Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-11-13
farmer's Department.
Meadows and Pastures.


Grass is favorite of nature, springng up
fresh and green without our care almost every
where, so that We have come often TO neglect
our meadows and pastures. We leave them
to take care of themselves, when, with share
of the attention which we give to other crops,
we might largely increase their value, and fnd
that labor as well repaid as any performed up
on the farm. A large share of our landed
capital is required to produce the one item OF
forage. and did VIC examine into the subject,
we should find that many an acre III pasture
or meadow gives but a meagrc return OF proht,
or worse, perhaps. entails an annual loss upon
the owner 1t will scarcely answer to keep
land worth from $40 to $50 per acre, in poor
pasture, or in any condition but that which
calls for its best results, whatever may be the
crop to which it is devoted
We do not give adequate attention to srrd-
tHg our grass land Many an acre is now
mown or pastures, which never received thm-
blefull of seed from the hand Of man. 1t may
produce grass, but many other plantS-weeds,
rather, occupy u portion of the space and pay
no rent therefor Had the good seed been
sown there would have been few vacancies for
the bad. and valuable forage would have CO.
vcred the whole surface In seeding new land
too little care is given to preparing for the
seed-on new and old we SOW too small a
auantity-saying dollar in seed to lose ten
in hay or pasture. To .arieties we also give
too little heed forgetting that the different
grasses are in their prime for Only short part
of the year, and that by due mixture of va
rieties we may keep our pastures green from
RI cvrinr until the Suow covers them from
our sight.
a still greater loss results from the want
of drainage Especially is this true of our
permanent meadows and pastures, which are
generally located on land untitled for the plow
--swampy or billy, full of springs aud low pa
ces, just fitted for holding stagnant water
In low, swampy lands, where surface water
stands late in spring, the cultivated grasses
are destroyed, and flags ana rushes soon take
their place If the grass " still lives its va
lue is much deteriorated and sickly growth
is given, poor as pasture and worthless as hay.
The remedy lies in proper surface drainage,
where the situation is unfavorable to q more
thorough course of procedure. few days
work will often save largely in increase Of
grass, both in quality and quantity. On hill
ly, sprngy land, ditch to collect the water
at the fountain head, instead of allowing it
to spread over a large space, will often prove
of great benefit Many cases might be cited
but every farmer can see, in wet season,
where drainage is of the first necessity, and
where it would work wonders in the character
and value of the crops produced
Dry land in grass often suffers severely from
poverty of the soil-want of manure-aS well
as from the shallow character of the previous
culture \ deep, rich soil will stand drouth
far better and longer than hard and poor
one That culture which gives the best grain
and root crops, best prepares the land for the
a-owth of clover and the grasses Let such
la..d be deeply cultivated and we'll manu- ed
and with or after the first crop literally stock
yl % grass, and the product will be all that
caa he desired. Upland pastures and mea-
i3ws may be improved by a top-dressing of
ti2e manure or ashes, plaster, bonedust, guano,
&c. Plaster, especially, should be sown on
Young cloyer-it will increase its growth and
I'D it materially in enduring the first winter.
We must give this subject more thorough
attention There is no need of spreading our
ra,tures and meadows so thin that they cover
half our farms Make them better and we
can keep more stock or give more acres TO
other crops The more stock the more ma
nurc, the more manure the better grain, and
the greater the product and profit of our farms.
Improvement here begins at the very founda-
tion Of good husbandry and leads on to pro-
gress in the thorough culture of the whole
farm-to better crops, better stock, and bet
ter return for our labor. Let us begin the
work at once. If we have any grass lands
covered with water late in spring, now is the
time to drain them. Let us level down and
I'll up, dig out stumps and stones, and give
the ever ready grasses room to grow and flour
ish. He has been called benefactor Of the
race, who makes two blades of grass grow
where one grew before, let US deserve the name
sn hundred fold.