Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-12-03
DaiIu Kfnneter 3nurnal.


ROck-Wee0 IS one OF the IOuT mArlnc
plants found upon our coast having we'll
known manurial value. The other three
are eel grass, keIp, and duIce. There are
two kinds Of rock-weed- That. known to
botanists az Fuc1s rssicuLosls. being by
far the most abundant 10 this part Of the
State. is the sort to which this paper will
be directed This species of Fuel grows
uoon the rocks and lodges around the sea-
shore. which are covered and uncovered
bv the ebb and flow of the tide. II grows
10 several feet in length. is of q dark am
Der color, and f. coated with an unctious.
or rather a mucilaginous substance. Like
the other sea-weeds. it Is a general rather
than a special fertilizer, as it contains all
the substances required by most of our
Guilty ated crops. For hoed crops the best
results are had when applied to turnips,
tor which it il far better than even super
phosphate.
Formerly in the fall. our farmers made
large compost heaps OF muck and
rockweed None are made now as the
muck did not pay for the hauling. We
have used cords upon cords of this com
post. The only satisfactory results deriv-
ed from the muck, with or without the
sea-weed. have been as mulching for fruit
trees, or az an absorbant for pine plains.
The majority of our farmers apply rock
weed AZ a top dressing To grass lands.
The objections to this are. first, when
spread on the ground thick enough to
heat. II is so quickly Derishable. as to lose
much OF its goodness; and second. when
too thinly apread 1t dries up. Thus, BY
either way, the most Of its manurial vir-
tues escape and are lost. Our ex-
perience and observations rebel at the use
Of rock-weed as a top dressing for any
thing except turnips. and in the garden TO
kill weeds There is nothing like ii to
exterminate chick weed SteILaria media.
The best known way to apply rock
weed 10 impoverish grass lands is in this
wise Stake out the lot. one acre more or
less haul up the rock-weed and dump it
A load In a place, over the lot. Alter a
little practice one can tell how near the
dumps need be. and until one has had
some experience he can safely bet his
bottom dollar" that the heaps will be
too few and too far, as there must be
enough TO two-thirds fill the six-inch fur
rows at blowing. The lot must be back
furrowed hence the first burrows must
run through the center OF the lot. The
first two furrow turfs must be carted off
10 fill the last outside burrows. Two
hands are needed to follow the pillow and
fill in the rock-weed. My practice is to
stop the team at every bout, and have
plowman and teamster fill the burrows.
and unless one is employing hired team
it is much the better wav As soon as the
land is dry enough, after the blowing
under is finished, run roller over it to
press the sod down uext run a light mar
row over it and seed down to grass. and
finish the land with a second rolling
Thus treated the land will yield a heavy
crop of grass for years.
NV own practice in seeding down is to
SOW mixture which includes nine spe-
cies, viz: herdsgrass, red and Alsike
clover. orchard grass. June grass. redtop.
foul meadow, Italian rye grass and mea-
dow fescue With clay loan soil blue
grass should take the place of orchard
grass. and with majority of farms the
pasture Is the proper place of orchard
grass as field grass the latter natures
too early. The quantity for each species
composing this mixture is such as gives
not less than thirty-six pounds Of seed to
the acre.
All Of the facts which have come to our
knowledge show that rock-weed does best.
much the best. when used on seashUre
farms. although nearly fourth of its ash
constituents are common salt. We have
dried it, and sent it into the interior, but il
did not do well.--Mirror.