Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-01-25

Malt,Geld Farmers Club.

REPORTED rY TuE sboE.rAug.
Qaeaioa for aiscussioa Jomqyy9H --" Hac
shall zee Test iavore orr Grass Laads ?
W H. WMump5r who was to open the dis
cussion, asked if the subject included tho man
agcmcnt Of pasture lands, aud il was decided
that it did lie then said that the subject
was one of the greatest Importance to us as
grass mast be our main crop in this State.
We could not hope to make it profitable to
raise large quantities Of grain as at the West
lie thought that pastures grown up to briers
and raspberry bushes would be greatly benc-
fitted by stocking them rather heavily with
sheep for few years and gave several ex-
amples Of the Improvement Of pastures by this
means
In regard to moving lands he thought it a
good plan to apply ashes to banks aud other
places not easily powcd, to keep up the fer
tility Also that by applying ashes aud
plaster and raising crop Of clover and turn
ing it under, mach benefit might bo derived.
though he had never tried It, Top.dressing
worked well in many cases. lie thought
well Of breaking up land, manuriug, plant.
ing to corn, and then seeding to grass in the
fall Finally, we should save all the manure
possible by using for bedding, muck, leaves,
saw dust, or any thing else that will absorb
tho U,uiI mont 81 th., ,,,uurn
r. II. BARNARD asked advice ia regard to
piece Of cold, clayey land said he had
about made up his mind to pillow it up, man
ure to corn and seed to grass in the fall.
Also that he thought Of summer ALLOWING a
piece Of rough pasture land.
Jcsrm HoLDEN said that he had tried
spreading ashes upon moving land, and had
seen some benefit from them, but did not
think it would pay to buy ashes for that pur-
pose.
lie did not favor top-drc..iug. Thought
it better to pillow land often, and put on a
medium dressing Of manure, than to plow less
frequently and apply larger coating,
o. c. WILDER thought it would pay TO
buy ashes at fifteen cents bushel aud gave
some experience in their use, but said that
his experiments were less accurate than he
could have wished, aud he thought that it
was one great failing in farmers to 60 along
in a kind Of hap-hazard manner without
knowing whether any particular operation
was profitable or not, when by little more
accuracy they might soon determine it.
He did not think much Of top-dressing,
but thought that we could get the value Of
manure much better to pow the land and
then apply the manure
Ous WALLACE did not think that i, would
pay to buy ashes at fifteen cents per bushel
to spread upon grass land, but did think that
it would pay to buy them at that price to put
upon plow land. Had practiced blowing up
grass land soon after haying putting on about
twenty loads Of manure to the acre, and i'm
mediately rcseeding it to grass aud had OBJ.
tanned his rery best crops Of grass in that
way
d. c. BARNApp did not believe in top.
dressings gave the experience of friend who
tried and abandoned the practice.
Il. A. Fisk said VIC should not condemn top.
dressing unfortunately on account Of few
failures. Gave somc experience whore it did
not prove successful but that upon most land
where the grass was not bound out top
dressing Of fine manure, applied in the fall OIL
early in the spring would prove highly bcue
fetal. If we would improve our grass crol
we should use our manure for the Jeqef o
me grass, and not till our land after applying
manure until tho strength Of the manure il
exhausted, and then seed to grass, oxpectin.
to have good crop. Toimproye pastures
he would have them divided, keeping sheer
in one few years, and then changing theu
to another pasture, and putting in cattle
+. j. GREEN gave some experience in top
dressing which did not prove profitable
Said he thought the plan spoken of by Mr.
Wallace Of blowing, manurng aud re-soedinl
Immediately, was an excellent one to improv
the grass crop, as less than half the quantit
which we usually applied to a piece pante
to corn would produce the best Of results.
Several of the members then spoke tn
second time, and the general opinion soeme
TO be against top.dressipg as a rule, -tha
the plan pursued by Mr.. Wallace was goo
one and also that ofbreaking up land planting
to corn and re-soedns to grass in the fall
which plan had been tried to a greater o.
less oxtcpt by most Of the members present