Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-04-03
Ag.EXANDR1A,
SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 8.
Extract Of letter from hs Hon. Bush.
ROD WASHINGTON, relaiirs 10 the
CULTURE OF MlLLET.

MouNr VERNON, April IA, 1898.
"A5out The middle of May last | sowed
sbon, Eve acres oil ground with Mlllet seed,
(millium) at the rate of about half bushel
ol seed 10 the acres The ground was
ploughe in rough manner, and was in
bad order when the seed were sown, II
had been slightly top dressed with barn
manure soms years past, and wa, still in
good heart: the growth of the Crop OF Mil
let was rapid and luxurian', insnmuch that
il attracted the attention of every person
who visited the place. Intending TO use
The crop as hay, and finding the heads
quite full OF seed, and in some instances
falling on the ground. cut down. on The
18th Of July, with cradles 10 the scy,hesl
four acres, leaving the Millet so cut 10 lie
IN swartb for few hours. In the after
noon of the same day, II was carefully
turned over ADD the next morning, s'ter
,he dew was of, IL was bound in sheaves,
and in the course Of the same Cay il was
baul,d TO the barn loft and put away -
During The whole OF this process, the
weather was as fine as could be desired.
The remaining acre, which was intended
for seed. was Graded on the Esd OF July.
and Left 10 swartb till the next day with
Gu, turning il, when it was bound IN
sheaves and set up in small open shocks,
with the heads TO the sun ill about ) +.
NJ. OF tha, day, when it was hauled 10 The
barn and packed away. The whole crop
was cured Of a fine green colour. and al
though the stalk appeared in the held to
lie strong and stiff, it became in a lew
DAYS after il was housed, nearly as flexible
as clover, or timothy.
weighed the sbesves taken indifferent
10 from some Of the wagon loads, and IN
This way satisfied myself that the product
os each acre was about $500 lbs. HaS-
ing entertained lfrom what had read on
the snbiect,) very sanguiue expectations
Of the product Of this piece OF ground,
EXPRESSED to my foreman my disappoint'
mept al this result. His observation was,
tina, he presumed that those who had gath.
Cd larger crops had probably moved them,
whereas the s,ubble left on the ground, IN
consequence of the cradle having been
used, would have added 20 or rs per cent
10 The quantity. | then went over The
field and found the stubble to be about
half leg high. aud in many places mucn
taller: hut the protection which it afford
ed 10 the ground, and the benefit which l
presumed il would derive frou being
turned in for the reception OF small gra'n'
determined me in future to pursue The
same mode Of cutting, believing that the
sacrifice of part OF the hay would be more
than compensated by the Improvement on
the land, and the increased product oil the
succeeding crop of grain. Another ad-
vantage in grading seems 10 be, that the
bay, by being spread. can be more easily
removed and put away than if it were
moved and treated as timothy or clover.
The Mlllet cut from the last acre, on
III. q3l OF July, was carefully threshed in
the autumn, and, to my great disappolni.
ment, produced only Is bushels OF clear
good seed; but, then discovered from the
quantity OF chaff and light grains thrown
away by the tan, tba; had cut it much loo
early for seed Had it remained on the
ground until the seed were ripe, think it
highly probable that the quantity would
have doubled. or nearly so. The Mll'et
was generally iron, to 2 feet high thro'
the lot, and the heads from 5 to inches
long, and well filled. Judge Peters says
;ha, he ha, raised very fine crop Of
wheat on the millet stubble, when, in the
same year bis crop was indifferent in the
oat s,ubble, under The same circumsta n
ces.
On the 5,h of May, Ave bushels of Mil
let seed were sown on tour acres; on the
5th OF July, the crop was hauled, and es-
sIu the spring of 1898, the above lot
was cultivated again in Millet, (w,thout
being MANFRED and produced Sne
crop; in October II was sown IN rye and
clover, and at present promises 3 rich
harvest. The second crop was nearly as
good as The preceding summer, though IT
suffered much from me drought in May d
June. Sheep are particularly fond OF the
Millet grass, but not more so than bOrses
- ~,ho. sto.L rha Al ,ilat sooA % hon