Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-06-18
~ lumber 81

grass, was compelled to feed eommou hay.
and 10 keep bis cattle from growing poor.
fed meal and potatoes. II is noticeable.
however that il was Just at this period
when he was feeding in this way that hi.
steers made their slowest growth, gaining
during the last eight mcnths but 720
pounds. aud in the last two months but
l40 pounds. while their average growth
during the last twelve months was, as be.
fore stated. just loo pounds per month.
l will briefly give HE method Of curing
his hay, with one or two accounts OF the
yield per acre. from minutes which he has
furnished me. lie cures his grass What
he can the day il is cut, aud puts it up 10
medium sized cecks for the night, cover
ing each with o "hay cap" The next
day. If the weather is favorable, be opens
1t out, turns It ever. and it is ready {, 20
into the ban iu the afier-ncon. If the
weather is bad, so that there is not fair
prospect Of curing il sufficiently, be ders
not spread il out but unless SO rainy as
TO be impracticable, he lays it oil over.
thus ipveriing the co OK. and replaces the
zap. This is to prevent heating and sour.
ing. Sometimes, in unfavorAble weather,
il becomes necessary TO take it to the barn
before it is fully cured. In that case it
is spread upon scaffolds and occasionally
stirred until sufficiently cured to pack
away. Mr.. Scott tlls but little land,
wisely considering the grass crop the meet
profitable, and keeping up the produc-
tiveDcss, either by top.dressing, or by
inycr,ing tia scd, spreading on manure
and rcscediug TO grass alone. He uses
large quantity of seed, probablya bushel
or more to the acre. The following mem.
cran6a which he has furnished inc give
the results in two cases, one Of top-dross-
ing, the other re-seeding. The memorsu-
da read as fellows :-"One piece cut
Jurn Is, yielding one ton per acre /;
spread on fair coat Of fine manure and
IN six weeks cut again, and got two
tons per acre, an increase over former
yield Of 100 per cent, in six weeks"
"Ons piece turned over, coat of manure
applied and narrowed iD, and seeded to
grass June 90; cut the grass September
I, cured nice and weighed little over
two and half tons per c!e."
Here is two one half months growth
from the :eed Yielding two and Onc.half tons
Of cured hay per acre.Sincs Mr.. Scott has
practised cutting his grass SO early,
many Of The farmers in his vicinity have
become convinced that the old way of com.
mencing haying the second week in July
and finishing in September is altogether
too late in the season for profit, and
though l know Of Done who practice as
carly cutting as he does, the tendency is
in that direction, and l have never vet
heard any one express dissatisfaction with
the results, so far as he had gone. Prob
, ably it would be impracticable for most
farmers to cut their hay so early and so
, often as Mr. Sc:tt docs, at least without
greatly reducing the area to 90 over, and
: perhaps it is not desirable in all cases to do
t SO, but | am fully satisfied that if farmers
. would commence their haying in season to
Y have it all accomplished by the time it
+. commences blessoming, instead of COM
j mcncipg at that time, and allowing half
their grass TO 60 to seed before being cut,
] they would at once realize the benefits Of
s the system, in the increase profit on their
, stock. With what light l now have on
y this subject in order to secured the great
0 est value of hay, at the least expense for
;, labor, on my farm, 1 would commence
y about the Goth of June, varying soms-
n what according to the season, but ordina-
5 rily earlier rather than later, and finish, if
S possible, by the 10th of July, cutting such
: pieces as would produce second crop
. first, and the lightest last, unless the light
e est were swalc grass, in which case I
:. would cut it in June. 1t may look like
d confning the haying season to rather a
y limited time, AMI in unfaverabls seasons
IS it probably could not be accomplished, but
t with the aid Of such machinery as is at
y the present day accessible to the farmer.
e in favorable season, there are compars-
h lively few Vermont farms upon which it
is could not be done. Another benefit and
IS one Of no small moment to, arising from
is the early cutting of the grass crop, is the
l. preventing of noxious weeds maturing their
c feed and thus multiplying Themselves a
II hundred fold on the farm. There is ORG
4 objection often urged against cutting grass
= early and taking two crops year, espec-
n tally on natural meadows, chose which
d are never plowed, which | wish to notice
+ The objection is this. 1T runs the grass
d out" How this idea originated I know
!. not, but certainly according to my expe.
d rimcnt it is erroneous, while the reverse
0 is true. Everyone presume who has had
o expert ctte in raising grass seed, is we'll
r. acquainted with the fact that usually ba.
:, one or at most two profitable crops can be
t. harvested, even on virgin soil, SO rapidly
to does it run out when not cut till rire.
It Perfectirg the seed reduces the vitality OF
a the plant to such a degree that if it does
t, not die, it has not vitality enough left TO
70 throw up another vigorous growth. Il
n has performed its mission by providing
ID for the perpetuaticn of its tpecics, and its
$, work seems ended. On the other hand,
y. when cut early in its growth the root re.
., mains vigorous and healthy. and will pro-
IN duce groth after growth equally abundant
st for years, ifproper food is furnished fol
ID its sustenancc, as is witnessed by our pas.
ir ture grasses. 1t may be cut one. two OF
n three times year and still remain vigor.
IS. GUS, provided the last cut is early enough
ID in the season to give time for another
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