Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-05-29
AarifnIttra1.

OLD PASTURES OR NEw?-There aretwo
opinions about pastures. One Is that 1t 10 thore
profitable 10 feed onlY newly seeded land, using
1t not more than two years before blowing 1t up
for reseedng and the other to let 1t remain
for many years, allowing the surface to become
fully occupied by the native grass, these being
supposed to be best adapted to develop lie pow
er of production. ..lt...
If we consider this question according TO the
general practice Of farming communities In this
country, We cannot hesitate 10 decide that the
greatest profit will follow the first named meth
cd, f'r there is 10 disputing the proposition
that red.top,orehard grass and red clover newly
sown OH well prepared aud well inanured soil,
will produce much more forage (and Of highly
nutritious kind than will close turf Of blue
grass, white clover, ETC., which has for many
years had full possession Of the ground, and
has no artificial stimulation. The difference in
amount will be much more than enough to re-
pay the cost OF breaking up, manuring and
seeding.
II is not now question whether the cows
will do better on one Kind Of pasture than on
the other, only which will produce the large st
money profit. If a single COW were allowed to
roam over ten acres Of short, old pasture, pick
ing up her whole living in white clover and the
tender sprouts Of blue grass there Is no denying
that she would give more milk, more butter and
more cheese than she would If feeding, how
ever ablndanfly, on the coarser grasses Of An
artificial pasture. But our purpose In farming
is not TO get the largest possible yiel1 ffom our
| cows, but to get the largest possible yisld from
our land. The cows are only ip plements for
converting The products Of the field into the
saleable products Of the dairy.
An average frst-class COW coming In May
will make 200 pounds Of butter in the season
Oh good natural pasture, but she will require at
least three acres Of land for her exclusive use
| Al thirty cents per pound, The seasons produce
| will be $40, or $40 per acre. On good artifi-
| ciai pasture she may give only $50 lbs, worth
SD, but she will be fully supported by the pro.
duce Of single acre. Surprising that one-third
| Of the produce Is consumed by the interest on
the extra number Of cows, and by the cost OF
| keeping up thu pastures which is surely very
liberal allOwance-we shall have thirty-six dol
lars Instead Of twenty as the return per acre
| In addition to this We shall make ourseN es
| much more independent Of variations Of the
seasons, for well-worked rich mesdow Is fiii
less injured by excessive drouth than any nat
ural pasture on the same soil could bs. This,
Of itself, will often equal the drawback we have
| allowed for extra cost.
To put the proposition In another form, we
may expect, from the foregoing calculation, u,
large cash profit from ten acres of artificial a:
from eighteen acres OF natural pasture, and Their
would be far less risk of lCss from, unusual
drouth. II is not proposed, Of course that rougl
or waste lands should be used for artificial pas
lures (they would not repay the cost), only tina
such fields as are susceptible of profitable sub
lection should not be left wild.
How nearly natural pastures may be mad
equal to artificial ones, by the use Of the har
row aud liberal top dressing is proposit on no
considered above. The cost would general
be less than that of reseeoing, and the resu
equally good. In any case, no pastuie-old O
. | new should ever be oveTstocked.