New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-05
poor reliance-yielding bounteously in spots, in
others little OF nothing.


with bushes and chequered by quaking miry boys
meadows foul with every weed, from white daisy NJ
to the rankest brakes with hllsides that may once
have been productive, but from which crop after
crop has been taken and nothing returned to them
until their Weld has shrnk TO half tlree-fourthf
of tun of poor hay-these are the average indica-
tons Of farm nearly out by the poorest sort OF
farming. Such farms were common in the New-En-
gland of my boyhood trust they are less to-day
yet seldom travel ten miles in any region north
east of the Delaware without seeing one or more
of them.
Fifty years ago. Judge that the greater part OF
the hay made in New-England was cut from sour
DOGGY land that was devoted to grass simply be-
cause nothing else could be done with it. / have
helped to carry the crop off poles from consider
able tracts which could not venture without
miring 1t were superfluous to add that no we'll
bred animal would eat such stuff, unless the choice
were between it and absolute starvation. In many
cases. a very little work done in opening the rudest
surface-drains would have transformed these bogs
into decent meadows and the product by the help
of blowing or seeding, into unexceptionabe hay
There are not many farmers, apart from wise
and skllful dairymen, who use half enough grass
seed men otherwise thrifty often fail in this respect.
If half our ordinary farmers would thoroughly seed
down full third of the area they usually cultivate,
and devote to the residue the time and effort they
now give to the whole, they would grow more grain
and vegetables while the additional grass would be
so much clear gain.
We sow almost exclusively Timothy and Clover
when there at least 20 different grasses required
by great diversity of soils and of which three or
four might often be sown together with profit;
especially in seeding down fields intended for pasture
we might advantageously use greater variety
and abundance of seed / believe that there are
grasses not yet adopted and hardly recognized by
the great body of our farmers-the buffalo grass Of
the prairies for one-that will yet be grown and
priced over a great part of our country.
As for Hay-Making, my conviction Is strong that
our grass is cut in the average from two TO three
weeks too late and that not only is our hay greatly
damaged thereby but our meadows needlessly
impoverished and exhausted. The formation
and perfection of seed always draw heavily
upon the soil. A crop of grass cut when
the earliest blossoms begin to drop-which
in my Judgment, is the only right time-will
not impoverish the soil half so much
as will the same grass cut three weeks later while
the roots of the earlier cut grass will retain their
vitality at least thrice as long though half the
seed had ripened before the crop was harvested
Grass that was fully ripe when cut has lost at least
half its nutriment which no chemistry can ever
restore. Hay alone is dry fodder for long Winter
especially for young stock but hay cut after it was
dead ripe, is proper nutriment for no animal what
ever-not even for old horses, who are popularity
supposed to like and thrive upon it.
The fact that our farmers too generally short
handed throughout the season of the Summer har-
vest while it seems to explain the error combat,
renders it tue less disastrous and deplorabe.
estimate the depreciation in the value of our hay
crop by reason Of late cutting, not less than one
fifth; and, when consider that full half of our
farmers turn out their cattle to ravage and poach mp
their fields in quest of fodder full month earlier
than they should, because their hay is nearly or
quite exhausted the consequences of this error are
seen to diiuse themselves over the whole economy
of the farm.
From the hour in which grass falls under the
mower. it ought to be kept in motion until laid at
rest in the stack the barn; keep stirring 1t with
the tedder until it is ready to be raked into light
winroys and turn these over and over until they
will answer to go upon the cart In any bright hot
dav. the grass moved in the morning should be
stacked before the dew falls at night; while if anyis
moved after noOn il should be cooked and capped by
sunset even though it be necessary to open 1t out
the next fair morning.
Ihave dream of hay-making, especially with re-
gard to clover, without allowing it to be scaded by
fierce sunshine. In my dream, the grass is raked ana
loaded nearly "a fast as cut drawn to the barnyard
and there pitched upon an endless apron, on when
il is carried slowly through a drynghouse, heated
TO some 2O0o Fahrenheit by steam or by charcoal
in a furnace below, somewhat after the manner OF
hop-kiln. While passing slowly through tins heated
atmosphere the grass is continually forked up ana
shaken so to expose every lock OF 1t to the drying
heat, until it passes of thereby deprived OF It's
moisture and is precipitated INTO a NOW OF
upon a stack-bottom at the opposite side; load
after load being pitched upon the apron contlnu-
ously and the drying process going steadily for
ward by night as well as by day, and without regard
to the weather outside. / do not assert that this
vision will ever be realized but l have known
dreams as wild as this transformed by time and
thought into benefcent realities
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