The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-06-02
AGRICULTURAL.
'IMpauynMEN OF PASTUnEI

A gicdt eAlcut VI Idiiu iu ANcN rae e"""i
used a. yi,luia.e, is incapable ol oelIs;
b ought i.lo cultivation without AN outlay
which the result would mol justify. The
value ol this land lor srazlus purposes has
la,leIly declined, anu a question frequently
asked is = How shall pastures be inpoSed
IL Is question oi Immense inpo''ance,
and the attention Of our agricultural socie'
ties, Us well as'iu,lividuals, ought 10 be eat
nesIIy directed iu IL. The following re-
marks of Joseph Huw ot Meihnen, pub
llsheJ la The TRANSACTIONS OF The Essex
Couuly Agricultural Socieiy, shows what
means has successfully adopted M the iin
proveineni of pastures, AMI may be useful
10 olhe,s having ialij similarly situated.
-BJsion Cuiiirdior.
"Aly pa,lu,e cuulains in all about sew
en,y acres, aud is subLivided inIo smaller
pasture. by sioue wall. The soil may be
teamed grsvell, liam, with mixture ol
slones. aud ou some ot IL The stones are 50
abundant that il ca.ilio, be conveniently
plowed. Ii is somewhat hilly, mos oi II
Is rather moist, although there are some dry
knolls. Some ot II was old bount. out pas
iure furiy years ago, aud fSom other portions
of il lh. wood has bsen :aken oh a, ditfeI-
ent Del iio,ls. Some Of II was immeIly
ploweL and planted with corn, without ma
nure, or with little cOmpOS, ia the hill,
then sowei down to grain aud hay'seed,
which partially improved The pasture for II
shon lime. We occasionally used some
plaster, but feariug that i, might essentially
iuiure The land, we used but llIlle.
About twenty years ago, we commeneeu
ps;u, il more freely, aud for the last lew
wears have used 1t Oh nearly all our pasture
every year, or ouce Ia two yeais. AT Tue
rale OF Que and half or two bushels to The
acre. Some of our pasture land Is bene-
fitted more than otheis, but all Of il Is I'm.
proved more or less.
Some years ago. purchashed abou, four
teen acres OF land, Oue.half OF which was
covered with wood and bushes, the other
half was an old bonnd oui pas,ure, walch
had not been plowed foe twenty tive years.
Previously 10 that time, i, had 6een planted
aud sowed without manure, until IL would
hardly pay hr cultivation. II had been
rs,ilel Ior several years Tor three dollars pei
year, aud The person that hired considered
!, hard bargain. Daring The seven years
| have sowed il with plaster four OF five
times, and il j. now a cool pasture. | ihink
the feed Is now worth as much on one acre
As on the whole piece when purchased 4,
BIZ, think il is no, what it would have beer
had il never been plowed, for land thai ha'
once been worn out by excessive iillaat
without manure, although it may lay nncul
tivaied os pasiured for a long series oil year-
will moi be what il would have been had il
never been plowed Abou, four acres which
we're covered with wvod aud bushes, have
been cleared, The land sowed wnh plaster
aud il is now a first ra,e pasture. Tar snpe
rior las might be expecied) 10 The old pas
ture described above. Que cutting OF The
bushes was sufficient, rs IL usually Is where
plaster is used: not that the plaster in any
way prevents the growth of he bushes, but
a thick growth OF grass springing up, The
cattle, while feeding il, will also feed the
tender sprouts, and soon eradicate the bush
ss. Bushes, however, thai The callle will
not eat, such as sweet fern, hard hack.
ground hemlock, &c, will require occasion
cutting, or pulling up by the T. ois. In
the above case, the brush and bushes were
not burned, bot ro,isd on The land, which |
,hink is much better than burning. The
growth Of bushes was whorileberry, hazel.
nui, wiich'hazel, &.
On dry par, o. the pasture, | spread on
last year about three cart loads of mud 10
the acre, which has improved The pasture.
aud ihnk will pay the expense. The
mud was taken from a pond hole in the
pasture, in August. 1852. Il appears to be
rotten vegerable matter, not unlike common
meadow weed, bnt not peat. -.
o., some OF my other pastures have
used leached asbes, from $50 10 200 bush
els 10 the acre. with good success.
The first of juno had in my pasture ihlr.
sy-seven cows. four oxen, one yeuring heller
and Two horses. IL was not long. however,
before The butchers commenced taking away
my beef COWS, 90 that by the time Of the Sc
we're drought in August. the number Of my
cows was considerably reduced. Thus had
atolerably good supply Of feed throus h the
dry season. and an abundance after the rains
commenced. But cannot state deiinL civ
the amount Of stock that my pasture would
keep through The season. Il Is desirable
thai there should be some surplus ieed in
pastures. as closs feeding is injurious, and
causes them to deterioraie or bind out.
The increase Of the feed Is not oil the ben.
eft resulting from improved pasture land,
for - the quantity increases the quality im-
proves; and ifan animal will ges fat for the
77fs1'tS W - ~ - 'aii iot'f1 ti1 ~, y Z