THE CULTIVATOR, 
187 
On the approach of rain, I always put all the hay that 
has had any sun of consequence, into the cock. If the 
storm is a long- one, it may turn yellow, so that it cannot 
be restored, but it will retain most of its nutritiive mat¬ 
ter and its weight, whereas if left spread out to take the 
rain, it loses both, anil is much worse discolored. I ne¬ 
ver use salt upon my hay. but upon compulsion. When 
the weather is good, I dry my hay sufficiently to keep, 
and as soon as I can, I house it; but sooner than leave it 
out to lake a storm, even in the cock, I would put it in a 
little short dried, and apply salt to save it, as I would 
sooner have it salted than musty. 
Dr. Lee thought it the best way to mow grass after 
the dew was off—spread it, dry it as much as possible, 
and lake it into winrow. If it was dried enough, and i* 
would frequently be so, he would load it from the win- 
row, and save the labor of cocking it up. 
PASTURES. 
Land which is best adapted to pasturage, we think 
should never be plowed. This rule is particularly ap¬ 
plicable to moist grounds, and those situated on hill-sides 
and mountains. We have frequently noticed a great dif¬ 
ference in the production of grass on hill-sides, owing 
entirely to one portion having been plowed, and the oth¬ 
er portion not having been plowed. The grass on the 
unplowed part is always much the best. In many in¬ 
stances, it is almost impossible to use the plow on a hill¬ 
side, without rendering the ground liable to be washed 
and gullied by rains; but if it is sow T n with grass-seed 
without plowing, the numerous fibrous roots of the trees 
and shrubs, will hold the soil together till it becomes tho¬ 
roughly netted together by the grass-roots. 
The natural condition of land as it is cleared of the fo¬ 
rest, is generally favorable to the growth of grasses, as 
may be seen by the readiness with which they come in 
and flourish; and we believe that no mixture or rever¬ 
sion of the soil can be made with any advantage, for the 
production of grass. Drains may be made if needed, to 
make the ground sufficiently dry. The use of the har¬ 
row, after the growth has been properly cleared off by 
the axe and mattock, will put the surface in a good state 
for the reception of clover and grass-seeds, or fora crop 
of small grain, if it should be deemed advisable to sow 
one. Should young trees, bushes or sprouts, from the 
stumps, spring up, let (hem be cut out with the mattock; 
and should the grass die but, or mosses come in, a sharp- 
toothed harrow drawn over the ground, and seed sown 
in August or first of September, with a dressing of plas¬ 
ter, compost of muck and ashes, or rotted manure**, will 
bring on a fine sward of good herbage. On lands natu¬ 
rally adapted to the growth of grass, the use of top¬ 
dressing, or a re-sow'ing of seeds, will seldom be neces¬ 
sary, for under a judicious course of feeding, the pastu¬ 
rage, instead of declining, will actually improve for se¬ 
veral years. The occasional use of a light, sharp har¬ 
row, may however, increase the growth of grass, by pre¬ 
venting the sward from becoming “ bound.” 
It is very important to obtain the best grasses and her¬ 
bage plants for pastures. In making a selection, due re¬ 
gard should be had to the adaptation of the different spe¬ 
cies to climates and localities. Some of our indigenous 
kinds are excellent, and perhaps best, their hardiness and 
nutritive qualities being considered. For the middle and 
northern States, one of the most valuable sorts is the Poa 
preetensis, sometimes called “Kentucky blue grass,” the 
“ spear grass” and “June grass” of the northern and east¬ 
ern States. On rich soils, not too dry, particularly those 
of a calcareous (limestone) nature, its produce is remark¬ 
able. It starts very early in spring, and grows late in the 
fall, but being effected more by drouth than some other 
kinds, does not always grow as much in the middle of 
the summer, though from the great tenacity of life in the 
roots, it seldom dies. It propagates itself by tillering, or 
by many lateral roots, as well as by seed, so that it spreads 
rapidly, and as other grasses die out, it soon covers the 
whole ground. Its nutritive qualities are comparatively 
but little destroyed by frost, and on thisaccount it is high¬ 
ly esteemed for winter pasturage, in sections where but 
ilittle snow falls. By keeping the stock from fields well 
set wdth this grass, so that it may make a good growth 
in the fall, excellent grazing is afforded to cattle and sheep 
during winter. Its leaves form a thick matted growth, 
the surface of which may be bleached a little by the frost, 
but the lower portion will be almost as fresh and green 
as corn, and will even in this condition fatten stock of 
any kind. 
Another species of the same family as the above, and 
sometimes mistaken for it, is the Poa comprcssa, flat 
s alked meadow-grass, sometimes called “ green-grass.” 
It is more hardy, and is believed to be more nutritive 
than the Poa pratensis. It delights in warm loams, and 
is often very troublesome in the cultivation of wheat and 
other crops, and from the difficulty of killing it, it is ge¬ 
nerally considered a pest. Its produce is less than the 
before mentioned kind, but it is exceedingly nutritive, 
and much relished by cattle and sheep. Its stalk, even 
when the seed has ripened and fallen off, is quite green, 
and though it appears hard, animals always eat it greedi¬ 
ly. It will grow in a colder atmosphere than any other 
grass we are acquainted with, is the first to start in the 
spring, the last to stop growing in the fall, and keeps 
greener than any other through the winter. For the 
advantage it affords as an early “bile” for sheep, particu¬ 
larly for nursing ewes, it might be an object to appropri¬ 
ate a suitable lot for it, which it would not be necessary 
to cultivate for other purposes. 
Several species of the Agrostis family of grasses are 
indigenous to this country. The “red top,” called in 
Pennsylvania and some other sections, “ herds-grass,” 
appears to be the Agrostis vulgaris, or “bent-grass” of 
the English books. In Massachusetts, there are cultiva¬ 
ted two varieties generally known under the name of 
red top; one considerably larger and later in flowering 
than the other, and is better adapted to cold moist lands. 
The small kind is however held in great estimation for 
its nutritive qualities, especially for feeding working ox¬ 
en, for which it is, in some districts, thought more valu¬ 
able than any other grass. The large kind is generally 
most esteemed for pastures, as it is less affected by drouth 
and its growth is more constant through the whole sea¬ 
son. On the whole, it is well worthy of cultivation as a 
grass for grazing*. 
Another species of Agrostis indigenous here, is closely 
allied to, if not identical with, the European “florin.” 
A. stolomfera. It is a very nutritive grass, and is much 
relished by stock. It is, however, only adapted to parti¬ 
cular locations. From its habit of extending irself by 
stolones or lateral roots, it is peculiarly valuable on loose 
spongy, or boggy soils, on which it forms a firm sod that 
may be trodden by sheep or light cattle with safety. It 
is also the best grass which can be used for sodding the 
sides of open ditches, or water-courses, which it does so 
effectually that the banks cannot wash, and are not liable 
to be broken; they presenting, when set with this grass, 
a beautiful smooth green turf, most agreeable to the eye. 
Phleum pratense, “meadow cats-tail,” “timothy,” or 
the “ herds-grass” of New-England, is much cultivated 
in this country for ha)', of which it produces a great 
yield, and where the ground is rich and moist, it maybe 
very profitably innoduced with other grasses in pastures. 
In some sections it is pretty extensively used for this 
purpose. It is a native of this continent, and was 
brought into notice in England by Timothy Hudson about 
the year 1780, according to Loudon. 
Of the clovers, there are two or more species indige¬ 
nous to this country, viz., the white, or “ Dutch clover,” 
Trifolium repens, and a kind which we have not found in 
any botanical catalogue, called in the western part of the 
country, “ buffalo clover.'- The latter is perennial, re¬ 
sembles the common white clover in the color of its 
blossoms and habit of growth, and in the height and size 
of its stem, is a medium between the white and the com¬ 
mon red clover. The common white clover is usually 
much esteemed for pastures, combined with (he grasses, 
but is thought not so valuable by itself, as it is deficient 
in quantity, and too much relaxes the bowels of animals 
when feeding on it. 
There are a few grasses and herbage plants not com¬ 
monly cultivated in this country, which it would be desi¬ 
rable to have introduced and fairly tried. The “orchard 
