Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-08-30

! compose the substances which to the more
valuable kinds of plants are unwholesome-.
as the compounds Of iron aforementioned,
acids, ETC. But in some instances it may be
necessary to SOW the seeds of the grasses it is
wished to introduce, and we must wait till the
new crop is fairly established before we can
know fully how it will succeed.
Bushes may be destroyed by moving in
many cases it is the only way they can be de-
stroyed. Much pasture land is 50 stony that
it cannot be ploughed; and il it could be, it
is not likely that it would be thus benefited
for grass II IS the testimony Of many farm
ers that our bill pastures are better without
ploughiug; they are generally brought into
grass in the first instance without ploughing,
and it has been found that when the first sward
has been broken, and the surface reversed in
position, 50 good and permanent a swarl has
seldom been formed again. Much Of "nat.
ural moving, 50 called, in the billy parts of
this State, Connecticut etc, was never
ploughed, and it is considered better for hay
than similar land which has been ploughed.
1t is admitted that some shrubs are very
tenacious Of life but they cannot long bear
cutting close to the ground every year. in Au-
gust whether it is done in the " cid or" new ,
Of the moon. Cutting the bushes strengthens
the growth of grass, and this in turn hastons
the death of the bushes In some instances
it IS desirable to aid the grass by some top
dressing. Plaster has been used in this way
with great advantage on some Soils and as we
have before stated, it IS the cheapest appi-
cation that could be made On soils to which
it i adapted, it produces 50 firm turf that
nothing else will grow in it.
Sheep may be put on busy pastures to adj
vantage. If the bushes are cut every year,
tho sheep will crop the tender sprouts to such
u degree that it greatly weakens their vitali-
! ty; while at the same time the grazing in
creasas the growth OF the grass and white clo-
yer, which, as before remarked, tend to cX-
terminate the bushes. 1t is a somewhat sn-
guIar fact, bat one well established, that land
grazed by sheep rather improves in fertility.
There are thousands # acres oil land in " ajc5
and Scotland on which sheep have been e.,t
for thousands OF years Qoraught that is known
to ;he contrary, without the application Of
any other manure than that dropped by the
animals, and the growth Of grass is undimn-
ished There are Instances in our own coun-
try, Of sheep being kept a long time on land,
with no dimlnution in the growth OF grass.
Various experiments shoN that sheep may
be made an Important means Of improving
pastures. We have several times alluded to
the experiments Of r. s. Fay, Esq, at Lynn.
In late conversation with that gentleman,
he mentioned plan which he had in view Tor
improving a rough pasture, lying at distance
from his homestead. lie said he intended to
put on 30 many sheep that they would cat
everything that was eatabIe ou the land and
should give them oil.cake enough to fatten
then. Thus he would have the wild vegett-
ton killed, and the land made rich by the
oil-cako manure, which would insure GOOD
growth Of tie ripe kind Of heritage The
idea strikes us fayoraby; we cannot see why
something like this may not be done extcn-
siyeIy. Ii might be well to coulnc the sheep
at night by hurdles on the spots which most
need manuro-shjfing from place to place
as the req1lsltc dressing mad been applied.
1t would be well, also, to make some ex-
pcrimcnts in the application of substances MS
top-drcssings. We have already spoken Of
pastcr. Wood-ashes Icached and unoachel,
may be tried but it should be remembered
that they will not do much good On wet
land Superphosphate of lime may prove
to be cheap fertilizer on some pastures.
Any of these things may be sown at first in
narrow breodths across the fields. \ dol.
lars worth used in this way will afford u
pretty fair Indication Of the profit or loss.