The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-06-28
The Pasture.

We are not writing of the field which
is seeded only for a year or two, with
clover, or, it may be with timothy
added, the chief use of which is to put
the land in good condition to bring
good crops of grain again, but of the
lot which has the never-failing stream
or spring, and where it is as natural to
look for contented, sleek looking stock
ard velvety turf, as it is rare to see the
Drowned surface of bare soil. The per-
manent pasture, how shall we make
that and keep it good? The pasture
where we look for early feed and late,
which is green and fresh when the
new clover seed is burned and dry In
midsummer, on which the cows give
the creamiest milk, the lambs get fat
test, and the steers show the smOothest
coats and hide their ribs soonest. The
art of making and keeping this kind
of pasture is too little understood by
the majority of farmers, and its profit
ia just as little appreciated. 1t is not
made in a season, though the fOunda.
ton must be laid in the seeding.
First, the soil should be well cleaned
of obtruding and worthless plants; if
too wet for finer grasses drains are
needed, and then you have often the
best of grass land. If naturally dry
and the soil thin, plenty of manure
should be worked in, for no top-dress-
ing will quite atone i'm the future, for
lack of richness in the soil. Then q
variety of seed should be sown. Each
plant has habits peculiar to itself, diff
ferent depths of roofing, different pc
RODS of ripening; some start early,
Others grow late in the season. After
the soil grows it can be made to bear,
of one sort, it still has room for Others
that are different. The long, strong,
clover root draws its substance from
the deep layers, the more tibrOus timo-
thy from nearer the surface. Orchard
grass will give an early aud late bite,
while clover will be green in midsum-
mer, and so various grasses or plants
have their best periods for furnishing
food which should be taken advantage
of in order to keep up proper success
sion from one end of the season to the
other.
Some portions of the field will also
bear certain plants better than Others
and this fact should be kept in view liz
seeding. Timothy does better on driel
knobs and upland slopes than red top
and the latter is fit for moist hollows
Ali good "Old pasture" is distinguish
ed by having large number of vari-
ties of forage plants, which if not pro
duced by seeding have gradually gained
q foothold from natural sources. This
points the course for the intelligent cui
tivator to follow when he sOws hi!
seed.
The care of permanent pasture il
another very important consideration
1t should be fed close and early enough
to prevent any of the grass plants from
seeding or even blossomiDg. Nothing
Injuries the vitality of a plant and tends
to run it out more than maturing seed
Close feeding also makes green and
fresh feed. Late in the fall there should
be sufficient growth, however, to afforc
the roots some protection against win.
ter cold. The poorer places can should
be improved by manuring, re-seeding,
and perhaps tillage with the harrow
or scarifier. Aim to get thick, rich
turf, composed of a large variety OF
useful plants over the entire field
Moss frequently gets into old pasture
and hurts it much; if this appears il
moist, rich places, 1t Is commonly
sign that drainage is needed, or per
haps heavy application of lime will
Danish it. If the moss takes possession
of the dry and poor portions of the
field, as we have seen it, it is a symp
tom of poverty in the soil and it needs
fertilizing. Perhaps the best mode o
proceeding is then to pare off the turfil
summer and manure and re-seed. Oh
such portions of the pasture an applica
ton of nitrate of soda, at the rate o
three or four hundred pounds per acre
would be found highly beneficial, ant
this minerals, indeed one the best slim
ulants that can be applied to gras
seed.
Our best pastures are the Oldest, ant
they are the best, because through age
aided by favorable natural conditions
they have attained the status indicates
above. We need not to wait for tim
to bring about these conditions, bu
maydevelop them by intelligent man
agement. As grass is the crop whicl
is worth the most money of any whicl
the agriculturist produces, it is right Ii
should give it the attention its valu
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