The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-03-04 00:00:00

agriculture.

Tor•Dninainrif—The utility of top-dressing, especi-
ally grass lands, ainnot now be questioned; but it is
not certain that ell who practice it understand in what
manner and at what time top-dressing can be applied
to ensure the bait results. Saying nothing now of
liquid manures, which are of little account unless
applied after the frost has left the ground in spring, I
doubt if my brother farmers are aware of the impor-
tance of selecting the right time when to apply top-
dressing of any description. The fall has hitherto been '
regarded by the majonty as the best season of the year
to top-dress grass lands; and, upon close, hard soils,
upon fiat and level surfaces, it has been practised with
excellent success, lint, taking New England lands, with
rare exception, is it certain that the fall is preferable to.
the spring? I think not, and the reasons for this con-
clusion are obvious. In the autumn, more than in the
spring, top-dreashag Is exposed to bastards of loss. If
: the succeeding months are wet, and the earth is washed
:by continuous raineirtaincli of the fertilising quality of
'what has been applied is rendered valueless. It is
different in the spring. Manures or composts applied
' just after the frost has begun to leave the ground, are
, absorbed more readily, and the temperature of the sur-
face is rendered several degrees warmer by the covering
it has received. Grass lands that are top-dressed in the
, spring will be found to come forward earlier than
: those thus treated in the autumn, and the crop will
prove, upon trial, to be larger. lan. aware that most
farmers can more conveniently attend to this sort of
I work in the fall than in the spring, and I fear that this
is the principal reason which hat, led then to adopt the
practice new so common. The heaviest crop of grass
that came under my observation during the last hay
season was a piece of ground about three acres which
had been top-dressed in the lest of May; and a piece of
mowing, upon which was spread, in October, a gene-
rous dressing of stable manure, did not yield nearly so
well as a piece of ground adjoining, of the same quality,
top-dressed in the Sallie way in the last days of Feist nary.
In respect to light sandy soils, there is no doubt that
top-dressing in April will prove more productive than
if done at any other time of the year. Many farmers
may be inclined to doubt my statement in respect to
the spring process, as they have usually been taught to
believe the reverse; but if they will take the trouble to
experiment two or three years in succession, they may
yield their opinions to one who has already made the
trial.—" • • •," in Albany Corary.Gentleman,
. .

MILL—J, • TURNIPS TARSI IR .writes to the
Albany Country Genttemen :—" I find it perfectly easy
to avoid it entirely, by feeding turnip. immediately
after milking; they then impart no taste whatever to
the milk. I have tried this plan for two years, and
Lind it an invariable rule."
FREEttNG CREAM POE BUTTZR.—A Wisconsin cor-
respondent of the Rural line-Yorker says, that if milk
is set in winter where it will freeze, and the cream be
taken off and kept without thawing until enough is bad
for • churning, and it is then thawed gradually and
churned, it will make good butter. It is the alternate
freeziug and thawing which makes cream and butter
bitter. Those who cannot keep milk without freezing
may try this plan.