Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-02
AGRICULTURAL.


J. G. Underwood of St. JOhnsbury
writes as follows to the Repubticdn of
that town The time is near, if not already
at hand when the average farmer is on
the lookout for ways and means of in
creasing the next seasons forage crop,
us by seeding to grass this tall such Land
as has been titled and cropped TINS sea-
son, thus getting Il crop. and II rich, per
haps two crops of hay next season, when
is Il better way than by taking years
more of crops before getting it into grass,
| wish to give you an account OF our
treatment of two pieces of land last fall,
and the results from the same this sea-
SON.
One was where we took off an abundant
potato crop last fall, being manfred well
in the spring, and being the second season
since it was "brOke up raising oats ON
the inverted sod the first season. After
taking the potatoes of, we narrowed the
ground well and sOWed 10 winter rye, at
the same time seeding to grass, 1t beng
as late as the first week i'll October when
sown, only fairly getting up green before
ground froze up. We usually do and
would like to SOW it much earlier, as the
rye makes most luXuriant growth when
! sowed early for fall feed besides 1t is not
so apt to winter kill by beng fed, and it
is said to stool better for it. On the piece
| has been cut for hay two crops of the rye,
| OF neaNy grown, Saving Il SLndii oeCtloli
! for seed of the first crop, and we have
Just taken off a third crop from the same
piece, of herdsgrass, principally, though
some rye headed out was amongst it, To
| have it start up after being cut, 1t must
! be harvested rs soon as it is fairly headed.
| Thus hayed it makes one of the best
milk-producing feeds for mich cows in
winter, or when fed green to them in sum
mer. A neighbor faoetiously remarked
that the fourth crop ought to be one OF
manure put on: surely 1t Is deserV-
ing OF it. 1t is Il crop that ought to be
cultivated more than it is. 1t Is more lla-
bic to winter kill than grass, though II
never has with us, and we have raised
more or less of it for fourteen years, We
have one small piece sOwed ana seeded to
grass where we have taken OIL crop OF
early potatoes, and if nothing prevents
shall get rich crop of fall feed there
from.
Piece No , was too wet to plow, unless
done in IA dry tall, and bore sort OF
swamp swale and cold water weed and
the hay cocks were few and far between
of poor quality at that. one year age
this summer, soon after what hay there
was on it was taken oil and when the
piece was as dry as 1t would he at amy
time, we narrowed the old turf and moss
up as well as we could, then put on tOl
dressing of manure with some grass seed
and again narrowed thoroughly, taking
out the stones and snags at the time, ano
again last fall put on small dressing OF
manure The result being such fun It
drive machine and horses nearly out OF
sight through the grass, it being previ
ously moved by hand, and it was nigt
impossible to drive between the hay
cocks of good old English hay; and the
abundant aftermath on the place now
gives promise of what we may eNpec
next season. We consider the pee
thoroughly reclaimed, though we canno
tell how lasting it may be.