The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-01-23
MORE OF GRASS AND SHEEP.

ment.
Town Point. Jan. 1878.
MORE OF GRASS AND SHEEP.
From Tie Maryland Farmer.
venture to say, that in no way can
an old field which we wish to improve.
be more economically and surely brought
into profitable use than by stocking it
to the extent of its feeding capacity
with sheep, and treating it as here sug-
gested. How one who is abundantlv
able, may best prepare for seeding a
timothy lot, was not on my mind, but
the " old fields around our old homes,
that they may be green with grass
again and alive with sheep and cattle
To bring this to pass, and at the same
time to LIVE, to make a living and to
pay interest and taxes, is the problem
that thousands of our land-holdcrs in
MARYLAND, Virginia and elsewhere. are
struggling in an almost hopeless effort
to solve. To such as these, high-farm-
ing, and Intensive agriculture and
all the WAYS and means of Alderman
Mechi, are but vanity and vcXation.
But sheep and grass are far otherwise.
These are good, familiar creatures, and
are not far away out of our reach
What man so poor that he cannot buy
twenty ewes, and what field so impover-
ished that it will not furnish them grass.
How the sheep multiply and how the
grass still grows The more sheep the
more grass, and the more grass the
more sheep. The sheep is that bcne-
factor, worth more than all the race Of
politicians, that "makes two blades of
grass to grow where but one grew
before
1t is grazing rather than moving
ground therefore, and hill sides and
hollows and all the face of the country
made green again with turf, in the
interest of which | urge the less costly
top-drcssing process as against the ex-
pensive preparation demanded for
moving lot. The moving lot may
yield as much grass from one acre as
my pasture ground from three, but
ers, the sheep, would rather gather it
from three than one. On the other
hand the same cost that was put upon
the one acre has put a sod upon three,
which thickens and grows from year to
wear without my further help, and at
the same time feeds my sheep. 1t is
otherwise with the moving ground
Now this extensive system of
Improvement is designed for those who
have more land than they can provide
labor and manure to work profitablv
themselves. They rent their surplus
land to the sheep, keeping only so much
for the plough as they have means to
manure and to work in the best man
ner, or on the intensive " svstem.-
The more sheep they can keep, the
richer they can make their tobacco lots
or moving lots, or whatever they NAV
fancy and the larger profits they will
make on their labor. Much good adj
vice is thrown away, perSuading people
to sell their surplus land, and conline
themselves to small farms What is
it worth if there is nobody to buy the
surplus and no money to pay for it.
Much ado is made about bringing in
immigrants, who may he very worthless,
and very vicious, and who wont come
while sheep are sure to do their work,
are very harmless, and will come at a
word.
\ few words as to our native grasses.
We are too apt to suppose, when we
have not tried it, that our lands are not
adapted to pasturage. We envy those
whose fine grazing lands we hear of,
and rest in the belief that such posses
sions are out Of our reach We do not
bear in mind that such pastures have
been many years in the process of for
nation. One Of the writer's above men
toned speaks of twelve years as a
period through which the native grasses
will be thickening and improving, and
we know that such pastures are so
priced that through fifty, and even some
times hundred years, they are not
touched by the plough. But in all
our corn and tobacco growing region,
through greater length of time, "to
Mil Tic SidSS Has btcli all our sum
mer work. Yet we still find it creeping
in, and our little wirv bluegrass, the
best of all grasses perhaps for sheep,
is only plague and a trouble. We
know too that in every fence corner and
by every road side and on every lawn,
wherever there is protection against the
plough, our native green grass and
white clover, and with little moisture.
herds-grass and others, soon take pos
session. Give them the same protcc-
ton in the field and little dressing Of
manure to start with, and we get at
once sheep pasture Of the best sort
that will improve indefinitely This
need not hinder sowing orchard grass
or other, that will give greater bulk and
suit better for moving, bat for sheep
pastures these are not necessity. Nor
in either case, let me repeat here, is it
NECESSARY to plough deeply or manure
heavily before seeding The seed on
the surface and the manure on that, |
do not assert is the best thing to do, |
do not know that it is not but it is a
good thlng,-a great deal better than
nothing. \. b. WoRTuINGroN.
To AVOID GREASY BUTTER.-L. b. |