The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-09-01
GRICULTU r AL.
Pasture Lands Different Grasses.


The months OF August aud September
usually offer opportunities 10 the farmer 10
make substantial Improvements in his ienc.
60. drains, meadows, pastures, clearing
fields Of stones and hush. and supplying
water for all the purposes for which IL is
desired. But there Is nothing among them
all that enhances the value OF The farm more
than good pasture.
Every farmer should be n stock k-raiser. 30
Tar, at least, rs the circumstances under
which he exists will admit, as il is only hy
this means thai Re can sustain The fertility
OF his htI,is, and realize remunera,in. crops
from his arabic lands through n succession
OF years. By consuming the hay and grain
of the homestead on The Premises, a large
quantity Of valuable manure will be accu.
mula,ed. whereas The selling of The pr d.
ac's, and their consumption remote from
the premises - unless their ,lace be sup-
pied by ey,raneous matter, will tend di-
rec,ly 10 impoveIish the fields. and render
the lahors Of the hushandman unprotitable
and irksome in The extreme.
In The management of pasture grounds
great care should be- taken to keep down
bushes, weeds, and indeed every species of
spurious vegetation, by which lands devo,.
ell 10 this purpose are so frequently infested
AMI overrun.
The fern and The brake, rs well as many
perennial plants. find ready footing AMI
ample aiment in mos, pasture lands, and
should We exIerminaied at once.
By permitting them tn vegeia,e an'
spread unmoles,ed, not only are the veceia-
bic resources OF The soil essentially dimin.
ished, bu, federation affords time for more
general dissemination Of the posts, and
renders the labor Of eradication far more
onerous and perplexing when II is aniemp'.
Ell. Fern may be easily DESTROYED in The
Spring when the surface of the soil has
Just commenced thawing, by means Of a
heavy hoe, formed in The shape Of an a,lze,
with wide sharp bit, aud suSs,aniii helve.
With az instrument Of this description an
industrious man will 20 over large area
in short time, unless the bushes be- very
dense, and perform the work Of eNiirpaiion
in manner at once thorough and eiIeclual.
Oiher bushes of a similar description may
also be eradicaied in the same way.
In stocking down pasture lands, there
should be- a mixture Of seeds, aud most
liberal quantity; il is poor policy 10 SOW
but one sort By having variety Of grass.
es, we secure n much greater amount ol
fodder than where We sow but one kind
Where sheep and cows, oxen and horses
are permitted 10 run together, this method
will be- found especially beneficial. We
are oiien surprised by the neglect manifest
ed by some stock raisers in tho management.
OF their pasture lands. No section Of the
farm should receive more systematic
ard careful attention. Ii the ground is
low and wet, il should be drained. and the
native grasses which are commonly found
ve.eiaiing with great luxuriance in such
soils, aud which are nearly worthless, sup
planted by more nutritious and valuable
kinds.
The improvement, OF low ground pastures
Is a matter which has already awakened
the attention OF some OF our farmers, and
will, in time, produce valuable results.
On this subject We fnd some excellent,
practical remarks in an Address by A. d.
Dickinson, before the !Tioga County, lPa. J
Agricultural Society -
The re-: clover is the only kind OF grass
the wheat grower should cultivate, aud that
Is the very kind the grazier does no, wan,
except To sow mixed with his blue grass,
timothy and red top. All these are slow to
start and mature, while the clover starts
quick, and protects moi only the soil, bu,
but The other grasses until they mature and
spread, and run out the clover. Bu, one
word on The importance Of having all The
different kinds OF good grasses mixed which
grow well on your soil. We all know when
any kind is green and fresb. caiile do much
better than when ripe and dried up. The
kinds have named come in order. Tim.
o'hy Is first and blue grass last 10 mature,
and by having thee mixiutes you have
ffe-h pasture through the season. One
word on The subject of preparing Your fell
for sowing the gIass seed. Though otdina.
rily you have no, much trouble in this re-
sreci. in this immediate vicinity, there are
occasionally some fields or parts of fields
which do not catch. The remedy for all
this is, on your d,y land where your see.
would not be so likely to grow, have your
soil well prepared early in The Spring, and
SOW il with spring rye. On the frs, drag.
ging let man follow the dag with four
quarts 10 the acre, Of each kind Of seed
timothy, red clover and red-tp. Then
cross sow i with two quarts each, Of While
Glover and blue grass, rolled in plaster; then