586 
M'HtC KCJ RAL NEW-VORKER 
acid lauds, though it does not prefer them. This 
single characteristic or power to adapt itself to such 
condition of soil is of great economic importance in 
New York State, because so much of our land 
needs lime. Timothy will no longer grow. Red-top 
takes its place as the next best grass, and becomes 
of first importance in such regions. As soon as the 
lands ai’e limed, the more valuable Timothy grass 
can again be raised. Until then, Red-top will be 
the most valuable grass that can be grown. More¬ 
over. Ibis adaptation to acid soil conditions is more 
marked in the Red-top used for hay than in either 
of the other species, although all three are resistant 
to soil acidity. Red-top is also adapted to wet 
conditions. It will produce a crop of hay on soils 
too wet for Timothy and Red clover. When grown 
under such conditions the hay is apt to be coarse, 
and is not considered so desirable or valuable. 
While adaptation to wet lands is a characteristic 
of the Red-top, the Brown Bent grass is adapted 
to dry lands, and is more resistant to drought. 
This makes the Bent grass—both Brown and Creep¬ 
ing Bent—valuable for pasture plants, particularly 
where there is a tendency to regional or seasonal 
droughts. The bent grasses are more resistant to 
the bad effects of high temperatures than many of 
the more valuable pasture plants, such as Kentucky 
Blue grass. Where drought and high temperatures 
occur, if not too extreme, Bent grass, therefore, 
offers an important means of utilizing much land 
that otherwise would be of little value. These 
adaptations to acid soils, wet soils, and to dry hot 
climates are, accordingly, of much importance in 
choosing seeds and grass mixtures in order to util¬ 
ize best such lands, and to assure the best returns. 
RED-TOP AND TIMOTHY.—Where conditions 
are favorable for Timothy, Red-top will give way to 
it. Red-top will respond to the application of lime, 
as well as Timothy does. Experiments have shown 
that, on lands that have been limed and seeded to 
both Red-top and Timothy, the Timothy grew at 
the expense of the Red-top, and that this latter 
gradually ran out as the Timothy increased. It is 
reasonable to expect that where lime is now the 
limiting factor in the production of Timothy on 
New York lands on which Red-top is now grown, 
sudh conditions may sometimes be reversed. Wheth¬ 
er such conditions as these can be changed depends 
largely on the amount of lime required. It is not 
at all impossible that some lands require more lime 
than can at present be afforded. We must there¬ 
fore, for a time at least, either cultivate our fields 
at an actual loss, due to the cost of lime to correct 
the conditions of soil and increase productiveness, 
trusting to get increased returns later, or continue 
to raise Red-top and be compelled to be satisfied 
with the smaller returns from it. Where the lim¬ 
iting factors are not lime as assumed above, but 
drainage, etc., such conditions present, of course, a 
different problem. 
MAINTENANCE OF SOIL FERTILITY.—Red- 
top plays the same part in maintaining the present 
fertility of the lands that will grow it as Timothy 
does to the land on which it is grown. It offers a 
means of putting organic matter in needy soils. 
Such soils, that will only grow Red-top and are too 
acid for Timothy and Red clover, would become 
unproductive much faster were it not for the roots 
and stubble of the Red-top which are plowed under. 
It is the mainstay of the hill lands, especially in 
Southern New York, in restoring humus to these 
soils. What may be said of the relation of Red- 
top to the hay lands of New York may also be said 
of the pasture lands that are occupied by the Bent 
grass. The utilization of these grasses in the per¬ 
manent pastures that will no longer grow the more 
valuable pasture grasses, is highly important in 
maintaining the organic content of such soils, and 
may be the means of reclaiming them, other condi¬ 
tions being equal, to more valuable pasturage pro¬ 
duction. 
ITS PLACE IN THE ROTATION.—In some 
counties its place in the rotation is an important 
one. Where potatoes are grown as the principal 
cash crop it is especially so. Red-top three years, 
potatoes and oats is a common rotation. The Red- 
top may be cut two years, then manured, and in¬ 
stead of harvesting the hay the third year, the 
grass is plowed under, and the land planted to 
potatoes the year following. Potatoes are followed 
by oats. It should be noted that all thi’ee crops are 
more or less adapted to acid soil conditions, espe¬ 
cially potatoes. Where potatoes are largely grown, 
such a rotation, and the place of Red-top in the 
rotation, may assume even greater importance. 
Ordinarily we would prefer Timothy, Alfalfa, 
Blue grass and Red clover, and others of the more 
important forage plants, to Red-top. But in many 
cases our soils are in such a poor condition of fer¬ 
tility and productivity that we have no longer any 
preference in the matter. When we understand 
these conditions, and the wide adaptation of this 
Red-top group of grasses, we begin to appreciate 
more fully the importance and value of these 
grasses in New York State under our present con¬ 
ditions. J. II. REISNER. 
THE NEW YORK GAME LAWS. 
The article on page 170, “A Farmer on Fool 
Laws,’’ might be the text for a long sermon, to 
which the farmers of this region would respond a 
hearty amen. The only protection or aid we are 
allowed to give wild pheasants is to feed them. If 
they should go into a building to roost and a door 
should blow shut so as to fasten them in. the owner 
or occupant of the land would be liable to fine or 
imprisonment. On the other hand, if we put out 
grain or other feed for them it is sure under the 
present trespass laws that some party of game hogs 
will come along and kill them all off in a few 
minutes’ shooting. It is a common thing for a 
party to start out in an automobile and kill 10 or 
more pheasants per man in a day’s shooting (the 
legal limit is three males in the open season). 
Many of these people carry wire cutters, so that 
they will not be put to the trouble of opening gates. 
The worst of it is that the owner of the land has no 
redress. If he happens to be so fortunate as to get 
the names of the offenders he must institute a civil 
suit, and then is decidedly lucky if he is awarded 
six cents damages, and so escapes the court cost 
of the action. If the laws were so changed as to 
make it a misdemeanor to trespass on posted lands 
without written permission of the owner or occu¬ 
pant and if farmers were allowed to keep in partial 
domestication any game or fur mammals or birds 
on written notice to the local game warden, or on 
payment of a reasonable fee, and the game warden 
were given the powers of a trespass officer, the en¬ 
forcement of the laws would be much easier; the 
sale of hunting permits would reimburse the 
farmers for their trouble and expense in caring for 
the game, the game hogs would be curbed in their 
activities; the amount of game on State and un¬ 
posted territory would be greatly increased by drift 
from posted lands, and the average town man would 
be assured that for a reasonable price he could get 
within shooting distance of plenty of game. 
At present pheasants are practically not pro¬ 
tected at all in this part of the State. This is no 
fault of the local game warden. He must cover a 
territory about 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, 
including four or five extensive bays and marshes. 
Last Fall, in addition to this, he was busy for about 
two months collecting fish eggs for the State hatch¬ 
eries. During this time the shooting was almost 
as continuous as on a rifle range that is being used 
by a regiment. This may be contrasted with the 
condition of fish protection on the largest bay under 
his control. Fishing is permitted with licensed nets 
in this bay during certain months, provided specified 
game fishes are not taken, or are returned to the 
water without injury. No application for a net 
license is granted tmless it is approved by the game 
warden. This has practically stopped illegal fishing in 
the bay, as those who formerly were able to escape 
prosecution because of the difficulty of getting suf¬ 
ficient evidence to convict are now anxious to avoid 
the appearance of evil because they know that if 
the protector gets the idea than they are fishing 
illegally their license will be revoked or held up 
until they can prove to his satisfaction that they 
have violated no laws. The proposed changes in 
existing laws would have as salutary an effect in 
the case of land game. Under the present system 
any farmer who makes any attempt to protect or 
increase the game on his land, whether posted or 
not, is a fool who is simply catering to the pleasure 
of a gang from some nearby town, who will come 
along with an automobile, a supply of whiskey and 
a battery of pump guns and automatics to make a 
target of every living thing on the farm. 
A good example of (he result of the present laws 
is on our farm. We are working a tract of land 
nearly two miles long, practically surrounded by 
woods or marshes, on which a thousand pheasants 
could be raised every year without serious damage 
to any crops. Last year was a good season for the 
birds, and there were certainly more than a hundred 
brought to maturity. Of these we got one and 
others killed most of the remainder. There is a 
loose flock of perhaps 25 wintering partly on our 
land, and most of them are likely to survive, as the 
hunting season is now closed, and there is no 
further excuse for the presence in the woods of the 
jnan with the gun. There are also about a dozen 
ruffed grouse or partridge in the woods about us. 
If we had any assurance that the State would pro- 
April IS, 
tect us we would feed these birds and give them 
shelter when needed, but we shall not do so as long 
as we know that we can never get any benefit, but 
will only be exposing ourselves to damage. 
Wayne County, N. Y. Alfred c. weed. 
RECORDING CLIMATE. 
There are about 4,000 cooperative observers well 
distributed over the United States who keep a daily 
record of the weather and make a monthly report to 
the section directors. Each State has a section 
director who is an official of the Weather Bureau 
and has charge of the instruments loaned to the co¬ 
operative or voluntary observers who are under his 
direction. The local observers receive no pay for 
this work, but it requires not to exceed five or 10 
minutes each day, and all supplies are furnished, 
such as pencils, report blanks, carbon sheets, 
franked envelopes, memorandum blanks and 
franked cards for reports to the local press. The 
monthly reports are made in triplicate; one is re¬ 
tained, two are sent to the section director, who 
keeps one and sends the other to the National 
Weather Bureau Office. These reports supply data 
for the Monthly Weather Review, the Annual Re¬ 
port of the Chief of the Weather Bureau and the 
Summaries of the various sections of the Climatical 
Service. The instruments supplied to the coopera¬ 
tive observers are a standard rain gauge and sup¬ 
port, at the right hand of the picture, and self¬ 
registering maximum and minimum thermometers 
mounted in a thermometer shelter shown in fore¬ 
ground of Fig. 236. This thermometer shelter is so 
built that it keeps the thermometers dry, protects 
them from the direct rays of the sun and radiations 
and reflections from the ground, but permits free 
passage of the air. The shelter should be about 
four feet above the ground, preferably one rod from 
buildings, in the open, but not exposed to molestation 
by stock or persons. The shelter shown in the picture 
is protected by four posts to which are nailed some 
strong slats, so that the stock can rub against the 
posts without jarring the thermometers, since these 
posts and slats are not connected with the shelter in 
any way. 
The weather data desired are the highest and 
lowest temperatures, precipitation in inches and 
times of beginning and ending, snowfall in inches 
and depth on ground, directions of wind, condition of 
sky and various phenomena such as frosts, sleet, 
thunderstorms, high winds, lunar and solar halos 
and coronas, auroras, etc., tornadoes, fogs, etc. The 
instruments are read and records made once a day, 
preferably about sunset, and at the same time each 
day. After reading, the rain gauge should be 
emptied and both thermometers reset, the shelter 
closed and locked. There are somewhat less than 
200 forecast stations which are supplied with ex¬ 
pensive recording barometers or barographs, therno- 
graphs, psychrometers or moisture gauges, rain 
gauges, wind vanes and anemometers, and which 
transit the data each day as taken, by telegraph to 
the Weather Bureau at Washington, where a daily 
weather chart and forecasts are made up and trans¬ 
mitted in turn to each station issuing daily weather 
maps, forecasts, flood, storm, ice and cold-wave warn¬ 
ings. These forecast stations are usually located 
in some large city near or on top of a government 
building, and are in charge of salaried men who 
through training and experience are well fitted for 
their work. 
The work of the cooperative observer is rather in¬ 
teresting and if located along a much frequented 
walk the instruments are but little bother, even at 
busy times. The instruments are standardized and 
so are of great accuracy; therefore it is more satis¬ 
factory to read them than non-standard instruments. 
You have the satisfaction of knowing they are truth¬ 
ful, and besides you are sure of the highest and 
lowest temperatures. These instruments and acces¬ 
sories would cost $10 or $12, if purchased, and the 
Weather Bureau still retains their ownership, 
though they are loaned to the observer so long as 
he continues to record his observations and make 
his reports. w. e. duck wall. 
Ohio. - 
Seeding Red Clover. 
On page 292 you advise one of your readers to sow 
clover seed by scattering it on frozen ground. That 
was the practice years ago, but the up-to-date farmer 
uses a 20-disk drill, with disks four inches apart, and 
drills his clover seed. It takes only four quarts per 
acre and insures a stand with good seed. The old 
method of scattering clover seed on top of the ground 
is not only wasteful, but it is a matter of luck if one 
ever sees it again. F. w. OKIE. 
Virginia. 
R. N.-Y.—The advice was given in a case where 
only a small seeding was to be made—too small to 
make the ownership of a drill profitable. On a 
large scale the plan suggested is right. 
