Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-13
AGIsICULTl RAJ.
TO Utilize nut out MowinEs,

TO Utilize Ekut Out MowinEs,
From the Now England IIomcstead.l
] am well pleased with milet as n sup
Elementary forage crop. In 1882 found,
after corn planting that the grass was
nearly all winter killed on about ] acres
of moving land. This I turned over
smoothly and spread on what manure |
could scrape up, about 15 loads to the
acre, and on June 80 I sowed it with mil
let and Hungarian, and seeded with grass.
Immediately after sowing there came a
warm rain, and in three or four days the
millet was up. and it grew very rapidly.
1t was harvested tho first week in Sep
tember and yielded nearly three tons Of
dried fodder per acre. The quality Nas
equal, Tiudged. to the best hay. This
was quite an addition to the haymow at a
small expense for labor and manure /
also obtained fair catch of grass, and
got good crop last season. [ do not ex
pect the grass Will hold out many years
longer but if 7 get one or two more de-
cent crops shall feel well satisfied.
Last season sowed another piece, fol-
lowing about the same plan as the year
before. The crop was not quite as heavy,
and the frost of September 2 injured it
somewhat. but had quite fair yield
notwithstanding. Sowing grass seed
with millet is not in accordance with the
teachings of most agricultural writer's,
but I feel well pleased with that part of
my experiment both years. The grass
appeared decidedly better on this last
piece than it did where 7 seeded with oats
or barley on land adjoining. The ex-
planntion may be found, in the fact that
Ns the mi!let occupies the ground so short
a time the grass is less likely to be killed.
A crop of grass may be cut if thought
desirable, in season to plow and SOW to
millet. but from little observation of
that method, ] would say, don't do it.
Plow in the grass and you will get back
your pay, with interest, in the mlllet
crop. We thus get good forage crop
and n catch of grass without the partial
loss of crop the first season. And tine
manure that accumulntes up to the mid
lie of summer can be utilized in produc-
ing a crop the same 7ear.- E. y. FISK,
Washington county, Vt.
working Horses without shoes.
tVrom the New England FarmcrI
We believe that Il good deal of money
ing of farm horses for the shoe being
unnatural is always accompanied with
moro or less risk, especially in the hands
of ignorant or careless farriers. Bad
shoeing and trottinS on hard pavementF
are among the most frequent causes o.
lameness in all cities and it is not at al
unusual to see valuable horses in al
large cities sacrificed, after n short perioC
Of abuse, for small fraction of thei1
worth when sound. Such horses are
often young, spirited, and valuable ami
mails, and need only Il little careful hand
| ling to recover the use of their feet il
many instances.
| The best treatment for such cases is t.
knock off the shoes, and turn the hors'
into pasture for few weeks, when the,
will often recover sufficiently to worl
without shoes. Shoeing is far less needed
than most persons suppose If the hors
is worked on the farm, and does not hav
to travel much on very stony or very har'
roads, - will do better without shoes 70
ut least eight months of the year ; If tn
roads are quite hard, macademized o
stony, as they are in the neighborhood o
the writer, horses with good sound hoof
will do great deal of work withou
shoes, and suffer no injury. One of til
ablest physicians of Middlesex county
who has large practice, and is oblige
TO drive his horses sometimes pretty hard
finds they do better without shoes, al
though he lives ia a district where til
roads are very hard. OF course, the hoe
must be sound, and if accustomed t
going without them by degrees, but whe
nsed with some care there is no difficult
in driving most horses as much as the
ought to be driven over roads of averag
hardness without shoeing at all, for a
east eight months of the year if tn
work is on pavements, the case is differ
mt, especially if drawing heavy load
npon the pavements, when the shoe wit
alks is needed to enable the horse t
hold on, and prevent slipping.
In winter when the roads are icy. IN
happened shoe must be used to preveu
dipping, but on ordinary snow, until
>ecomes icy, there is 10 occasion fo
hoes in winter any more than in sun
ner. The saving is not only IN blaci
miths' bills, but in the greater healt
nd soundness of the horses feet. Ther
re many chances to pick up valuabI
iorses in our cities, made lame by ba
hocing, which only need to have the
hoes taken OF and rest for few month
50 make valuable animals