The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-05-09
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HAY

We find the following very sensible
suggestions in. the Germantown Tele- |
graph on Hay:
Those who live near populous cen
tiers have always great advantage
over those at distance, in the COM
parative ease with which they can dis
pose of bulky articles. \ man who
has pound of gold dust to sell could
get it to the Philadelphia market from
the Rocky Mountains at almost the
same percentage of cost as another
could from North Carolina There
would be very little difference in the
profit to each in either case. Not so
with a crop Of potatoes. The Colora-
do farmer would not stand the shadow
of chance in Philadelphia with a New
Jerseyman. Transportation would eat
the whole thing up. So we find'that veg
etable gardening is generally best near
large cities, and the more bulky arti-
cles of farm produce are generally
those which find the most favor. OF
these in the Philadelphia market the
hay crop is the most substantial We
doubt whether in a circuit of fifty miles
of Philadelphia there is any other crop
which as rule pays better. Yet it is
singular that so profitable crop does
not receive more attention from progress
sive farmers. To be sure enough of
ebay" is brought in to supply the gen
eral want, buff any one drives through
the district we have referred to in the
growing season, or even stands on the
roads leading to the city, and notes the
stuff which goes under the name, he
will surely see that there is an immense
field for Improvement in judicious grass
culture.
A year or so ago we ventured to sug-
gest that our agricultural societies
might venture to take off few dollars
from the heavy premiums for race
horses and devote some little to en-
couraging the growth of hay, but we
have seen no movement in that direc-
ton vet. But it should be done. No
better agricultural encouragement could
be offered than premiums for good
clean hay, with well-authenticated affi-
davits as to the quantity yielded per
acre. In the absence of any such en-
couragement our farmers would do well
to turn their individual attention to it.
What is wanted is some system by
which pure grass can be raised--grass
free from weeds and worthless trash
and more than this, the nature and
wants of the grass plant in various
soils might be SO studied as easily to
bring up the crop to at least double
that which the land now yields.
Even under the present slovenly
system of grass-culture, as we have
already said, it pays well and for the
reasons given always will pay. We
have now and then given some figures
showing this, but there can scarcely be
too much of such evidence. There are
some very good ones in the last number
of the report of the Department Of
Agriculture at Washington. A Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, farmer reports
the hay product Of farm of IS acres
is on an average of ten years, AZ tons
per annum, and in market value $1l57.
Last year he marketed hay to the
amount of $1204, besides keeping TWEEN
ty-five to thirty horses and cattle He
has done what very few calculators do,
charged his farm with interest on its
value at $3.50 per acre, as well as all
labor and expenses, and found the farm
yielded him net profit of ten per cent.
This to be sure is not much as compar-
ed with the profits of some business,
but we suppose the living of himself
and family is included in " expenses"
and if so this is better than the MAORI
ty of business men can make.
Still with this favorable showing we
have no doubt, if the case could be ex-
amined, it would be found that even
the hay on this farm might be almost
doubled by greater care in keeping
clean and in the proper feeding and
culture of the grass crop.
We should like to see this hay ques-
ton well ventilated Our agricultural
papers keep US pretty well exercised
over the wheat crop; the potato crop,
the corn crop and the cotton crop
Let US once in a while have little
attention to the hay crop.