Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-01-29

the lew agricultural papers Puons
that time, but under the systems OF farming
then in vogue 1t is not strange that IL SOUL
died away.
Unless the first crop is cut at the rignt
time it soon becomes nard and why IKE
other coarse growing grasses when mature
and as it is full month ahead OF red top
and timothy, its harvest comes long before
most farmers would be ready for 1t, unless
they were making dairying and grass grow
ing a speciality.
1t is to such and to no others that re-
commend the culture of orchard grass III
mowings, and to these | would say. 90 not
cover your whole farm with 1t. Try one
or two of YOUR best acres first, get these
well seeded and by top dressing keep them
SO: then if it proves as valuable with you
as with me, you will vast about one quar-
ter or one-third of your farm devoted TO 1t.
That would be as much as you could pro-
perly take care of at the right time, es-
pecially if the weather should be unfavor-
able for curing it, as it often Is early IN
June.
If the first crop unavoidably stands too
late feed it as do ether over ripe hay, to
my horses and dry stock. The rowen crops
may stand several days after they are iuiiy
grown without depreciating in value Ike
the first crops. bat these are better cut at
the right time.
| find great diversity Of opinion about
the ouantity of seed needed for sowing an
acre of grass for moving. My own rule
might not be good one Tor al, Dut 1t
works well with me. never measure
ground or seed till after sowing 1T. but am
careful to have enough and some to spare.
| begin on one side OF the held ana SOW
back and forth until am sure have put
on enough. If | were sowing timothy !
should want a bushel for each acre. II red
top was to be the leading grass two bushels
of that, with a peck at least OF timothy and
half peck of clover. | should have more
fear of getting clover too thick than any
other grass. My rule for orchard grass
seeding is two bushels per acre with one
bushel Of June rass and a. much clover As
with other grasses. Such seeding does not
give much chanc for weeds to smother the
grass if the land is in good heart. L have
never been sensible OF sowing grass seed too
thickly in a single instance, but have Jailed
from sowing too little. | want my moving
fields completely covered with fine, soft
grass. and of several varieties
The depth of seed ing must depend upon
the condition of the soil at the time OF SOW
ing. On moist land in early spring seed
will do well scattered on the surface, while
in dry weather an inch of covering may be
bush or even roller will generally cover
it sufficiently. The roller should always be
used ON newly seeded land. both to com
pact the surface and keep it moist. and to
make smooth work for the scyth and the
moving machine.
1t hardly seems necessary at TINS late
day to urge cutting hay early, as 1t Is now
pretty generally admitted that it should be
cut as soon a. it comes into full blossom.
The main difficulty seems to be IN getting
our hay cut as early as We know 1t should
be- Too many of US have little more hoe
ing to do, or we can't get ready before next
Monday, and when Monday comes /. brings
storm of several days and 50 our hay
becomes over ripe. The more we make
dairying u speciality the more likely
we shall be to begin our haylng IN season.
Nv rule for curing hay Is not much more
definite than my rule for sowing grass seed.
In fair weather | dry hay all | think 1t
| needs driving, but when the weather Is
catching, or uncertain, | often prefer to
cure it little imperiectly in the NOW, to
leaving it out to spoil III the field. Hay
NAV be perfectly cured in the NOW when
| housed in a much greener state than was
| formerly supposed possible
When my grass Is ripe enough to cut
/ hurry it along as fast as possible, keeping
as much cut down IN all weather as | can
take care of, for when grass is past bios
somng contend that it may depreciatc a
fast standing in fair weather, as cut in bad
weather IL is sure to grow poorer IN
either ease by every days delay, and pre-
| Ter 70 take the risk from cutting rather
than that Of letting it stand, 50 rapidly
| does grass depreciate in quality after It Is
| fully in bloom that | would cut 1t Just be
fore a three days storm rather than let 1t
stand uncut. Good. moist, natural grass
land, not TOO wet, when once well seeded
with desirable varieties OF grass, should be
kept up to a high state Of fertility and pro-
| ductiveness by annual or biennial applica-
| tons of some kind of fertilizers IN the form
| of top-dressings This course saves the cost
| of ploughing. the expense OF seed, which Is
/ no small item, ami the risk OF getting
another good swari.
The best time | have ever found for
| spreading manure Or moving helds l. Just
a. soon a. the crop is removed. The man
ure then i beneficial in TWO waYs-5y shad-
| ing the grass roots. and as a fertilizer. II
/ should be pushed down fine. and made 10
! lie close TO the surface, 50 that the next
/ crop which should Immediately spring up,
NAV cover 1t and keep it moist and IN con
| dition To be easily dissolved BY the dews and
( showers. Light dressings applied At this
/ season often make all the difference between
a good crop OF r0weu and no crop az ell II
top-dresslng Is practiced at all 1t should be
| commenced while the grass Is vet vigorous
/ and before its place Is taken by wild and
/ inferior kinds Top-dress only good grass
/ re-Seod old fields that are run out
Feeding moving fields would sometimes
1 be a good practice II one had the moral
1 courage and sell-cOntrOl needed to enable
| him 10 stop when it had been carried far
enough but never yet found such man.
| | know could never stop at the right
time, 50 never begin; besides it Is terri
| Div demOralizing 10 a stock OF cattle TO
| know that it i possible for them to get
inside of the moving fields. Keep no more
stock than you can keep well all the time
without feeding the mowlngs make grass
| growing a business treat the crop as one
worthy OF respect, and your farms Will IN
| crease in fertility and productiyeneSs from
wear to year, till you will have little temp
| tation to iorsake your pleasant New Eng
land homes TOR life on the wild lands of
the undeveloped West.
DR.. Horace p Wakefield, Principal Of
the State Primary School,. at MonSon,
Mass, was next called upon. and gave an
account of the management of the farm I'M
der his charge. lie had family of over
500 children under his charge, and had but
| 10
familiarized himself with the subject
sufficiently to be able to say that
their farm. as managed, was = pay
ing institution to the State, and gave
a series OF figures to prove his statement.
| He preferred Ayrshires as the best breed
| of cows for butter and cheese makers, and
gave his methods of ieeding-every day IN
the year feed of hay. wet with cold
water in summer and warm in winter. and
| sprinkled with wheat bran. lie believed
such feed best for dairy cows. His remarks
were replete with valuable Information a.
to tillage, grasses. and various topics relat-
| ing to the success of the State Farm OF
when he had sharge. Without complet-
| ing, he gave way 10 IA motion u adjourn
| for dinner.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
During tie morning large addition has
been made to the dairy implements on ex-
hibition, and during the recess for dinner
much attention is being given by the farmers
to the many virtues Of the respective milk
pans and 0hGrns. as they arc extOlled by |
the exhibitors. We notice Smiths Patent !
Conducting Pipe Milk Cooler and Pam"
patented by Russell Smith. of Riehiord, |
Vt. 1.-The Arctic Milk Cooler patented |
by Ii. Cowdry. of St. Johnsbury, Vt. /; |
"Cowles' Patent Milk Pan and Cooler" !
manufactured by James Hickie. of Marsh |
field, Vt; and The Compartment Milk |
Pam" patented by W. D. Campbell, of |
Richford. Vt. There was also the "Chal- |
leDge %ilk Pan ard '-e4m Cooler" patent
ed by j. NJ. Jsefna2 If Barre, Vt. Of the |
merits of these 'implcuentg" we can say |
nothing but the aairymsn that can End |
nothing to commend in them, iEust lie Ea. |
ticular lG the reme-uu!eSs pcrchsuse |
he adopts the theory advanced Yesterday by |
Mr. Arnold. of Rochester. Y. Y, that |
heating process is preferable to the |
coolers. OF churns, We note "Whipplc'+ |
Rectangular Churn." " Baiey's Barrel |
Chuab, end Billiards. Osciilating Churn,"
all Of which prGq chtedly have merits.
Mr.. STEWARDS PArL..
The President introduced sr. s. ". |