Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-06-18
farmer's 1epartmsat.

ONE HUNDRED ToNs OF GRASS TO AN ACRE.
Mr.. EpIroR The statement you publlsneo'
taken from au English paper, respecting the
raising of one hundred tons OF grass on SIN
gle acre of land pertaining to Lord Deroys
estate is undoubtedly correct, or nearly SO.
I had the pleasure of visiting his lordslip's
estate last summer, while on tour OF agrcnl-
trral observation in England, and | am pre-
nared to believe the statement. My visit was
made about the first of June, and they had
already secured two heavy crops OF grass anu
it is not improbable that four or hVe more
were cut during the long aud faVoraole sea-
son of last year -Four or five crops OF heavy
stout, Italian rye grass is not unusua! Mr..
Mechi of the celebrated Triptree farm, inform
ed me that he had once grown seven during
the summer. This grass grows with great
ranidtv in England when stimulated by the
rich LIQUID nutriment SO literally and coltln-
ouSly applied
Onr farmers have yet much to learn res
Meeting the scientific cultivation OF the soil.
They have yet to learn how bountifu mother
earth may be when properly dressed ana car
ed for by the husbandman. 1t should be OBJ
served that the climate of England is much
more favorable for the growth of grasses than
our own. owing to its excessive humidity but
still 7 do not know why several successive
crops NAV not be produced here, 10y the use
ofliouid manuring and by careful, systematic
culture.-JAs. r. NICHOLS, Haverhill, Mass,
May, 1851.
4 crop of two or three tons of hay on an
acre is considered pretty good husbandry III
these parts, with some aftermath or rowen
perhaps in the latter part of summer. But
only figure up the crops spoken of by Mr.. Mich
oils in his letter to the Scientific 4mericam.
One hundred tons in five or seven crops of hay
ON single acre of land require each crop to
be fourteen or twenty tons? Take either sup
position, and how could it be dried on
an English climate of very frequent rain
1t may be Indian rye grass or any other grass ;
to convert into hay, the moisture must be eX-
hailed from it, after which the seasons pro-
duct is affirmed to weigh one hundred pounds
to an acre.
We have frequently read that some plants
some plants, if not most-derive the prin-
cipal part of their suStenace from the atmoS-
phere. the ground which holds their roots of
ficiating chiefly as convenience to keep them
right end up, as their roots feel rather a pref
erence of being in the earth to aposition high
up in the air. Such, probably, is this char
acter of the rye grass, which Eotwithst anding
all the liquid fertilizers with which the ground in
question was stimulated, must have its roots
it would seem an impossible task to take up
nourshm mt to feed sIch vorac;ouS appetit
as it must have had, in order to expand tC
twenty tons weight of hay at of five cutting:
in year. To account for such product W,
must resort, consequently, to the atmosphere
theory, just as that experimentor did whC
weighed the earth i'll his pot previous to plan
ting his flowers, weighed it again after cult
waiting therein large plant, and found tina
on comparison, that it had lost not penny
weight though heavy shrub had been pro
duced therein during the interyal.-( Newarj
advertiser, May 81.