1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
655 
ADVANTAGES OF THE SUMMER SILO. 
Painfully Apparent this Year. 
AN AWFUL DROUGHT—The present drought is, 
probably, without a parallel within the memory of 
most farmers of the present time. Associated press 
reports have made the conditions in western New 
York too severe; but actual conditions are bad enough. 
A good many farmers have been obliged to abandon 
the work of plowing, and far less wheat will be sown 
than usual. I don’t know of a single piece of new 
seeding that shows any signs of life. Potatoes and 
beans are at a standstill, and must be a very light 
crop under the most favorable future. Wells and cis¬ 
terns are many of them empty, and creeks are most 
of them as dry as the middle of the road. 
In addition to all this is, perhaps, the greatest 
trouble of all to very many farmers, that is, how to 
keep the live stock in thrifty condition with pastures 
as bare and dry as a desert, and where meadows have 
not started any growth since the hay crop was re¬ 
moved. 
SAVE THE STOCK.—This may be an extremely 
dry season, but history is forever repeating itself, and 
we may encounter just such conditions next year, or 
any future year; any farmer or dairyman may provide 
for such emergencies as this without any expense as 
compared with that of feeding hay worth $12 per ton 
to large herds of milch cows, and checking the growth 
of all young stock so they can never recover from its 
effect. I know of large dairies where hay has been 
fed daily for weeks in addition to a grain ration. I 
have seen flocks of sheep running on pastures where 
there hasn’t been a green thing in sight for a 
month, and lambs so small and thin they can 
almost fall into the great cracks in the parched 
ground. This practically means two poor lamb 
crops in succession, as the flocks of ewes must 
come to the breeding season thin, and so lack¬ 
ing 'in vigor as to make next year’s lamb crop, 
at least, a partial failure. 
On a great many farms, the Summer silo 
seems to be the most economical way of feeding 
the live stock through the dry season, while 
others prefer to cut and draw green corn di¬ 
rectly from the field to the stables. I think a 
strong argument in favor of the silo is that, by 
this method, we have the advantage of feeding 
fully matured corn (which has been cut into the 
silo the previous September) several weeks 
earlier in the season than it would be possible 
to mature any variety of corn so as to make 
good feed. I have seen corn ensilage in per¬ 
fect condition two years after it was cut into the 
silo, any freezing which may have taken place 
not injuring it in the least. 
ARGUMENTS FOR ENSILAGE—There cer¬ 
tainly can be no good argument against this 
method of feeding when we can grow anywhere 
from 12 to 20 tons of corn per acre, and keep 
perfect condition for almost any length of time, 
farmer or dairyman may thus be master of the situa¬ 
tion, for I believe that we can grow good heavy crops 
of corn 'in spite of drought. Land should be well 
manured and thoroughly tilled before planting the 
seed. . The weeder or smoothing harrow should be 
started as soon as the seed is in the ground, the field 
thoroughly harrowed two or three times before the 
corn comes up, and kept going very often until the 
corn is several inches high. Then the two-horse wheel 
cultivator should be used often until the corn is two 
feet high, and a single cultivator run very shallow 
until the corn is as high as the horse’s back. Too 
many of us learned to think that the only use of a 
corn cultivator was to kill weeds, and that there 
should never be any use for it after the Fourth of 
July. Conservation of moisture is a subject too many 
farmers never have studied. I would as soon under¬ 
take to get along without a barn as'without a silo, 
and of all crops grown for ensilage, corn is king. If 
this terrible drought result in more silos and better 
crops of corn, it may, in the end, prove a blessing. 
Genesee Oo., N. Y. frank d. ward. 
NOTES ON GRASS AND CLOVER. 
Value of Orchard Grass. 
If Red clover and Orchard grass seed be mixed in the 
proportion of one peck of clover seed to six pecks of 
Orchard grass, what quantity of the mixture should be 
sown to the acre? At what season of the year should 
it be sown? T. A. b. 
Elizabeth, W. Va. 
Ans. —The mixture of Red clover and Orchard grass 
seed mentioned above is hardly in the proportion I 
would recommend for seeding. I would prefer the fol¬ 
lowing mixture per acre: 1 y 2 to 2 bushels of Orchard 
grass seed with four quarts of Red clover seed. Sow in 
early Spring. The quantity of seed mentioned above 
is recommended for meadows rather than for per¬ 
manent pasture alone. If it is desired to secure a per¬ 
manent pasture, there are mixtures which should be 
far preferable to the one mentioned above. Orchard 
grass is coming to be more favorably known each 
year by those who have tried it. It has, however, cer¬ 
tain defects, which should also be known by those 
who wish to grow it. It is one of the first grasses 
in the Spring to begin growth, and where early pas¬ 
ture is desired, it is a most valuable grass. It seems 
to do especially well in orchards or woodlands, and 
when cut or pastured off, is very quick to start again; 
almost before other grasses would start, the Orchard 
grass is ready to be pastured the second time. It is 
bunchy in its growth, and should be sown somewhat 
thickly, and it is much better where sown with a mix¬ 
ture of other seeds. It is not well adapted to lands 
which are wet and poorly drained, but on well-drained 
soils, it is a very valuable grass. The aftermath is 
TWO GOOD GUERNSEY CALVES. Fig. 246. See Page 666. 
it in 
The 
The sanitary condition of picnic grounds and Summer 
resorts is now engaging the attention of the Massachu¬ 
setts State Board of Health, and all such places are to 
be examined carefully. Special attention will be given 
to the water supply, and it is hoped, In this way, to 
lessen the possibility of typhoid infection. 
It is reported that farmers in lower Sussex County, 
Delaware, have made an agreement not to hire any 
farm hands unless the latter own bicycles. This is di¬ 
rectly opposite to the views of farmers in some parts of 
the country, who claim that a bicycle sometimes keeps 
a hired man on the go so much at night that he is not 
worth much in the daytime. These Delaware farmers, 
however, say that, formerly, they were compelled to lend 
each farm hand a horse and carriage, at least every 
other Sunday, and this came to be such a tax that they 
purpose to get relief by compelling the hands to go on 
wheels of their own. 
unequaled in amount by any of the grasses ordinarily 
cultivated for hay. When it is grown for hay, it 
needs to be cut before fully matured, for it very rap¬ 
idly develops woody fiber, when its feeding value is 
greatly diminished. 
Another grass which seems to be coming into promi¬ 
nence is Bromus inermis, Awnless Brome grass. 
This is perennial, grows from two to five feet high, 
and was introduced into this country from Europe 
about 1880. It is well adapted to either the North or 
the South, and remains green throughout the Winter 
in the southern States. It has wonderful powers of 
resisting drought, and seems to be especially adapted 
for sections of the South and West. I would not re¬ 
commend the use of this grass on large areas. It is 
worthy of a trial on every farm. During recent years, 
droughts have been so common that, if any grass can 
be secured which possesses in a superior degree the 
power to withstand drought, then it will be a valuable 
accession to the American farmer’s pasture, l. a. c. 
What Became of the Clover ? 
A year ago my neighbor seeded a ten-acre field to Red 
clover. He got a good stand of clover, and subsequently 
cut from this field as nice a crop of Red clover hay as I 
have ever seen. This year, his Red clover “turned to 
cheat”; that is to say, he has a close mat of White 
clover, but scarcely a stem of Red clover in the whole 
10 acres. Why is this? m. e. j. 
Ans. —Red clover is a hardy perennial. Owing to 
unfavorable conditions- for the Red clover, it was 
killed out after the first crop had been cut. The kill¬ 
ing out of the Red clover left the ground free for 
other plants, and the White clover seed or plants 
being in the soil, the White clover immediately took 
possession and made a luxuriant growth. If the con¬ 
ditions had been favorable for the growth of the Red 
clover the second season, it is very probable the 
White clover would have been kept in subjection, and 
would hardly have been noticed. It 'is a very common 
matter of observation to find in wheat fields where 
the wheat has been killed out that cheat has taken 
possession. The killing out of the wheat left the 
ground free for some other plants. The cheat seed 
being there, cheat plants immediately increased their 
growth, and owing to the fact that they are hardy and 
able to withstand extremes of weather, they grow 
luxuriantly where wheat has been killed out. Re¬ 
cently in passing through a wheat field where the 
wheat was strong and vigorous, no cheat plants were 
noticed, but in coming to a place where the wheat 
had been winterkilled, the ground was well covered 
with cheat. Upon investigation, I found that, where 
the wheat was growing vigorously, the cheat plants 
were very small, and would not be noticed except 
upon close examination. In this case, the plants did 
not turn to cheat, but the wheat had been killed out, 
giving better environment for the cheat plants, and 
they responded accordingly. The same thing is true 
with reference to the growth of White clover. 
n. a. c. 
Grasses for a Marsh. 
I am ditching some marsh land, and would like to 
know how I am to get it in shape to get Timothy to 
grow there instead of wild grass. It is too tough to 
plow, and I do not know of any machine to use in such 
a place. Any information on that subject will be grate¬ 
fully received. z. h. s. 
Millis. Mass. 
Ans. —The marsh land which has been ditched 
should be given a top-dressing of lime; about 40 
bushels per acre will be sufficient. The lime would 
better be purchased as stone lime, and put in small 
piles upon the ground where it is to be used, and cov¬ 
ered with soil. Allow it to remain in these covered 
piles for from ten days to two weeks, at the end 
of which time, it should be thoroughly slaked 
The water for slaking will have come from the 
sail. If, however, it is desired to hasten the 
slaking process, two or three pails of water 
should be thrown over each pile (not more than 
three bushels should be put in a pile) before the 
covering of earth is put on. After the lime is 
thoroughly slaked, it can be spread with a 
shovel over the field. It is found that marsh 
lands, after having been filled with water for 
an unknown period, have become acid, the plant 
food is locked up, and before the cultivated 
grasses can be made to grow, the acid condi¬ 
tion of the soil must be removed. The appli¬ 
cation of lime will tend to remove these harm¬ 
ful conditions. Timothy alone is not the best 
grass seed for sowing on this rather moist, un¬ 
tilled land, but a mixture of grass seeds will 
give far better results than Timothy alone. I 
would recommend for sowing, a mixture made 
up as follows: Red-top (Agrostis vulgaris), four 
pounds; Timothy (Pleum pratense), six pounds; 
Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis), 10 pounds; 
Orchard grass, 10 pounds. If the land is too tough 
to plow, it is very probable the surface might 
be loosened by means of a Cutaway or disk harrow. 
This harrow, if set at the proper angle, will very ma¬ 
terially loosen the surface of the ground. It may be 
necessary to use a spring-tooth harrow. In case the 
treatment here recommended be given, the wild 
grasses now growing upon the land should be cut off, 
the lime should be spread broadcast, and then the disk 
harrow used after spreading the lime. After the use 
of the harrow, the grass seeds should be sown broad¬ 
cast, the amount recommended above being for one 
acre of land. l. a. c. 
The past Winter did not just kill the great Crimson 
Rambler, but it bent it pretty badly. I see some of the 
bright lights are still talking of keeping cows in stanch¬ 
ions. Good—there is only one state to keep a cow in, 
that is satisfactory to the cow, the Mrs. and the Lord. 
Pennsylvania. j. t. s. 
It has been the driest Summer ever known here, and 
to cap it all, we had fire to fight in the wood, lot; it has 
been going for nearly two weeks. A large woolen horse 
blanket (wet) is the best thing for stopping surface fire, 
but when it burns everything to hardpan, a blanket is of 
no Use. CLARK ALLIS. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
We thought tomatoes were about as low in our section 
as they ever would be, but reports from Delaware are 
that five-eights-bushel baskets of first-class tomatoes sold 
last week at five cents a basket. Last year, they 
brought up to 25 cents per basket. Probably these grow¬ 
ers will have to rub their eyes hard in order to see the 
promised prosperity in these prices. 
Good Wheat.— I noticed in The R. N.-Y. of August 
26, that C. E. Chapman’s best acre of wheat was but 35 
bushels. He should try some of the large yielders, as 
with his preparation, he should grow more than that. 
On a two-acre field seeded to Genesee Giant, after a 
crop of peas was harvested, vines being cut, we have just 
thrashed 90 bushels, and, after being cleaned for seed, 
the crop weighed 87 bushels and 47 pounds. Considering 
the hard Winter and very dry season, it is a good crop. 
It was sown late, and broadcasted, and was not fer¬ 
tilized or fitted as it should have been. a. n. j. 
Newark, N. J. 
