all that are valuable for pasture or 
meadows. It may be quite true that in all 
this number there are no other two that are 
equal to blue grass aud orchard grass, hut we 
cannot believe tliat there are not others that 
at e l “ss valuable than these. In this opinion 
we are supported by all of the best writers 
on grasses and grass culture, and which is 
of more value, n our estimation, hy the 
uniform testimony of the most experienced 
grass farmers of this and other lands. 
While It is the business of art to improve 
on nature, this improvement can only be se¬ 
cured by following the teachings of nature. 
Aud in no point is nature more positive than 
in teaching that a variety of grasses is essen¬ 
tial to a close heavy so l. Where the land is 
barren and thin, it m*y be that only three 
or four species may be found, but, wherever 
the soil is fit for a farmer’s U3e there nature 
is sure to sow a great variety of grasses. As 
a general rule, the richer the soil the greater 
the number of species, 
But the teachings of experience are still 
more emphatic in favor of a mixture of 
grasses. It has been demonstrated by fre¬ 
quent experiments that, in pasture land, a 
mixturo of several varieties will produce a 
larger amount of flesh and fat forming food 
than the same land will yield when son n with 
only one or two varieties. Especially is this 
difference marked in tte ease where land is to 
be kept in pasture for a series of years. The 
main cause of this difference lies in the fact, 
that if we sow but < ne kind of grass, it mat¬ 
ters not how thickly we sow, there are sure 
to bo vacant place?, spots of greater or less 1 
some years past. In sowing wheat among 
corn it costs about a to % days’ work to 
the acre with one horse and cultivator, and 
the stalks will have to be cat or rolled down, 
which will cost about 31J£e. per acre; the 
seed aud harvesting about the same as sum¬ 
mer-fallowed wheat; the average yield is 
from 10 to 13 bushels. 
Hogs only pay a profit when pork ranges 
higher than corn ; that is, it takes about 10 
bushels of corn to make 100 cwt, of pork, 
live weight; so if corn is 40c., hogs should 
bring $4 per 100, live weight. 
Sheep pay about what the increase is ; 
that is, the wool pays for keep, and the ma¬ 
nure increases the yield of wheat from two 
to three bushels per acre. 
Beef is not considered a paying business at 
present prices, being from $2 to $3 per 100, 
live weight. 
Butter sells at our doors, fresh, at from 14 
to 30c., or say an average of 20c., per pound. 
I have attempted to show in tins limited 
space that fanning pays, although there is 
many a drawback, and poor and irrespon¬ 
sible help is one. I have attempted to keep 
below the average. There is but little land 
here but would grow 30 to 40 bushels of 
wheat with proper culture, the season and 
other things being favorable ; but wheat lias 
so many enemies, and there is so much poor 
fanning, that the average yield, I think - , i 3 
set down at 14 bushels per acre. And the 
land would grow from CO to 80 bushels of 
corn, with proper culture, in favorable cir¬ 
cumstances. In raising com I only made 
the estimate where a two.horse cultivator 
could be used ; where the land is stumpy, it 
would take about a half day’s more work 
with n man. There is always straw, stalks 
and slop from the house that would go to 
waste if a certain amount of stock and hogs 
were not kept; so they are almost clear 
profit. A Subscriber. 
Athens, Calhoun Co., Mich. 
REED CANARY GRASS, 
and went in debt from one-third to 
one-half the amount of the purchase money. 
In almost every instance these men have 
paid for their places, added in buildings and 
other permanent improvements. 
One man told me huff fall that he and his 
brother had live years ago 320 acres of land 
and teams and stock euough to work and 
stock as much more, and about $2,000 worth 
of produce ; that they had a chance to pur¬ 
chase 320 acres within a mile of theirs for 
$10,000, to pay $1,000 a year and Interest, 
each one pay half and he keep the old farm, 
and his brother took the new one, and that 
they had paid $11,000 in the last five years— 
that is, they had made $2,000 and interest. 
Them land lias increased in value, besides 
being in a far better Btate of culture than it 
was five years ago. 
There is another instance I will cite. A 
man purchased 115 acres of land eight or 
nine years ago at $35 per acre. Foi ty acres 
were in timber, and the other seventy-five 
said to he worn out. The buildings were 
nearly gone down. He rail in debt $400 over 
and above what ho had, has not done any¬ 
thing with the forty acres in timber, save 
gettiug a little wood or hewing timber off it, 
and he has made enough from the cleared 
land to pay the $400 and put on over $2,000 
worth of building, besides helping his two 
eldest boys to about $200 apiece. 
I will here state about the cost of summer- 
fallowing land for wheat, and sowing, har¬ 
vesting and threshing the same, We will 
take a twelve-acre field : 
Plowing, 8 days..,. .$20 00 
JTiirrowiiu,', 11-4 days—. 3 75 
Cultivating with two-horse cultivators, 
Ui days.... 3 75 
Cross-plowing, C day*. 15 00 
Harrowing,3 days. 7 50 
Drilling in the seed, 1 day. 3 75 
Seed tlS bushels, at $1.25 per bushel). 22 50 
Harvesting, $2.50 per acre—. 30 00 
Stocking.. 0 25 
Threshing.. 1120 
Total cost.$123 70 
I have conversed with several good farm¬ 
ers, and find the average crop in this way of 
raising wheat is about 20 bushels to the acre, 
and the average price for the last five years 
$1.25 per bushel, which amounts to $300, 
leaving a. balance for the use of the land lor 
two years of $176.30, or $7.34)-^ a year for the 
use of the land. 
This system is not thought to be as profit¬ 
able by rnauy as to plant corn, and to sow 
wheat among the corn in the fall. It is con¬ 
sidered to be but little more work to raise 
the two crops than one, and then they get 
something from the land every year. The 
cost of raising a corn crop is as follows, 
taking a twelve-acres field : 
Plowing, 8 days.$20 00 
Draglug, 3 days. 7 50 
Working, 1% days. 8 75 
Planting, 6 days. 7 50 
CANADA THISTLE 
each stalk. I cut two crops a year of this 
grass, and consider it the best species for a 
permanent meadow that 1 know. It is called 
about here “ Peter’s grass.” If you can in¬ 
form me, through the Rural or otherwise, 
the common os well os the scientific name, 
and where the seed can be obtained, you will 
Confer a groat favor on a constant reader of 
the Rural New-Yorker.— G. H. L„ Wcut- 
boro, Mass. 
The common name of the grass sent is 
given above. Its scientific name is Phalaris 
urundinacca. The common leaved striped 
or ribbon grass of gardens is a variety of this 
species, and it is not an unfrequent occur¬ 
rence to find clumps of the striped sort going 
back to the original form. This grass is not 
considered very nutritious, although it is far 
better than no grass at alL If hay is to be 
made of it, it should be cut very early ; the 
panicles become filled, with ergot, the effects 
of which upon cattle are well known, If you 
want seed, why not go into the ditches al¬ 
most anywhere through the country and 
gather it. A better method of propagation 
is to dig up the i oots aud divide them into 
small clumps and plant again where it is 
desirable to have them grow, ft is only val¬ 
uable for low grounds and where superior 
sorts do not succeed. 
I enclose a small piece of a thistle, and 
would be pleased to know its name and how 
to destroy it. 1 have a patch about two 
rods square on my place, and they seem to 
be increasing every year. This thistle seems 
to do better on dry laud than elsewhere.—A. 
Hums att, Bunningha/m, Ohio. 
The specimen sent is undoubtedly the 
well known Canada Thistle, which ha?, over¬ 
run many thousands of acres of choice 
lands in our Northern States, rendering the 
same almost worthless. We say “worth¬ 
less” because few men would take such 
land as a gift aud try to destroy this pest. 
The roots run very deep, and horizontally as 
well as perpendicularly in the soil, being 
well supplied with buds from which stems 
rise to the surface, and several feet above. If 
one stem is cut down another soon trkes its 
place, springing from the innmuerable buds 
on the subterranean stems. If you have but 
a two-rod square patch, they can be quite 
readily destroyed by applying salt, even if 
it takes a barrel it will be cheap under the 
circumstances, and the sooner it is done the 
better for yourself and neighborhood. If 
the plants are allowed to mature their seeds 
it will be scattered iu all directions, taking 
root in many a field. Mow the thistles and 
spread on salt in sufficient quantities to kill 
root and stem. If not successful the first 
time try it again, and salt will kill. 
FELD NUTES, 
Clover and Gypsum.— George Geodes 
writes the New York Tribune that he has on 
his farm, in Central New York, a field which 
from 1799 to 1873 has had no manure except 
clover grown ou it and plowed under, and 
that wheat, corn, oats, barley, meadow and 
pasture have been regularly taken from the 
land in five years’ rotation—'lie closing crop 
being winter wheat, when timothy aud 
clover is sowed. The clover lias been regu¬ 
larly treated with gypsum for 50 years. He 
has particularly noticed it of late years, and 
says the land is more fertile now than it was 
23 years ago. 
Minnesota Street Corn .—Did it turn out 
well? A. A. Nash, Hartford Co., Conn., 
reports an unsatisfactory yield, but thinks 
lie may be wrong in attributing it to the 
kind of com, though one of his neighbors 
had no better luck. Nothing is more impor¬ 
tant to farmers and gardeners than to be 
sure of their seed. 
ECONOMICAL NOTES, 
BEST TIME TO SOW WINTER GRAIN 
Extermination of Canada Th istle s.—While 
visiting my cousin (a practical farmer) inan 
adjacent town, he showed me a field which 
the season previous had been completely 
covered with Canada thistles. He let them 
grow up to their full hight and then, arming 
nimself with u strong pair of buckskin gloves, 
pulled them all up, completed} exterminat¬ 
ing them. I took pains to examine the field 
and the result is that now there is not one to 
be seen.—F. Carr, Chemung Co., N. l r . 
Value of Coal Ashes.— If they contain 
wood ashes they are just so far as that goes 
valuable as fertilizers ; sifted they are useful 
upon stiff clays to ameliorate their mechan¬ 
ical condition, Otherwise they are pretty 
much worthless except on roads and foot¬ 
paths w r hich are liable to wash. Here they 
are most excellent; they make a hard, firm 
path, which stands through the most power¬ 
ful storms, barely disturbed in the least. 
A “Mass. Farmer” ventilates his no¬ 
tions and practical conclusions as to sowing 
waiter grain, in the Vermont Farmer as 
follows: 
Those who favor sowing early claim that 
the plants obtain a firmer hold, tiller out 
more, and tnat the grain will be s heavier 
and larger berry. They claim that less seed 
is required, because much that is sown very 
late does not germinate at all or else only 
sends up a single stalk, while that which is 
got into the ground early is surer to grow 
and more likely to throw up many stalks 
from a single root. Some who favor sowing 
in August or the first of September say that 
winter grain will ripen at a certain time 
