Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-05-02
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."

"sPEED THE PLow."
Correspondence on practical Agricultural topic
II solicited. Address al communications U
tended for this department TO HHN1Y u
HAnnoaD. Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
| Five Tons to the Acre.
| For 80 years have been studying tn.
New England hay and forage crop and
experimenting as to It's best method ol
production. For 20 years farming was
my avocation. For the last 10 years II
has been my vocation. Ny son has beer
with me in the conduct Of the farm.
became convinced many years ago that
the increase of the fertility OF the soil
was the first condition OF successful
farming, whatever line was pursued.
The most of our soil is we'll adapted to
the production of hay. 1t has clay OF
gravelly bottom. It was naturally stony.
We have removed hundreds and per.
haps thousands of tons of rocks. The
soil Is not deep, but 1t is strong and
holds its fertility. The farm contains
other kinds of soil, of which will not
here speak.
In 1907 the trustees of the Essex
county agricultural society asked us. to
com pete for q prize in raising hay.
Three plots were selected-two OF one
half acre each for timothy, one of one
acre of mixed grasses, chiefly clover. l
will give only our method OF treating
the best plot of timothy. This was part
of field that had been used for raising
truck. It was excellent soil, the most Of
It with q clay bottom, sloping toward
the west and bordering on river mead
ow that cannot be drained. In 1905 We
raised crop of oats fodder, applying In
the spring 500 pounds Of our top.dress'
ing fertilizer. 1t had been we'll titled -
we'll as fertilized and seemed to be near
ly free from weeds.
Soon after removing the oats crop the
field was plowed and was worked with
the wheel and spring-tooth harrows un-
til the last of August, then 600 pounds
of our seeding down fertilizer was ap-
piled and narrowed by the smoothing
and brush harrows. Sixteen quarts Of
timothy seed and FIVE of redtop were
sown and rolled In. have never seen
finer looking field than this. There
was not stone or sod to be seen. The
soil was as fine as ashes and as smooth
az house floor. All the conditions of
successful crop had been fulfilled.
As all will remember, the rainfall 10
the autumn of 1905 was heavier than had
been recorded for years. inches In Bos-
ton within "a hours. The catch was
fine. There seemed to be grass on every
inch of the soil. The field was ss green
in October as It was the next May. The
winter was favorable, and 1t came out In
fine condition for the next spring. /
speak of all these conditions for this was
really our best crop of timothy hay. The
weather conditions had never been bet
ter and they have not been SO good any
season since. We have never treated
field any better than this. You will OBJ
serve that this was the first crop after
re-seeding. Usually we get little more
and better hay the second and third
years than the first, but We have never
harvested better bay than from this plot
the first year.
As early as we could get on with the
distributor in the spring 500 of our top
dressing was applied. We also put on
200 Immediately after harvesting the
first crop. The results were that We har-
vested FIVE tons of prime timothy the
last of July and one ton second crop IN
September. The hay Was measured by
member of the society committee, and
the second crop was weighed. Hay IN
1907 brought $5 less here than In 1915,
but kept an account of the sale OF the
hay from the two half acres and 1t
amounted to q little over 500. We
were nostroubled by lodging and there
was a. much body to the hay, and 1t was
az free from foul stuff as any we have
ever harvested. I attribute this to the
fact that while the soil was full of humus
no stable manure was applied the year
of seeding down.
Our second premium was for raising
Eve tons of mixed grasses, chiefly
clover, from one acre. This had been
seeded down two or three years. The
second crop was larger on this field than
the one first described, which We sttri.
butte to the fact that the frst crop Was
cut earlier.
I should add that our hay crop was the
largest In 1907 that We have ever har.
vested. Our barns were full and We bad
to stack the most OF our meadow hay
and bedding. We estimated the crop to
be something over $50 tons. Had We
harvested our river meadows last year,
our hay crop would have been close
rival to that of 1907, Notwithstanding
the fact that we had 16 acres under the
plow. Some of our best fields have
given us as good first crop as the one de-
scribed above, but the drouth has pre-
vented our top-dressing after removing
the first crop, and the rowen has been
light. Our light lands and knolls have
suffered from the dry years, but the
most of our meadows have stored up
moisture enough to give % abundant
hsrvests.
The condition of our receiving the
premiums was that I should conduct
one of the sessions of the institute and
describe our methods and answer ques.
tions. The meeting was largely attend
ed and there was hot discussion. Some
implied that could tell bigger lies than
any other farmer in the country, but the
committee was on hand with testimony,
and the president asserted that our grass
crop Exceeded anything he had seen and
he advised them to ''come and see."
This some of them did, and goodly
number wished to adopt our methods.
Some of my patrons have preserved and
euualed or exceeded our results, because
they had more stable manure. But the
most of them only half tried and fell by
the way.-George L. Gleason In New
England Homestead.
How to Break the Colt.