130 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
twenty-four days of the experiment twenty pounds of potatoes were given 
per day to each; lot 2d received the same allowance except the linseed 
cake, and half the potatoes; and the 3d lot were fed upon turnips alone. 
The cost of the keep of each animal, during the 119 days, was as follows: 
Total cost of feeding one beast of lot 1,. £5 2 7 
do do- do of lot 2,. 3 17 0 
do do do of lot 3,. 1 18 7£ 
The improvements in live weight were a3 follows: 
First lot increased in weight,. 10S stone. 
Second do do . 101 “ 
Third do do . 49 “ 
Abstracting the cost of feeding from the-value of the increased wi 
the loss and profit would stand as below: 
Loss on feeding lot 1st,. £3 15 8| 
Profit on feeding lot 2d,.. 1 19 3J 
Profit on feeding lot 3d, . 2 11 1 
“ Thus, when turnips alone were used, a profit of twenty-two per cent 
was realized; when corn was used along with the turnips, the profit was 
diminished to eight and a half per cent; but when still more expensive 
food was used, that is, corn and linseed cake, along with turnips and po¬ 
tatoes, a loss was sustained of no less than 12 3-16 per cent.” 
Lot 1st were the largest oxen. They were fed each with one hundred 
and thirty-two pounds per day of Swedish turnips; lot 2d were fed each 
with one hundred and twenty pounds of the same per day; and lot 3d, 
being the smallest, received but one hundred and fifteen pounds per day, 
and for twenty-four days but ninety-two pounds. 
Lot 1st cost 4.834 pence for every pound of increased live weight. 
Lot 2d cost 3.92 pence for every pound of increased live weight. 
Lot 3d cost 3.39 pence for every pound of increased live weight. 
The turnips were esiimated at four pence per hundred weight; the po¬ 
tatoes one shilling and six pence per hundred weight; corn at three shil¬ 
lings and six pence per bushel, and linseed cake at three-fourths of a pen¬ 
ny per pound. 
“ In conclusion,” says Mr. Stevenson, “ on this part of the subject we 
give it as our opinion, that whoever feeds cattle on turnips alone, will 
have no reason, on the score of profit, to regret their not having employ¬ 
ed more expensive auxiliaries to hasten the fattening process.” 
ON THE BEST TIME FOR CUTTING HAY. 
We have seen several well written articles on the subject of making 
hay, some advocating early, and others late mowing, but in general with¬ 
out any discrimation in rpgard to the grasses which constitute the meadow 
Now there is no sort > f question that some grasses are most profitably 
made into bay when cut in blossom; and it is equally true that there are 
other kinds which cannot be cut in blossom without a loss in both weight 
and nutritive properties—so there is no rule that is applicable to all kinds. 
The loss, in the intrinsic value of the hay, in cutting at the wrong time, 
is often great, sometimes one-half. 
The duke of Bedford went to great expense, in managing a course of 
experiments to ascertain the relative value of grasses, on different soils, 
and the best time of converting them into hay. These experiments were 
managed by Mr. Sinclair; and a table giving the summary results has 
been published in several agricultural works, and may be found, substan¬ 
tially, in the Cultivator, Vol. III. p 63. With a view of bringing the 
subject to the recollection of our readers, so far as regards the best time 
of cutting the several grasses, we subjoin an extract from Sinclair’s ta¬ 
ble, exhibiting the proportionate value which each grass bears at the time 
of flowering to that which it bears at the time of seeding, barely remark¬ 
ing, that the exhausting effects of any crop upon the soil are greatest 
when it is rraturingits seed. We confine the abstract to those grasses 
which most abound in our meadows. 
Botanic and English names. 
Value. 
In flower. In seed. 
When best cut 
for hay. 
Trifolium pratense—red clover, . 
“ 
In flower, July IS. 
Phleum pratense—timothy,. 
Poa pratensis-smooth stalked 
10 
23 
seed, July 30. 
meadow grass,. 
Anlhoxanthum odoratum—sweet 
“ 
“ 
flower, July 14. 
scented vernal grass,. 
Poa trivialis—roughish meadow 
4 
13 
seed, June 21. 
grass, . 
Agrostis vulgaris—fine bent grass 
8 
11 
seed, July 10. 
—red top,. 
15 
9 
flower, Aug. 20. 
Agrostis stricta—upright bentgrass. 
Dactylis glomerafo—orchard grass, 
, s 
5 
flower, July 28. 
—rough cock’s foot,. 
5 
7 
seed, July 14. 
Avenia elatior—tall oat grass,.... 
“ 
“ 
seed, July 28. 
Festucarubra—purple fescue grass, 
6 
8 
seed, July 19. 
Holcus lanatus—meadow soft grass. 
12 
11 
flower, July 14. 
Festuca elatior—tall fescue grass. 
20 
12 
flower, June 28. 
Festuca duriuscula—hard fescue, 
Alopecurus pratensis—meadow 
14 
6 
flower, July 1. 
foxtail,. 
9 
6 
flower, May 30. 
JVote —The time indicated for cutting is adapted to the climate of 
England. The seeding and flowering will be earlier or later with us ac¬ 
cording to latitute. 
Apply thpse facts to our practice. Our principal hay grasses are, clo¬ 
ver, timothy, smoothstalked meadow grass, orchard and oat grass, and red 
top. Now it appears from Sinclair’s experiments, that clover, smooth- 
stalked meadow grass, roughish meadow grass, orchard grass, purple 
fescue, and meadow soft grass, are in the best condition for cutting about 
the same time, to wit, between the 10th and 18th July; that the timothy 
and tall meadow oat are best cut about the 28th and 30th July—and that 
the red top is in the best condition the 20th August. The latter general¬ 
ly grows in moist lands, and is the last hay grass that should be cut. The 
sweet scented vernal grass gives but a small burthen, and is generally 
sown for early pasture. The tall fescue is an excellent meadow grass, is 
fit to cut in June, gives a great burthen, but is scarce in our meadows. 
The most common mixture is clover and timothy, which are at maturity 
twelve days from each other. It is presumed the northern, or tall grow¬ 
ing clover is here meant, as the small southern clover comes into flower 
early in July. In this case it becomes a matter of convenience with the 
farmer, or of calculation, at what time between the 18th and 28th July, 
he will cut this mixed crop of grass—if of calculation, he has to deter¬ 
mine, according as one or the other preponderates, whether the clover 
will lose more by standing than the timothy will gain, and whether the 
latter math, from the early cutting, will compensate for lightness of the 
hay crop. _ 
THE CROPS. 
While we rejoice in the abundance of the summer crops generally, we 
are sorry to find, in the Genesee Fanner, a confirmation of our apprehen¬ 
sions in regard to the injury to the wheat crop in western New-York, oc¬ 
casioned by rust, &c., and that considerable damage was done to the sum¬ 
mer crops in that section of the state, by the frost of the 5th August. 
The Genesee Farmer of the 2d ult., says, “ in places liable to early vi¬ 
sits of frosts, as in the whole section south of the ridge dividing the wa¬ 
ters of the lakes from those that flow southerly, and in many places to the 
north of this ridge, vegetation, it is ascertained, has suffered greatly. On 
the low lands, garden vines, buckwheat, and in many instances potatoes 
and corn, have perished—so far lessening the means of subsistence on 
which many have depended.” 
James Canning Fuller, who had made a tour in the west, from Skanea- 
teles to Lockport, confirms, in a communication in that paper, the pre¬ 
ceding statement. “ The effects of the frost were not perceptible,” says 
he, “ until I got beyond the influence of the lake, which w as about three 
miles distant.” Corn, potatoes, “ and especially buckwheat, in many 
places are much affected—the corn in some places nearly destroyed.” 
And of the wheat he remarks: “ From this village, (Skaneateles) to 
Lockport, it is my opinion the wheat crop does not exceed ten bushels 
the acre.” 
A letter from Otisco to the editor of the Genesee Farmer, says—“ It 
it enough to sicken one to witness the change which a single week or 
fortnight caused in the wheat crop. Some pieces are destroyed totally, 
some injured slightly, and others not at all. Still the effect in lessening 
the sum total must be very great.” 
ON CUTTING CORN EARLY. ” 
“ The beautiful researches of M Biot afford interesting explanations of 
several agricultural practices hitherto not well understood, at least in a 
scientific point of view. For example, when the base of the stem begins 
to become yellow and dry, if the corn be then cut down, though the grain 
is not ripe, it will continue to be nourished at the expense of the green 
matter in the upper part of the stem, almost, if not quite as well, as if it 
had remained uncut, and will thus ripen well; while having been thus 
cut down early, much loss from shaking is prevented, besides the chance 
of loss by lodging from heavy rain and wind. M. Biot’s experiments, from 
his well -known high character for rigid acuracy, are therefore well cal¬ 
culated to give farmers confidence in cutting down their corn, as soon as 
the lower leaves and the lower part of the stems are yellow and dry, 
though the upper parts may be green.” 
The term corn, in the above extract, applies to small grain; but how 
much stronger does the principle apply to Indian corn. If the almost dry 
straw of wheat imparts nourishment to the grain, after it is separated from 
the root, how much greater benefit must Indian corn receive from its suc¬ 
culent stock and leaves, abounding in elaborated food, after it has been 
severed from its roots. _ 
OLDEN TIMES—1795. 
We renew our notices of the first volume of agricultural memoirs, and 
begin with 
OBSERVATIONS ON MANURES, 
by E. L’Hommedieu, a gentleman of much practical knowledge in hus¬ 
bandry, and of a strong mind. 
“ In many parts of the country which have been long improved and ex¬ 
hausted,” says Mr- L. “ or made poor by cropping, there appears to be 
as great an emulation among farmers, in procuring manure, as we observe 
