The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-20

The American Institute Farmers Club
discuss a variety of subjects at their meet
ings in New York and often much valuable
information is brought out from these discus
sions. An Ohio farmer inquiries what is best
to keep meadow lands in good condition. In
the Western Reserve the farmers believe in
newlv-seeded meadows. Flowing is often too
much resorted TO, more so than manuring.
Many plow so often that exhaustion is the
result, especially on clay soil. And he asks,
can we rely on manure if grazing is our main
business, and can we on clay loan obtain the
same results as in the Eastern States and get
good hay that will keep cattle and sheep
without grain?
These questions were answered by one Of
the members who SAID that it is a bad plan to
break up clay meadows often. In the fall
they are 50 cut down that many of the roots
freeze, and likely enough, cattle are turned
on IN the spring. OF course, daisies and 9TH
er weeds come in and there is little hay. In
New England snow protects the grass. He
thought there must be revolution, and the
meadow ard pastuTe-lot must 90 into winter
with a good mulch OF their own Grass. In
the spring or winter, no matter which, apply
manure evenly to the surface and then sow a
mixture of various grasses and the one which
is worth the most and most matured will
take possession. A sod must have as decent
treatment as a fat horse or it viii become poor
On sandy Or gravelly soil clover seed should
be sown.
In the southern part of Maine and along
the coast, the fields are often quite bare
through the winter, and snow does not al
ways keep the grass roots from freezing;
neither do these fields often "go into winter
with good mulch OF their own grasses" The
grass is generally eaten very closely and the
lands have poor clothing for the winter. The
northeast part of Maine and the Canadas fare
better, being generally covered with deep
SHOWS from early fall to late spring. The
spectacle is not pleasant one to see a far
mer NOW and rake over two or three acres to
get ton of hay. And yet how many do this
in our State? There is maniiestly Il want of
husbandry in such cases. True, there may
be very dry seasons when fields wel titled
will yield but small quantity of hay. But
it is great fault in farming to go over too
much land. Some farmers 90 over thirty or
forty acres to get hay enough to winter a
small stock. That is making agriculture a
hard business, and such farmers always have
hard work to make The two ends Of the year
meet. They work much halder than more
thirty farmers who are not satisfied with any,
thing short of ton OF hay to an acre, and
more frequently they cut two and sometimes
more.
The hay crop of Maine is valuable one
and our farmers ought to seek the best means
OF Increasing it every year. To the question,
how is your grass this year, the answer is
generally in the following words: "Our old
fields are slim, but the new lanis turn out
WE'LL" The answer is a true one The old
fields are indeed slim and much exhausted
having been moved several years without
dressing. They are first moved, and then
the cattle are often turned in to grub up the
very roots OF the grass. No wonder such
fields fail to produce crop worth cutting.
Now this ought not to be so. No farmer can
afford to cultivate land in such manner. If
he lacks manure and his soil is light, let him
SOW clover and plow it under until he restores
it to some degree of fertility. Such process
viii soon renovate his lands and thereafter
they will produce paying crops. But ten
chances 10 one if he sows with clover he will
NOW it, even if there is but half ton to the
acre instead of plowing it under. We have
seen such attempts made to fertilze lands
and end by cutting the grass and putting it
into the barn instead of giving it back to the
soil that produced it. Some farmers seem to
dread the idea of manuring their fields in that
way. They can't bear to see the beautiful
clover buried out of sight. But such fee lings
come from short sighted philosophy. The far
mers of Maine have it in their power to great
ly inn'esse the osop OF hay Grass is not a
very exhaustins crop anu q ii.tle ton dress;nq
will keep the fields in good condition for
long time, or until they are wanted for other
crops. little attention to these matters
win prove source OF much profit. o.