Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-03-27

ness of the Chandler witch grass which was sucn
pest. Deacon Perry thought, by sowing fodder
such troubled land, it would in time XIII Tue
weed 1t useless TO fight it the first year. SO nc
would pillow and plant corn, and when fal came
pillow deep, and put on heavy harrow, ana SUBJECT
the roots of this witch grass TO the bhghuhg innu
ence of the frost This treatment was enecuNe' ne
had worked on one piece of land SIX years III
this way, before he effected an eXterminauon
of the weed. The success attending ths iai
narrowing was attested by Others. Mr.. o. Hadwen's
custom to fork out every root TIL 1t ceased 10
trouble him. Mr.. Jacques told of an intelligent
Irish farmer who following the custom of his native
place forked up the witch-grass roots and burnt
them But, said Mr.. j. it has been said that even
the ashes would sprout, so tenacious of life is the
weed. He considered it fruitless job to manage
field possessed entirely by witch grass. The wild tur
nip another obstinate weed; the seed of which
is said to remain patiently in the earth for many
years awaiting opportunity to spring forth and
cumber the ground. Mr.. Chafn said farmers
after keeping the wild turnip down till haying
were then apt to forget it when it would grow and
have ample time to go to seed The only way sug-
gested to treat this weed to pull it all up by the
root
The discussion then turned on moving machines,
which were claimed by Messrs. Barrett, Bigeow and
others to be of ncalculable benefit to the farmer
of the best and most practical labor saving ma
chimes among modern inventions. Mr. Barrett,
who with Mr.. Bigelow obtained six years ago
the first ofthese machines ever brought to Worcester
used them altogether now on rocky and hilly fields
and in all places where a hand scythe could be used
1t occupied him twelve days to cut about fifty
of grass, making about ninety tons of hay, last
summer And at no time more than five hands
were employed He found difficulty in cutting
badly twisted clover, making three tons to the acre.
clearly. He recommended a two horse machine, or
rather one horse mower, with cutter about five
feet long, drawn by span. He used the ketchum
patent Mr. Emerson had used moving machine
for four years, only to be more and more satisfied
of the merits of this great improvement on the old
manner of making hay. He preferred the NANNY
patent for with that he could reap more satisfacto
ry than with the sickle. He always rolled his land
and found the grain standing frmer for IT. more
over the stones were thus pressed into the ground
out of the way The roller he had used for fourteen
years was his own invention, and was made OF sohd
white oak; he thought it must be better than the
musical cast iron tool Mr. Bigelow gave an enter
tanning account of his experience in 1854, with his
first moving machine-how it cost him some
thing to experiment at first-how skeptical were
Ine WHO thought DlSelOW 1901
for investing 800 in new-fangled machine for cut
ting hay But the machine which could cut over
thirteen hundred square feet of ground in minute
against the three hundred feet which was all one
man could accomplish by hard labor in the same
lime, was not long laughed at Mr.. Flagg, who
uses the Buckeye mower, also spoke of this machine
n very high terms. The testimony of all these own
FRS of mowers was, that they seldom out of
pair, and could be easily kept in order sharpen
ed as the simplest tool on the farm
1t was agreed that hay was better cooked than left
n winrows, and Messrs. Emerson and Hadwen
strongly recommended the use of hay covers. The
latter said he used those made of the bags to be OBJ
tanned of wooden manufacturers, which were very
strong, and would fetch two cents pound when
useless for hay caps. These caps particularly
desirable in curing clover hay; if you have good
caps the hay is about as well off in the field in the
barn Mr.. Jaques thought warm barn for cattle
was not the best for hay. There should be two
barns-the one for hay OPEN like the old-fashioned
barns. This elected some discussion, and the subject
of plows was also brought up again. The meeting
was a very interesting one, much so that the
latitude of debate is to be allowed next Monday
night, to which time the meeting is adjourned.
IN Pr I T'I,o