Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-08-03
LAYING DOWN GRASS LAND.

order TO have good pastures meadows, no pain,
or expense must be spared TO enrich the soil, where
that is needed, TO destroy as far as possible by d
suitable course Of husbandry every weed or plant
that previously occupied the field 10 have the
ground perfectly pulvorizcd by ploughing and har-
rowing. and then TO SOW on II plentiful quantity
OF grass seed suited TO the SOIL aud of those kind,
which have been proved to be the best for those
purposes. The fault mean find with our prac-
tee, eon,rasied with that Of the English, is llis-ior
pasture or meadow in the spring OF the
wear, field OF winter grain small quantity OF
grass seed, from which we expect our future pas
lures aud meadows, aud trust 10 their branching
out IN Two or three years 50 rs to make tOerablc
pastures OF meadows. In the meanwhile other
grasses and weeds spring up 50 as to occupy most
OF the ground; aud this Is most VIGOROUSLY the case
in our country, where the seeds OF thousands
of varieties OF plants lie in the ground ready to
spring up and overcome the growth OF artificial
grasses. In order 10 prevent this, the English
practice before described IS the more necessary
here. The aboriginal weeds must first be destroy
ed by preceding crops, especially by those which
require the use of the hoe and then such guam
tty of clean we'll selected grass seed, must be sown
as will clcverlv i'll the ground aud in their growth
smother every other vegetable. For this purpose
too much seed cannot be pu, into the ground at
once The practice of putting a small quantity
of grass seed ON ground laid down for pastures OF
meadows is OF the greatest errors in the hus-
bandry Of our country. On this sub lcct | wish
that our farmers would consult "A book published in
London, called the Complete Grazier. II gives
recipe, for the kinds and quantities OF seed per
acre proper 10 be- sown all The varieties OF soils
such rs clay. loam sand, chalk, peats, up-lands
mid-ands lowlands.
As Il sample viii copy recipe for an acre for
low-lind meadow toN-ta pccks, meadow cs-
cue , pecks, rough stalkcd pea pecks, ray grass
peck, vetna grass quart, white clo,cr2 quarts,
mari eras, quarts RIB grass quarts
In the recipes for the various soils the quaint
~ OF seed Is generally about bushel per acre.
Let this be compared with our practice.
Here il is proper To be observed, that in laync
down grounds for pasture lands, the English Sc
lect the seeds OF such grasses as will come to ma
turlty in succession but think theY carry tli,
scheme to excess, and that there necessity for
a mixture Of such variety of seeds To be used for
these purposes. In our country tho most esteem
ed grasses white and red clover, timothy or
herds grass, the red top, aud foul meadow. With
these some other Indigenous grasses in,ermix, the
merits OF which deserve to be investigated. Our
best grasses for meadows are unqucslionably the
timothy, the red top, and ioul meadow. The MGR
It's OF this last mentioned grass not generally
known, and suspect II to be the best for low al
luvial soils, to be found in our country. |, appears
to me TO be variety of the red top, Agrostis vu-
ears, and preferable To it, being more delicate in
ITS structure, and having leaves more slender. lon
ger and greater abundance | have been told by
an acquaintance from Orange county, that it is
chiefly used ON the reclaimed drowned lands there,
and preferred TO all other grasses, and that it
yields most abundant crops | know from my
own observation for number of wears, that with
out any artificial preparation II has gradually sup
planted the coarse aquatic grasses, on the lower
parts OF the low lands At Ithaca. There can be
no better hay than that which is made of it, On
rich moist SOIL il will grow uncommonly dense.
and should think would Weld as much from an
acre asany other of the best cultivated prasscs
In order Ia make good meadow on a rich soil
| would recommend this practice. Destroy all the
weeds aud natural grasses by ploughinr, harrow
ing, and suitable clop>. Prepare the ground by
sufficiently pu,crhlneit aud lhcnsow ON it omuch
timothy seed as thai the growth from it shall IN
med,aiel, cover the ground, nj least as thok as "A
field of lN. This then viii give YOU clear album
dant crop OF timothy 10 the exclusion OF every 9TH
or grass Or il the ground be inclined to moisture.
use foul meadow seed IN the same manner !; or
make aSo OF ii mixture ol timothy and foul meal
dow AT all eNcnts be not Sparing of seed, and inn
mediate abundant crops will be the reward Tim
othy and ioul meadow OF red top, I,onsider as the
best OF all grasses for our lowland meadows, and
the more ever, other kind is kept out of them the
better. Some OF the English grasses may be add
vanta acou>l used in LAYING down permanent pas
turo grounds, but white clover and timothy are
the best in among Us, Red clover is to be pre-
ierrcd Tor soiling and enrichng the ground, when
'allowing is intended BY means OF it, with the
assistance oi gypsum, the poorest soils can be
made valuable
have SAID that too much seed cannot be nut
INTO the ground at once. Every body knows what
small quantity is generally used, and how long il
IS before lands laid down as pastures or meadows
come to perfection, and how they arc injured by
grasses OF spontaneous growth which ought not TO
be there bat for which the greater part of the
surface OF the ground is lcit by the stingy sowcr
In continuation of the proprirty OF these remarks,
Will make further quotations from the Complete
Gra,icr.
he following proportions were sown a few
wears since by the Earl of Darlington white or
Dutch clover IL lhs clean hay seed II bushels
rib grass lbs, tretoil | ] lbs, By which mean,
(the soil being previously ploughcd very fine and
made perfectly level, the land was speedily cover
ed with a thick aud excellent heritage The only
cNccpuonable thing in this practice is the quantity
OF seed, which is certainly TOO large for a statute
acre"
ccssarv waste Of seed, not that the quantity used
was an injury 10 the production of the field
" MIR. Dalton's mode of LAYING down land to
grass, is to make the ground perfectly smooth and
then SOW upon every aero the following seeds, viz
hay seeds 6 bushels, rib grass II lbs, white or
Dutch clover lbs, burnet ) lbs. He manurcs II
with n compoSt Of Garth duno aud ,sh,, ,l,,.o,,L