The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-09-19
AGRICULTURAL.
Intensive Grass Culture.


finished cutting my first crop OF
grass July 7. There were seven acres
divided into six fields. The first IL
acres, seeded September %, 1899, pro-
duced 20,0O5 lbs, or 1888 lbs to the
acre. The second field, seeded 8 years,
II acres, produced S,545 lbs, average
per acre 1900 lbs; third field, seeded
years, Il acres, 13,4G0 lbs, average
$500 lbs; fourth, seeded years,
acre, 1850 lbs; 9Th, seeded II yeers,
I OF an acre, IL $50 lbs, average 1920
lbs; 9th, seeded months, acre,
1850 lbs. Total from 7 acres, 70,750
lbs, total average per acre, 10, 107 lbs.
The lowest was 2 tons, the highest
about g. tons to the acre. You will see
the 11-year field leads; the1 Il acre field,
seeded 8 months, produced 13, 1888 lbs;
the 1.acre field of 4 years IL $50 lbs.
Total in the three fields of $40 rods,
44,745 lbs; or nearly SO lbs to the rod
A word about the cost of this 30 tons
of hay. used at first 500 lbs, and later
added 300 lbs, making 800 lbs. to the
acre of bone, muriate of potash and nj
trate of soda. The total amount of fer
tilzer used cost about SO per ton for
the hay, and total cost for labor, wear
and tear of machinery, ETC., was far be-
low 50 per ton, but we call it that,
which is certainly very liberal with
tbn 81
per ton in the barn. 1t is now worth
$50 to Sl7 per ton--net profit about
$40 per acre. This results from in
tense cultivation, proper seeding and
care. Liberty costs eternal vigilance"
and that is the price of success in any
thing. The nearer one comes to per-
forming the work, the better he will
understand it.
A neighbor said his friend in the Red
Rock section was turning his hard sod
flat over after baying, rolling it firmly,
then sowing timothy and red-top, and
thus getting good stand. / have tried
this method many times in 80 years,
but it has always been failure. 1t
cuts off the subsol water, the original
grasses are transplanted and soon re-
turn. 1t is in every way bad Has any
one made success of the fine English
grasses in that way?
Professor Cook of Yale college called
to see the grass field, and was in time
to see the 11-year field as we started to
cart it. sit is wonderful" he said.
The entire field was covered with grass
eighteen inches deep. l could give
him but two hours, as we had ten tons
of dry hay 10 get in, with shower
ahead and two men out with the pip, |
and only three men-the writer one of
them. The thermometer was 100 de-
grees in the shade, and this meant to
strip all extras and 60 at it, but in
those two hours the professor learned |
facts of actual experience and in turn
gave me some scientific facts of value. |
The results in the 11-year field show
that what is wanted is proper water
supply and a favorable temperature;
feed and care will do the rest. A large |
amount of water is not necessary.
This year my crop had from 2 to %
inches of water from start to flush.
The talk around here of the old fields |
was that they were not worth cutting.
L always cut my grass when it is in full |
bloom. send you part of 226 heads
of timothy taken from one foot of land
on July 2. The average length of these |
heads is over four inches; some of them
ovor eight inches long. You will no.
tice that they are in full bloom and of
good form and color.
In review: This season gave over Ga
tons to the acre, the total average be-
ing over tons. This ought to be sat
isfactory, especially in 30 dry year as
this.
In this year of shortage of the hay
crop the article by Mr.. Clark on grass
growing ELECTS special interest. 1t re.
wives the old summer following of the
fathers and intensifies it. Certainly all
foul weeds must leave ground that is
turned down twenty times in the
months of July and August, and condi-
ton must also come to such soil. The
idea of sowing timothy and redtop 30
thickly-twenty-eght quarts an acre
is sensible, as this closes the gate after
driving the foul stuff out. Leave a
square inch of unoccupied space in the
seeding and it forms an open gate for
an unwelcome visitor to enter. Fertil-
izing meadows with yard manure is
about the same as scattering foul seed
upon the land. notice Mr.. Clark |
avoids this.
Since reading the article in question
1 have observed more closely my own
an