Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-10-11
farmers Department.
From the Ohio CulHva,Or.)
Practice Of Seeding Timothy Grass.

MEssRs EpIroRs:-Supposing that your cor
respondent f. j., Of Ashland wishes the exPe-
rience OF practical farmers as TO their modes OF
seeding down grass lands, will with your
permission. give statement OF the mode OF
proceeding which we have adopted, alter
somewhat extensive experience Of eight yeals'
on our present location. l will premise that
our land Is mostly Of the richest BLACK loan,
merely rolling enough to drain ITSELF and is
completely adapted to the production OF bmo-
,hy In its greatest perfection. Of course per-
sons possessing different quality Of soil would
probably be benefited by a somewhat different
course, but as you have requested cultivators !
to state their practice, l will give our plan, a.
dopted after considerable experimenting (some-
times to the advantage Of the purse as the
most suitable for our land and the purposes for
which it is applied.
We have for the past Eve years sown timo-
thy seed as a regular rotation with other crops,
considering that il requires different prepa-
ton Of the soil from that which is most suitable
for grain. While for winter grain would not
harrow the ground too fine, for timothy
would make il as fine as ashes, and as lev
ell as possible.
AnOL0tT OUlbOlOu W oONAuh bteoS 9SON WIN
winter grain is, that owing to the richness of
our soil, grain usually lodges very much, con-
sequenty smothering the grass 80 that on
that portion Of the field which should have the
heaviest CROP the timothy has been replaced
with (not transmitted rank growth of rag or
bitter weed. When grass seed is sown before
grain drill, large portion ofitis buried so
deeply that it does not vegetate, and If sowu
behind the drill, the seed rolls, and is
washed into the tooth marks, so rs to leave
the grass so much in rows, as not 10 form a
perfect sod and such is its tendency to settle
into the hollow, that even when sown behind
harrow. and no further labor performed on it,
o, the ground even rolled, the marks of the
harrow-parcularly if the common three cor
nered one Is used-can he distinguished for
several years.
Your correspondent, II. T. Wollard, has
some correct ideas on the subject, but think
makes mistake when he harroWs his seed and
then rolls. Narrowing burries the seed too
deeply, and rolling so much consolidates the
ground az to prevent the small shoots OF timo-
| thy from penetrating the crust. He also neg
| lects to state the amount of the seed used per
acre. Having found as much fault as ! think
proper, and given some rerson for acting 9TH
erwise, l will now proceed to give what in my
humble opinion is better plan than that a.
dopted by H. 7. W., and il he or yourselves
are not convinced, you can have ocular demon
strAtions by paying us a visit about the list Of
next July, and if we do not cut two and half
tons of hay from an acre Of ground soWn last
week, the reason will be that the season will
have proved less iavorsbeyhan some previous
years. Having given you this long, perhaps
uuinteresting preamble, will give the pan
and ALLOW each reader the opportunity to judge
of its merits and suggest an Improvement
As soon alter the harvest rs convenient, next
day, il possible, lay out field so as to COM
mence blowing in the centre, going round and
round, throwing the furrows toward the mid
die. After having sufficient start with the
lplows, we commence narrowing the same way
Of the plowing, so that by the time the field is
plowed il is also narrowed over once. We
then harrow il over again diagonally, at each
narrowing lappiag 1t half, so as to completely
mellow the ground. If the ground is coddy'
we roll it after the first narrowing. When it is
time to SOW, (aboUt the 18th of August we
proceed TO the field with the following hands,
horses and implements. viz. !: A pair OF horses
drawing harrow, good line horse with a
marking out plow, a steady horse, carrying
on his back boy and drawing brush harrow,
made by the tying together several beach
limbs, seed box twelve feet long, marking
out polls, and last but not least, plenty of pure
timothy seed
We commence narrowing at one side of the
field, as mentioned by your correspondent II.
7. W., turning the team short at each end
| A aIo he boe
row, we mark off tho lands twenLy-four
feet wide. After laying Ofa few lands, we
commence sowing by guagng the seed box to
SOW peck Of seed per acre. and by laying th
box half way each time. we SOW regularly owe
the ground half bushel to each acre. The
brushing Of the ground completes the opera
ton, and leaves the ground in proper condi-
ton and the seed in such favorable position
as to insure its rapid and regular termination.
Two men and small boy, with the proper
tools. can put in from to 10 acres per dag,
and do It rs it should be done.
In connection with this subject, will re.
mark on the policy Of removing all stumps and
stones previous to the general introduction OF
Ilabor-saving machinery for harvesting. Three
lharvests since. when we commenced the use Of
machines in cutting grain and grass, we found
the stumps such an obstacle, that we CON-
menced he removal of them from the fields as
rapidly as we wished to plow them. During
the past three years we have waged an exter'
minating var against these relics of olden
times. and consequently have lao acres of our
cleaie lands as unobstructed as a prairie. -
The time and expense Of clearing our ground,
on which stone is almost curiosity, Is more
than compensated by the improved comfort
and convenience OF one years seeding and
harvesting, Yours with respect,
Alexander NeAve.
springdae, o.. Sept, 1885
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