Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-11-23

The Crops.
CHESTER COUNTY CORN, GRASS, CLOVER
AND WHEAT.

CHESTER COUNTY CORN, GRASS, CLOVER
AND WHEAT.
The West Chester Record, of Tuesday,
Nov. 10TH, has the following In reference
to the crops In Chester county;
In this season Of short hay supply for
feed, and straw for litter, the subject Of
forage crops Is one of great interest TO the
farmer. The subject Is also growing In
importance, as the question is discussed
whether at the high price Of fencing, IL Is
not more profitable to practice solling
cattle, that is feed the animals 10 the barn.
At the Experimental Farm, at West Grove,
various experiments were made last season
with forage crops as follows;
Hungarian Grdss.-A half buebel Of seed
was Gown on half an acre aud narrowed
in. The ground was MANFRED with barn
yard manure, ploughed in, and light top
dressing of bones. The crop came up
well, very fine in the stalk. It was planted
on NAV oath and cut July 26th, sixty.
three days, yielding $40 pounds of hay
TO the acre. On ground similarly pre-
pared, three fOurths of bushe of seed to
the acre was shown, yielding 5000 pounds
Of hay, a gain Of 740 pounds to the acre
over the first experiment, of hay of equal
quality, showing that three pecks OF seed
is better quantity to SOW to the acre
than four pecks.
Second Crop CloVer.-This crop was cut
while the plant was In various stages OF
growth, as the second crop clover hay, II
is said, causes horses 10 slabber, and II
was desired to see at what point of its
growth II would not do 1t, If there was
such time. The clover was cut while
in full bloom, a little past, and again
tul Iftfla lao.
slabbering. Concluded that the slabber.
ing properties depend on amount aud con
dition of sap, as there was no complaint
this season, which vas an extraordinarily
dry one. AS a safeguard, farmers should
cut and try an armload before cutting the
hay.
Soil CorR.-The corn was planted on
April Goth, In rows two and a half fett
apart, one lot two and half inches apart
in the row, and another lot 81 inches
apart In the row. The corn was cut OF
the LIST Of August, the first lot yielding
50, AS pounds to the acre, and the lattel
81, S24 pounds. Though the thinnest plant
ed corn produced the least in weight, Il
was best In col r, had small ears, stood Ut
much the best, and the stock seemed L
like II the best. Decided in favor Of thin
planting.
Whedt.-The wheat in Chester county II
looking very well this fall, though, like
the crops Of the past few years, Il hal
rather hard time growing, 60 savage ar,
its enemies. In much of the early planted
wheat the dark green hue which mark
the rayages Of the tiy is plainly 10 be seen
and an examination discloses the milk,
egg hidden near the root. Another eneml
has been at work this fall the grub
worm, whose track across the field il
marked by the dead stalks whose conAec
tion with the root has been eaten of b,
the pirate. In some sections this pest hal
been very severe. In the fields devoted L
experiments In wheat growing, at th,
Experimental Farm at West Grove, the
plaR Of attack Of these predatory bandi
and the result was we'll shown. Lat,
sown wheat had not been attacked by the
| fly. Thanks to the courtesy of Superin
tendeut Carter we learned the following
in regard to the way some of the expert
ments In wheat for the coming year are II
progress fhe ground was MANFRED from
the barn-yard In the spring, and sowI
with Hungarian grass, II was then ferti
| Lied with 400 pounds Of bone to the acre
sown broadcast, and 100 pounds drilled II
! with the wheat. Each experiment is mad
on a strip of ground containing one
sixteenth Of on acre. The sowing OF Fult
wheat, on September 18th, was in tn
following manner Narrowed In twl
bushels to the acre; drilled in two an
a-half inches deep; drilled In half Al
inchi drilled In four inches; drilled Il
one bushel TO the acre drilled in tw
bushels to the acre. In the amount Q
crop harvested will be shown the advAn
tages Of shallow or deep planting, or tn
quantity planted Besides these there al
numerous other experiments with variou
fertilizers.