THIRD €a Smptnnt tjit loil nnJt tlir 3Kinlt. SERIES 
VOL. VI. ALBANY, OCTOBEB, 1858. No. X. 
Published by Luther Tucker & Son, 
EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS. 
Associate Ed., J. J. THOMAS, Union Springs, N. Y. 
PRICE PIET Y CEN TS A YEAR. 
The Cultivator has been published twenty-four years. 
A New Series was commenced in 1853, and the five vo¬ 
lumes for 1851, 4, 5, 6, 7, cau be furnished, bound and post¬ 
paid, at $1.00 each. 
The same publishers issue "The Country Gentleman,’ 
a weekly Agricultural Journal of 16 quarto pages, making 
two vols. yearly of 416 pages, at $2.00 a year. They also 
publish 
The Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs 
—144 pp. 12 mo. — price 25 cents — $2.00 per dozen. This 
work was commenced in 1855, and the nos. for 1855,’56 
and ’57, have been issued in a beautiful volume, under the 
title of “ Rural Affairs,” —containing 440 engravings of 
Houses, Barns, Out-Houses, Animals, Implements, Fruits 
&c.—price $1.00—sent by mail post-paid. 
Timothy—Spring and Summer Seeding. 
Timothy and clover are in a large degree the culti¬ 
vated grasses of the northern section of the Union, 
though some attention is given to June or blue grass, 
red-top, fowl-meadow, orchard grass, etc., yet hun¬ 
dreds of farmers sow only these two varieties. In our 
own experience, white clover, red-top, and June grass, 
come in of themselves, and sometimes very luxuriant¬ 
ly, so that perhaps they need less attention than the 
kinds first above named. Our present purpose how¬ 
ever, is to remark more particularly on the season and 
manner of seeding land to timothy, so as to produce 
the most desirable results. This is ever an important 
question, but of late it has become of more special in¬ 
terest, as farmers are more generally seeking to com¬ 
bine stock, grain, and fruit growing—a “ mixed hus¬ 
bandry ” not likely to fail at all points, however un- 
propitious in season, market value, etc., one or more 
may be. 
Upon this question of seeding, numerous experiments 
have been tried by those who have given attention to 
the subject—spring, summer, early and late autumn, 
have been chosen for sowing timothy and kindred 
grasses—and with ever varying results, influenced by 
the season, manner of sowing, and accompanying crop t 
1. Spring seeding with oats, barley, or spring wheat, 
is sometimes attended with excellent results ; but as a 
rule the failures predominate. For this there are 
several causes. Spring grains, if of luxuriant growth, 
as they are likely to be on land properly fit for stock- 
ing to grass, shade the ground very perfectly, discour¬ 
aging the growth of grass seeds even if they vegetate 
favorably. Those grains are harvested at midsummer, 
removing this shade, and should the weather prove hot 
and dry, exposing the grass to heat and drouth they 
are illy prepared to withstand. If, as is frequently the 
case, the grasshoppers are abundant, they injure new¬ 
ly seeded grass lands very materially—we have seen 
them entirely stripped of verdure by this insect. On 
soils in a low state of fertility, the grass seed suffers 
from starvation, the lesser plants yielding to the larger, 
and being a feeble growth perish readily from drouth 
and insects. 
Successful spring seeding most usually results in wet 
seasons—those too wet for grain proving favorable to 
grass, and giving greater chance for its growth. Again, 
when plenty of seed is given, early and upon favora¬ 
ble soils, and no drouth occurs, good results follow. 
One of the most successful methods of seeding with 
mixed grass on spring grain, we have ever seen prac¬ 
ticed, is to sow early in spring, with barley, about 
double the usual quantity of clover and timothy seed, 
mixed together. Sow before the last light harrowing, 
or afterward following with the roller; which in most 
cases covers the seed sufficiently and leaves the soli in 
a good state for the growth of the grass crop. The 
same success attends with oats or wheat, if sown as 
early, and in all cases something depends on the sea¬ 
son which follows. The product of land so seeded is 
usually iarge—the clover (especially if dressed with 
plaster,) giving considerable fall feed, and a good crop 
of hay the next year, and if desired, a fair product of 
clover seed. The timothy dotes not appear largely until 
the second year, and in case the clover suffers from 
the winter, takes its place. By the third year the crop 
will be mostly timothy, and if it is desired to remain 
in grass for some time, should receive some fertilizing 
application. 
This mixture of grass furnishes more hay and pas¬ 
turage than either alone, and one of our best farmers 
recently told us that he should practice it invariably 
on all his land. He was sure of a fair crop of grass, 
if the seed took, even if the winter should kill out the 
clover—a frequent case on undrained clayey soils. 
2. Summer seeding is but little practiced, save in 
the New England States, where timothy and red-top, 
and some times clover, are often sown after the last 
hoeing of the corn in midsummer. Level culture is 
practiced, and immediately after hoeing, the grass 
seeds sown, and then either raked or hoed in by hand. 
Usually two crops of eorn are grown in succession be¬ 
fore seeding, each well manured and cleanly cultivated; 
