GENERAL FARM MANAGEMENT. 
317 
other preparation for their reception, than good plowing and 
good putting in. It is good economy to cut oats when they are 
sprinkled, or half turned, as the straw, if well cured, makes 
very good fodder. Oats, like wheat, want to be put in early, 
and it is also important that the seed be frequently changed. 
Rye and buckwheat, peas and beans, are also cultivated in the 
West, but not so extensively as to merit discussion in this 
paper. 
Clover and Timothy. —As these are generally raised to¬ 
gether, it may be found convenient to treat of them together. 
A few years ago, the grasses were but little cultivated in Wis¬ 
consin. It is true, a few patches of lean timothy might be 
seen here and there, but a field of clover was a rarity. But as 
their value became better known, their cultivation largely in¬ 
creased. In some respects clover and timothy would be better 
apart, and in some respects would be better together. For hay 
they had better be apart, on account of their not ripening to¬ 
gether. For pasture, it is preferable to have both, as timothy 
itself is too thin and exhausting while clover is occasionally 
liable to be spring-killed. 
Seeding Down. —When it is intended to seed a field, it 
should be finely cultivated, for nothing is more important to the 
successful growth of small seeds than that the ground should 
be thoroughly pulverized. Clover and timothy may be sown 
in equal quantities with wheat or oats, but rather with the for¬ 
mer, bee?use it is put in earlier, and is a more open crop, and 
less liable to lodge and stifle the young grass, than the latter. 
On mellow land four pounds of each will be sufficient for an 
acre ; if the land be stiff, the quantity must be doubled ; a 
sufficient covering for grass-seed will be afforded by the roller, 
necessary besides to compress the soil, or to break the clods.— 
If clover and timothy be sown separate, the quantity of seed 
must be correspondingly increased. A field just seeded down, 
must not be grazed by sheep, nor be tramped upon by cattle 
when the ground is thawing in the spring. 
