Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-09-18

Grass Lands In Autumn.


MANY farmers are remiss sometimes in
the management of the meadow lands.
Thev often feed down these late in the
snring. NOW them when the grass is quite
rine. and, when it starts again, cut Sec
ond crop, or feed down to the roots or
till the snow prevents further skinning.
This is asking too much even of the best
soils, while it is ruinous to those compare
lively lean or deficient in the means of fer
tility. Meadows stripped Of their cover
ing during the scorching days of August
re-clothe themselves but slowly at the best,
and it is manifestly unwise to strip item
bare of the protection which the aftermath
is intended to give them during the sever
ity of winter and the equally trying pc
Rod of early spring. The after-growth OF
meadows should be fed in autumn but
sparingly, and, indeed, not at all if other
means have been supplied for furnishing
stock with fodder during the fall months.
Meadows, like cultivated fields, require in
some form return of that which they
supply, and it is the opinion of many prac-
tical men that to leave q fair share of the
after growth of grass upon them in the
fall is an easy and effective way of paying
what has been borrowed, while protecting
the meadows from the rigors of the sea.
son. If, in addition to this, when the fall
rains are about to set in, meadows were
mulched with,refuse straw, muck or scrap
ings of the door and barn yards, the eff
feet would be conspicuous the succeeding
season. ra r-r "a A. .,g a.
In some casesemeadows have been so
hardly worked and i'll treated that much
of the grass has died out, leaving the sur
face spotted, caked and unproductive. 1t
xoooxr mt ha 5aciroh 1a or Draotica HE tO
break ND, cultivate and re-seed these at
once, nor is this absolutely essential to
bring them back to productive condition.
This end is often attained by generous
use of the harrow and the application OF
grass seed in the deficient places, followed
by a liberal application of fertilizing
agents. It often happens that meadow
grounds are so situated that irrigation is
practicable from the roadways or other
sources by which much invigorating mat
ter, which would be otherwise wasted, can
be distributed over the surface, causing
the ensuing season vigorous growth OF
grass for hay, and an after crop scarcely
less valuable To secure these results in
favorable locations requires but little la
Dor, but this should be seasonably done so
as not to interfere with the cropping sea-
son. Formerly the opinion prevailed
very generally that grass seed should be
sown early in the spring, and at no other
time. Experiments made at various times
by parties widely as'1nder exploded this
theory and established its opposite that late
summer or early fall seeding was the best.
1t has another advantage in the fact that
the farmer is usually less hurried with
other work soon after the close of haying
and harvesting than in the early spring
InToC Of a
meadow or pasture require to be re-seeded,
now or during the month of September is
the time to do it, Scarify the surface well
with the harrow, remove distractions to
the free play of the scythe or mower, and
re-seed and top dress literally, and a
great improvement in production will be
the consequence. ~ rf
There is another point in managing
meadows which is too frequently over
looked by their owners Many of these
have soft, yielding soil under the carpet
of turf, which in autumn and spring, when
the ground becomes saturated with water
gives way beneath the pressure of the
hoofs of cattle and horses, leaving holes il
the ground which it lacks the elasticity tt
replace with the covering essential to veg
citation. The consequence is that the sur
face is left in a rough state, and the pOwei
of production diminished by the amour
or quantity of the perforations thus rem
dered for the time being unproductive
We have seen meadows sadly abused il
this way, where numerous cattle and horse
have been allowed to range over them a
unreasonable portions of the year.
Farming lands, and especially those de
voted to grass, have found strong com
petitor-may we not say an enemy Pill
the numerous paper. mills which dot tn
country. Before it was discovered tina
straw would make paper, the farmer usfl
his straw as food for stock or as a mulcl
for his fields, thus returning to the soil
portion of what was taken from it; bu
now the paper mills compete for and gre
no inconsiderable portion of it. This di
version of considerable fertilzing agen
to a new purpose necessitates greater care
fulness in the preservation and applica
ton of those which formerly were suffered
to run to waste because deemed unneces
sary. But a small portion of the farming
land of the country will bear cropping
several successive years without losing
much of its productive power, unless in
vigorated by manurial agencies; and es
pecially is this true of meadow land
Autumn is regarded as the most fitting
season to make these applications, which
are too often deferred TO another time, o.
not made at all - Rural sNeac YOTkerrv