Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-01-16
Old Pastures, or New?

There are two opinions about pastures
One is that it is more profitable to feed
only newly seeded land, using it not more
than two years before blowing it up for
resee1ing; and the othert to let it remain
for many years, allowing the surface to
become fully occupied by the native
grasses, these being supposed to be best
adapted to develop its power of produc-
ton.
If we consider this question according
to the general practice of farming COM
munities in this country, we cannot hesi-
tate to decide that the greatest profit will
follow the first-named method, for there
is no disputing the proposition that
timothy, red-top, orchard grass, and red
clover, newly sown on a well-prepared
and well-manured soil, will produce much
more forage (and of a 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 had no artificial stimulation.
The difference in amount will be much
more than enough to repay the cost of
breaking up, manuring, and seeding.
1t is not now question whether the
cows will do better on one kind of pas
ture than on the other, only which will
produce the largest money profit. If a
single COW were allowed to roam over ten
acres of short old pasture, picking up her
whole living in white clover and the ten
der sprouts of blue grass, there is no deny
ing that she would give more milk, more
butter, and more cheese than she would if
feeding, however abundantly, on the
coarser grasses of an artificial pasture.
But our purpose in farming is not to get
the largest possible yield from our cows,
but to get the largest possible yield from
our land. The COWS are only implements
for converting the products of the field
into the saleable products of the dairy.
An average first-class COW coming in in
May will make 200 pounds of butter in
the season on good natural pasture, but
she will require at least three acres of
land for her exclusive use. At 80 cents
per pound the seasons produce will be
$60-or $40 per acre. On a good arti-
fetal pasture she may give. only 1S0
pounds, worth S54, but she will be fully
supported by the produce of single acre.
Supposing that one-third of the produce
is consumed by the interest on the extra
number of cows and by the cost of keep
ing up the pastures-which is surely a
very liberal allowance-we shall have $50
instead of $40 as the return per acre. In
addition to this, we shall make ourselves
mucn more independent or variations or
the seasons, for a wellworked rich
meadow is far less injured by excessive
drought than any natural pasture on the
same soil could be- This, of itself, will
often equal the drawback we have al
lowed for extra cost.
To put the proposition in another form
we may expect, from the foregoing calcu
lation, as large cash profit from ten
acres of artificial as from eighteen acres
of natural pasture, and there would be
far less risk of loss from unusual drought.
1t is not proposed, of course, that rough
or waste lands should be used for artifi-
cial pastures Ghey would not repay the
cost, only that such fields as are suscep-
tible of profitable subjection should not
be left wild.
How nearly natural pastures may be
made equal to artificial ones by
the use of the harrow and liberal top
dressings is a proposition not considered
| above. The cost would generally be less
than that of reseeding, and the result
equally good. In any case, no pasture
| old or new-should ever be overstocked.
Am. Ag1icultursst