Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-07-06
sibility of securing more than the limit

and wooden fences are fast disappearing
Many small fields are now Joined into
one, divided by temporary wire fence
whose location can be. conveniently
changed. This fencing costs only about
one cent running foot for the mate
rial, and the value Of the stakes and posts
Is inconsiderable. This give s perma
nency of fence and clean cultivation be
tween cultivated and hay fields, and
fields and pastures.
8. Labor factors. While the cost ot
labor is higher in some respects than
years ago, yet the greater Efficiency OF
horse power applied to hay harvesting,
and in the coming traction and power
mowers, a saving over manual labor
must be acknowledged.
10. The tenth reason which We have
already spoken of in part and which will
bear repeating here, is that the reckless
speculation in potato growing should
swing US toward more stable conditions.
Let US not forget, in passing, the meth.
ods of improved draining within recent
years.
SEEDING
1t is Just as important for ourselves,
our workmen, our cattle and horses, to
have comfortable bed to sleep in as it
is to be we'll fed, and this same rule ap-
plies most decidedly to seed beds OF all
kinds, especially in seeding for hay
which, from one seeding, may produce
as many as eight or twelve crops of hay
without replowing. Before the land ia
plowed drainage is important, but as
long as land is as cheap as 1t is at the
present time, doubtless drainage will be
to great OF less extent neglected. In
case of fall blowing on clay loan soils,
our predominating bay lands in Maine,
the depth should be such, if possible, to
take up a small shaving of subsoil clay.
This clay is acted upon by the frosts OF
winter and spring and strengthens the
soil for the coming crops.
The past two years oats have sold at
high figures, and for this reason it pays
to sow oats as cover crop; but when
oats sell at 35c TO 40c per bushel it can
hardly pay. Seeding in June and bar
vesting roughage crop in September
gives the fittest and longest lasting seed
bed. When the land lies in the furrow,
too much cannot be said in regard to ex-
ira cultivation and following. In fact,
the Summer following of fields plowed
the fall before would doubtless pay
better return in the many coming hay
crops on such land If we could make it'a
more common practice. Land that has
been lying many years, especially 80
called run.out fields, to get the best re-
suits, should be sowed to oats or barley.
or cultivated one year and replowed and
seeded the next year. A quick-acting
fertilizer for the oat crop alone should
be used the first year, at an expense of
not over SO per acre. After the oat
crop is removed, plow again. The next
season SOW oats and seed down with
about $50 worth of choice fertilizer or
material per acre, long.last-
ing quality of fertilizer like bone meal
aud potash, or commercial fertilizer con-
tanning bone or notwithstanding organ
ic plant food, that does not expend its
life quickly, but slowly dissolves in the
soil, giving to the grass roots slowly
fertility over a period of
years. Such conditions are entirely
practical, lasting and profitable. With
two plowipgs and two crops under such
methods, the land is in a much improv-
ed condition. The two ost crops have
probably paid the bill for the cost of
fertilizer already used and now the land
is ready to grow hay for a series of
years, applying a little top dressing
W hen it commences to fall back after
several years.
Spring seeding should consist of
about one-hslf bushel of superior timo-
thy, five or six pounds of redtop and a
few pounds of clover, when clover is
needed. In fall seeding, great care
should be taken not to overseed. Cut
the amount of timothy down from one
half bushel to II quarts, with usual
amount of redtop and without clover.
Fall seeding often proves unpopular, al
most wholly because there is too much
seed put on the land. Thousands of
seed fail to sprout in the cold, wet land
in spring seeding, but in August, when
the land is warm, mellow and fine, with
favorable rains, practically every seed
and when overseeded, the
and becomes mass of tangled, short
rusty grass the coming year. The only
way to correct condition of this kind is
to replow and reseed, or wait until ma
ture kills out portion Of the overgrown
mat of grass and partially corrects the
In connection with the ferti-
izing and seeding. an application OF pull
yerized limestone is being recognized as
\ sweeteper of the soil and great pro-
iucer of clover; and after clover comes
herdsgrass of high quality.
CLOVER FIELDS
There is a crying demand for keen
and long lasting investigation into the
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