The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-04-20
Pastures and Meadows.
by PROFESSOR W. j. Deal.

"
about all that are sown. In the
best grazing sections of the older
parts of the United States quite a
large number of grasses are en-
ployed. 1t is too often the case
with the farmers Of Michigan that
the land is run down by field crops
without much manure. The soil is
IN bad condition, timothy and clo-
yer are sown, they do not catch
well unless the season is very ia
vorablc, time and money are lost,
tho land is plowed up again for
more crops. At best, clover can
not DO relied OH to last but two
years without resccding. Unless
June grass comes in, the remaining
timothy will not make good pas
ture.
MANAGING PASTURES AND MEADOWS.
Pastures are usually fed closely,
especially in dry time. Stock are
allowed to run in them in the fall
as long as there is green thing in
sight. The foliage is all taken off
clear down, including part of the
roots, which are left weak and ex-
posed all winter and spring. Dur
ing winter, stock ramble over fields,
killing grass under their feet. Be-
fore the frost is out of the ground
cattle are digging away at the old
turf again and treading it up full
OF holes. In this way the poor
grass is beaten and eaten and half
starved, until, after time, depend
ing upon the strength of the soil,
the grass is said to "run out" and
the field "to need breaking up"
This is not the way to treat grass
land.
Meadows are often pastured for
a fresh bite in spring, the stock are |
turned off till one crop is moved, |
and then turned back again where
they eat all off closely, as in case
of pasture just noticed. Plants, to
remain strong and healthy, need at
least little time to get nourish-
ment ahead for winter protection.
Like animals, they ought to be
strong when winter sets in.
So far as | have observed, al
most nothing has been done in our
country in the way of fcrtilizinc
and improving permanent pasture.
We hardly know the value of an ex-
ccllcnt pasture of fine grasses all
summer, because very few have such
to feed.
1t may be objected that it is all
well enough to talk about the use
OF more manure,-to manure the
grass land; but will it pay in this
country! Emphatically yes. Ire
ter you to some experiments made
by DIR. II. c. Kcdzic in topdressing
meadow, printed in our report for
1864. The outlay pays from IS to
over 100 per cent per annum. The
.opdressing used consisted in ashes,
muck, plaster, salt, COW and horse
manure. We have found at the az
'icultural college that we can make
valuable compost of muck and
manure for 25 to SO cents
cubic yard. On most farms the |
upply and value of manure can be S
rcbled as well as not by the use of
muck. Bones can be pounded up
Turing winter with a sledgc-ham- d
ncr, and mixed with ashes or fer I
nenting manure, or sown directly l
n the land. Many a dead sheep, i
orsc, or OK is buried which should il
&C cut up in pieces and mixed with
he manure. On one of the poor v
arrcn islands near the eastern C
cast of Maine, l saw the heaviest Fl
rowth of timothy l ever heard of. il
was six feet high, and had been s.
bcrally treated with fish guano. "
T IA farmer can really once believe
nat it is profitable to pay good at j
'ntion to his grass land he will III
nd ways enough to increase the il
of his fertilizers. +,
Whether it is best for farmer in
keep some of his land perma- Sc
emily to grass, or to keep all of it
nder the pillow occasionally, l can ri
ot tell; but l believe Michigan c.
lght to have more permanent pas is
nc. IF we allow the grass to re- tt
ain only two or three years at in
me, there is no use of sowing the I'll
Ter sorts, as Kentucky blue grass, w
d-top, fox-tail, or the fcscucs. he
$ to the relative value of grasses TO
ere must always DO variety of tn
cws OH account of climate, soil, til
nat they are used for, how they nc
c treated, etc. Whether it pays WI
drain land well or not, l am al IN
Dst ashamed to mention to such q
dy OF intelligent farmers as are on
re assembled. You know it pays. ha
1T we must keep repeating this as mi
ng as there is so much wet land SCI
out us which does not produce it
If a crop. 1t is not yet many in
ars since the people of Geneva, 1t
w York, made all sorts of fun of
I'm johnson for burying crockcry
his fields,-referripg to his ditch rel
with tiles. lie has lived to see NJ,
revolution in all the On,
lntry about him. ~