Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-06-19

questionably had its influence upon the prac-
tice of many, if not of all, farmers The
prevailing current of opinion has been
changed, and there are few who do not now
hold, at least in theory, that early-cut hay is
best, though some may yet doubt its being,
on the whole, the most profitable.
But no great step in advance can be taken
in regard to single point, without its being
revealed that many other things must be
made to keep step with it, in order that the
expected benefit may be fully realized. The
invention of mowing-machiues called for
smooth fields. The importation of improved
domestic animals necessitated better hous-
ing, feeding and care. The improved meth
DDS of setting milk for cream cannot yield
their full advantage without more care in
milking and in making the butter And so
it is with regard to the early cutting of hay
Before it can be put in practice with the
hope of realizing all its advantages we must
abandon some old ideas and take in some
new ones. We must cease to look upon the
grass crop as gratuitous gift of nature
and begin to regard it as a cultivated crops
one not to be stolen from the ground after a
full yield of grain, but to be made primary
object in our culture, the same as corn or
potatoes.
The proper complement and conclusion of
the theory of early cutting is that we must
have two, and sometimes three, full crops of
grass from the same land in one season.
And we can only get these by manuring and
seeding for them 1t is of no use to talk of
early cutting and two crops upon land in
such poor heart that the early, quick growing
grasses, like June grass and orchard grass
cannot make crop on them; and where
Timothy, weak and scattering, does not get
strength to head out before the middle of
July. On such land we must wait for the
grass to chicken up or we shall not be
able to see it after the machine has passed
over the field.
We have known farmers who said that
June grass is worth nothing for hay, and
we have seen farmers cutting it at the rate
of two tons to the acre the first week in
June. 1t would be a good thing to bring
these two kinds of farmers together in
farmers club, and have the latter tell the
former how it was done. But, unfortunately,
the first kind do not often attend agricultu-
raj meetings. Orchard grass and clover now
stand Dune 12th) on a field before our eyes,
ready to cut, and all that will dry on the
ground while across a fence, twenty rods
Always is field of equally good land by
nature, in which about six spears of Timothy
to the square foot are struggling with sorrel
and bareback, and all together will perhaps
make one-third of a ton of good horse hay "
to the acre about the last of July. 1t is of
% use to talk to the owner of this field about
early cutting, for there is nothing there to
cut early.
In the good old times, before moving ma
chimes, tedders anniversaries, it would have
been cruelty to talk about two hayings in
one summer. But now that the mere hand
ling Of grass is reduced to so small an item,
there is no difficulty on that point, if we can
only raise the grass. Can we do it? Is it
call humbug" to talk about carrying a herd
of twenty-five COWS on the feed of fifty
acre farm? The editor of the New England
Farmer is practical dairyman who keeps
that number on twenty-five acres, but then
he does not pasture, but practices the soil
ing system. While there are thousands of
farms in the world no better by nature than
the average farms of Vermont, that this day
do carry creature to the acre, we do not
wish to frighten our readers by any such
immediate proposition. But we do think
that a farmer might be smart enough to
make fifty acres carry herd of twenty-five,
if he would only study the subject. 1t will
take manure to do it, and knowledge and
skill as well. No farmer that wastes all or
half the liquid manure of his stables will
ever do it. Nor will he do it by the usual
routine of seeding Timothy and clover with
grain. An old colored brother was once OBJ
served fishing from the long bridge at Wash
ington, and throwing overheard everything
he caught except the bull-pouts, or what
they call catfish He was asked why he
threw the perch and other fish back into
the river, and replied. DWELL you see, boss,
when | goes a eating | goes a eating
We must be animated by this old mans
routine, little more intelligently applied
if we want to be successful grass growers
The objective point of all dairying and
stock-raising farmers should be grass, and
every process of the farm should have gras:
in view above everything else.
When we have learned how TO grow foui
tons of hay in two cuttings from every acre
we shall all be " early cutters" and late cut
ters too. On moist meadows we shall still
grow our single crops of Timothy red-toI
and fowl-meadow; but on all arabic uplanc
we shall learn the value of rye hay, oat hay
and Hungarian, as well as of fodder corr
properly grown for forage; and on our per
manent mowings we shall learn what Jun,
grass and orchard grass can be made to d.
by the use of manure and liberal seeding
There are lands of an intermediate character
moist and rich, yet well drained natural,
or artihcially, where two heavy crops 0
'HhSohJ h"J 10 Sup SNpi1 opdoOu'
1t is just as true that we go over too mucl
ground for our grass as that we do the sam
with other crops But the change require,
in either case is not so easily made. w
do not many of us know how TO do it Il; W
do not exactly believe what we read abou
it; and we have too few visible example
for our encouragement and instruction
Yet we may each of us experiment in thi
direction with profit. Those of us, especially
who are perforoe small farmers" with GU
ten to fifty acres apiece, must try TO lear
how these things are done, and then SUI
prise our big neighbors with our big barn
filled with crops from small areas of grounC
Man does not live from land alone, but b
the work, both of hands and brains, that h
lays out upon it. Necessity is the mothe
of invention, and now is the time when,
ever, invention will show itself among th
farmers in the increased production of thei
land.
What Early Cut Hay viii DO.
Mr.. Amasa Scott, of Craftsbury, cuts HI
hay in June, before the 25th if nossibl