Democratic messenger., 1894-06-16
mrxGARrAx GRASS AND WEEDS.


Hungarian grass, which strongly
mill.i, does not grow rs tall
rs millei, but may be cut several
times during the season, "n some soils
giving II crop every fur or five weeks.
Its growth Is very rank, and after II
comes up and gets Il start 1t destroys
weeds completely, crow'iing them out
by depriving them of 70 vi. Even it
the weeds manage To get Il start with
the Hungarian grass they are moved
down when the Hungarian is cut,
while the Hungarian only pushes for
ward more vigorously. II for no other
purpose than destroying weeds Hun
garian grass should he ma le one oi
the crops in the rotation. and il is also
an excellent green crop for plowing
under after yielding "a crop or two of
hay. IL may be gotten oti' the land
in tine To permit ot sowing rye on il
in the fall, To be used for early green
fool in spring.
SUMMER CROPS AND VARIETY.
One advantage in these summer
crops for hay is that they add To the
variety. Ii is true that timothy and
clover are standard foods for stock,
but clover is not an annual, while
timothy requires quite period before
it can be considered II crop ready for
use, but Hungarian giass and millet
come quickly. the seed is not costly,
and the crops are ,ully as large a>
any others that are used for hay.
They therefore provide a large amount
of food that not only serves to make
clover and timothy last longer through
the winter. but also afford Il change,
for horses, and the hay is
usually very clean and in good cundi-
tion at all times il properly cured.
Both crops-iungarian grass and
millet-should be given a trial, and
on fields that are in weeds,
as they will not only clean the land
but provide a large amount Of hay at
a small expense.
June is the month when millet and
Hungarian grass may he seeded dcwn,
and there are no hay crops grown that
are surer. or which produce So well
considering the short period .. growth
required by them and the small cost
of labor necessary. The land should be
rich. and, if not, then manure or fer
iilizer should be applied, but both
crops will give fairly good results on
land that will produce no other kind
of hay. and they have been grown ex.
iensivcly in those sections where the
soil is light and sandy. II crop OF
seed is desired not over eight quarts oi
seed should he used. bu: for hay
double that quantity may be sown il
the lani is in good condition. Millel
is allowed 1" grow until the seed heads
begin To- form, when it is then cut
cured. and stored under shelter
Horses are very fond of it if cut with
Il feed cutter, and it ranks high as t,
nutritious food, keeping well until the
next crop is grown and harvested.
A writer in an exchange think.
that high culture and pruning will
cause apple-trees To bear full crops
every year. But il he had ever noted
attentively the apple.trees in well-ma-
nured cultivated gardens. says i. ii
Hoskins in Vermont Waterman, he
would not have been So absolute in
his statement. The truth is that it is
very harl for Il variety which is even
naturally an annual bearer to give a
good crop of fruit on the off year
The insect enemies of the fruit are
concentrated on the few bearing trees
and either cause their fruit TO drop,
or distigure it 81 that little of it is per
iect, or would be saleable. were it not
for the scarcity of better.
There is some disposition to laugh
at men who go into agriculture late in
life. This is all wrong, rs it is Il
tribuate to the attractions Of the &C.
cupation. II may be that they lo
not go TO work in pratical manner
but most of them have some good
ideas. often these men have money
enough TO indulge in fancy farming,
and then, by bringing in improved
stock, etc, they prove themselves a
valuable addition To the community
DO not discourage any man who want.
to try farming, but give him all the
aid you can. There is room enough tor
all who come, in some branch Of the
industry.
For those who wish to keep land
in clover only "a single year the al.
sike variety is probably best. 1t bears
its seed in the first crop of the second
wears growth. When that is cut the
plant dies. But alsike hay is sweet,
er than clover. 1t does not have long
tap roots reaching into the subsoil as
red clover does: hut instead Il network
of roots that run through the soil near.
er the surface. 1t is probably the
greater amount of warmth that a.sike
clover roots get early in the season
that makes lis hay better than that oi
red clover. When the soil warns
deeper later in the season the red
clover hay becomes more nutritious.
One has said that storage room.
out of doors for farm tools are CHEAP
in the first instance. hut most costly in
the final reckoning.
e m Al1 HA1