Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-02-21


Now how can we cultivate our land so rs to
get the most fodder, and stop sending to the
west for hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth Of corn, oats, shorts, &C.. to feed our
stock, not this year alone but in the future.
Now, sir. ! will give you the plan which
] think the best to increase our fodder at the
least expense, and keep our farms in good
state of cultivation. | would break zip in the
spring, blowing about five inches deep, spread
on from 20 to 30 loads of manure TO the acre,
and harrow, (not with 7, 0 or II toothed
harrow) but with one of the improved cult
vators like the Ross cultivator, and then you
will do this work well. Never pillow in ma
nure If you pillow deep enough for good
crop, you put your manure too deep for II
good crop, and if you pillow shallow enough
for your manure you are not deep enough for
the crop. After the ground is well narrowed,
would plant with a horse planter that drops
the seed and plaster, ashes or guano, &C.,
with the corn, ut the rate of Il hours per
acre. To hoe it | would use Ross horse hoe,
which will do almost the entire hoeing for
the season, taking not over five or ten hours
per acre. fused one last year with complete
success. In this way the cost of planting and
cultivatng an acre of corn is very triHing.
Cut the corn early when it is just glazed, and
If you intend to feed it, adopt the western
method of feeding corn and fodder together.
Now SOW this corn ground 20 wheat, rye or
oats, seeding with fifteen pounds of clover to
the acre; NOW two years. cut when the
clover is half in blossom cut second crop
if it is ready in August, If not feed lightly.
Go over your land in this way: corn every
fourth year. grain every fourth year, and two
years to grass. | claim that this rotation
will pay better than top dressing or any other
system of crop raising on any soil where
machinery can he used to advantage. A
word about curing clover and | might say
all other hay Do not dry it too much; unless
1t gets rained on. One good days sun is
enough to make hay if it is properly stirred.
have seen hay put into the barn with one
days sun that looked too green to keep that
came out all right in winter.
| Peter Lindsey: Bound out land should be
| plowed shallow, MANFRED and sown and
seeded to grass. Then top dress and you get
better results than by grain raising. Irriga-
ton is the cheapest way to increase the hay
crop where available. Nomannre will equal
the water from the roads or hill sides prop
erly distributed upon our moving fields
j. G. Lawrence; Some thirty years ago |
lived on the farm now own in the east part
of Danvllle. | then filled the three barns
with hay and other crops from said farm.
left the farm for twenty-five years. | tried
to keep it up with tenants, bnt it run so low
that when ! returned two years ago and
commenced renovating it, one barn half full
of hay was all it would produce My one
main object is to increase the hay crop. BY
using muck ashes, hone, phosphate. &c,
have in two years got about one-half of my
tillage into good grass mostly seeded last
spring. now propose TO top dress as fast as
| can get the manure to do it with. | never
liked to hoe. | am satisfied that we hoe too
much for profit. Cultivate grass Apply
the manure directly to the grass crop. Spend
the time usually devoted to hoeing to max
ing compost, and you will increase your hay
crop, increase your manure and find the bal
ance in your favor at the end of the year.
Cyrus Hill: break up my land in the fall.
Sow to oats IN the spring. Plow in good
coat of manure in the fall after. Sow and
stock down in the spring. Always careful
to roll, and if the grain is up some no harm
done. Sow ten pounds clover and eight
quarts herds grass per acre. Feed lightly in
the fall, and not in spring. Have trebled
the hay crop in eighteen years.
c. Lawrence: farm IN small way. |
in, 1 :.
received the best results from narrowing.
We crop too much before putting to grass.
| hgye II small field that | have taken two
crops per year for ten years. Never allow
cattle to feed ut all. Tie up in the fall cut
and feed the second crop to them IN the
barn. Stock will do better on early cut hay
without grain, than on late cut with grain.
Clover should he cut when one-haf is in
blossom; herds grass when just commencing
| TO blossom.
b. p. Brown sowed piece with grass
seed one year; had "A light crop of grass the
next; was not then aware that late cutting
had any thing to do with it, Now with what
have learned at the club meetings, | am
satisfied that early cut hay does not exhaust
the soil rs does the late cut. have tried
little guano on my pasture; it helped the
feed; the COWS seemed to relish it best, eat
ing it in preference to other parts not ma
nured
j. b. Woods Have generally plowed in
manure in the fall sowed to oats or wheat
and stocked down. Used to raise corn, but
late years have made hay the main crop.
Have, with the exception of few dry sea-
sons, averaged two tons per acre. My farm
is mostly clay soil. Have used plaster for
melly, and with good results. On the same
soil lately | have not received the same ben
eft, either the season or the quality of the
plaster was in fault, or by continued applica-
ton it did not produce its former effect.
Andrew Warden Have used guano with
good effect upon grass, nearly doubling the
hay crop the first year, and helping it for one
or two years after. Glover is a valuable crop
to cut or pillow under for manure. Top dress
ing will do we'll on most lands
A. F. Lawrence: Have a small piece of
meadow that gets the water from a large
swamp and go, double the hay of our best
manured land, am working for grass. Ma
nured several acres last spring and sowed to
oats and wheat got II fine stand of grass.
Broke up last spring one acre and rolled the
turf down level and MANFRED heavy sowed
to oats with grass seed. Spent double the
time with good rotary harrow usually
spent; rolled again and made it smooth:
oats heavy; extra catch of grass; expect
two good crops of hay Eext season. Fix your
ground well for corn, then SOW and stock
down, and think you will see better results
than with corn, then grain and after that
grass
j, NJ, Clifford Inquired the value of Alsike
clover. A friend had used it n few years with
good success, Had ordered more largely this
year than formerly. Believed it a good plan
10, ha, 90 t,,,