Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-08-03
MANAGEMENT oP GRASS LANDS.

In a former article it has been stated
that it is injurious to pasture our grass
lands too close at any season OF the year,
but more injurious in the spring and sum-
mer than in the fall and winter In the
spring the grasses are putting out new
roots in all directions, whose growth will
depend upon the amount of grass we leave
above the ground All good farmers insist
that pastures should be permitted to have
a good start in the spring before turning
on the stock, and the aboveis the principal
reason for the practice Later in summer,
if the pastures are fed too close, the roots
are injured by the heat and drouth. Not
only therefore, do stock do better on past
ure that is kept up to " full bite," but
given number of acres so managed will
support more stock and produce more grass
in a season than the same number of close
ly cropped acres.
As general practice, grass in pasture
lands should not be allowed to go to seed,
as it weakens the vigor of the roots, and
exhausts the soil know it is very diff
cult to prevent this without feeding too close
in the early part of the season, especially
with the Kentucky blue grass.
| have found the Improvement of old
pasture lands by top-dressing exceedingly
difficult. On heavy soils the application OF
lime and wood ashes is recommended
But upon such lands when the grass fails,
am satisfied that the better practice is to
plow them up. We cannot have good
grass with hard surface, and to get rid of
this difficulty with clay lands, would re-
commend an application Of barn-yard ma
nure and swamp muck (where it can be
had) spread out, say in September or Octo-
ber, after which, as soon as possible, plOw
to the depth of eight inches.
If the soil is of fair quality, we may take
off crop of corn the next season, thus
giving the land the benefit of the action Of
the frost through the winter, and the sun
upon our fallow crop in the summer, both
of which are necessary to produce that mel
low condition Of the soil without which we
cannot expect to have a good permanent
pasture. AS the corn crop cannot be got
! off i'll time to SOW the grass with wheat i'll
| the fall, the common practice is to sow oats
the next spring, and wheat with grass seeds
in September In this case we should ap-
ply we'll rotted barn-yard manure to be har-
rowed in on the surface with the wheat.
At the practice of keeping manure until
fall is not to be recommended, the sod may
be broken up in fall OF winter without ma
nure, and after the crop of corn is taken off,
the manure may be hauled out on the land
the next winter (when the ground is not
too soft deposited i'll heaps, and spread out
in the spring and plowed under deep, when
we plow for oats. The plowing for wheat
will bring the manure again near the sur.
face, just where we want it for the benefit
of the grass crop,
| have been experimenting this spring
with plaster of Paris on meadows. The
application was made the Goth of April, af-
ter the clover, timothy and orchard grass
was pretty well up. The result has been
most satisfactory. We sOwed it in the
morning while the dew was on the grass
at the rate of bushel to the acre. Now
(June 2d) the difference between the grass
where we have made the application, and
the portion we skipped, is remarkable, both
in the color and the quantity of the grass
1t seems to me that the plaster will increase
the crop at least one-third The effect is
the most striking upon the clover, though
il has greatly increased the growth Of the
other grasses The land is a clay loan
pretty stiff, upon limestone rock--BUcKEYE
in Ohio Farmer