Year: 1874

Z


We find the following very sensible
suggestions in the Geymanto.on 1slsoyon1
on Hay:


Those who live near populous centers
have alwaysa great advantage over those
at distance, in the comparative ease with
which they can dispose of bulky articles.
A man who has pound Of gold dust to
sell could get it to the Philadelphia market
from the Rocky Mountains at almost the
same percentage Of cost as another could
from North Carolina. There would be
very little difference in the profit to each
in either case. Not SO with a crop of po-
tatoes. The Colorado farmer would not
stand the shadow of a chance ia Philadel-
Phia with New Jerseyman. Transpor-
tation would eat the whole thing up. So
we hnd that vegetable gardening is gener-
ally best near large cities, and the more
bulky articles Of farm produce are gener-
ally those which find the most favor OF
these ia the Philadelphia market the hay
crop is the most substantial We doubt
whether in circuit Of fifty miles of Phil
adelphia there is any other crop which as
a rule pays better. Yet it is singular that
50 profitable crop does not receive more
attention from progressive farmers. To
be sure enough Of "hay" is brought in to
supply the general want, but If any one
drives through the district we have re.
ferred to in the growing season, or even
stands on the roads leading to the city
and notes the stuff which goes under the
name, he win surely see that there is an
immense field for improvement in judicious
grass culture.


A year or SO ago we ventured TO sug.
gest that our agricultural societies might
venture to take off few dollars from the
heavy premiums for race horses and devote
some littie'to encouraging the growth of
hay, but we have seen no movement In
that direction yet. But it should be done.
Nobetter agricultural encouragement could
be offered than premiums for good, clean
hay, with well-authenticated aiidayits as
to the quantity yielded per acre. In the
absence of any such encouragement our
farmers would do well to turn their indi-
yidual attention to it, What is wanted Is
some system by which pure grass can be
rsised-grass free from weeds and worth
less trash-and more than this, the nature
and wants Of the grass plant in various
soils might be SO studied as easily to bring
up the crop to at least double that which
the land now yields.


Even under the present sloyenly system
of grass-culture, as we have already said.
it pays well and for the reasons given al
ways will pay. We have now and then
given some figures showing this, but there
can scarcely be too much Of such evidence.
There are some very good ones in the last
number Of the report Of the Department
of Agriculture at Washington. A Bucks
county, Pennsylvania, farmer reports the
hay product of farm Of s5 acres Is on an
average Of ten years, AZ tons per annum.
and in market value s1157. Last wear
he marketed hay to the amount Of sl2O4
besides keeping twenty-five to thirty horses
and cattle. He has done what very few
calculators do, charged his farm with IN
terest on its value at $3.50 per acre, as well
as all labor and expenses, and found the
farm yielded him net profit Of ten per
cent. This to be sure is no. much as com
pared with the profits of some business,
but We suppose the living of himself and
family is included in "expenses,' and if
SO this is better than the majority of busi-
ness men can make.


Still with this favorable showing we
have no doubt, if the case could be exam-
ined, it would be found that even the hay
on this farm might be almost doubled by
greater care in keeping clean and in the
proper feedinga and culture Of the grass crop.