The Portland daily press., 1876-09-14
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Fall Treatment of Meadows

When is it best to leave the September and
October growth on the land? l think it had
better be LETT whenever the land is not fertile
enough for one to expect his grass to fall down
before it blossoms-why? Because thick grass
which does not, in favorable season, fall be-
fore it blossoms, has not all the plant-food it
can use. Now, if the fall growth is left,snd if,
~ think, what the grass loses while ripening
enA drying on roots returns directly to the roots
Aey are in very mnch better condition to grow
In tes spring than they would be without that
hslp. AS understand it, the case is like this:
III man must do q days work upon the food
he eats before going to bed the night before
the work is to be done, it is better for him to
60 to bed full, but if he feels sure Of good
bssakfast in the morning, it is better for him
INST W eat the late supper. So with the grass;
II the land is poor, and the grass is not to be
fed in any other way, better feed it with grass
than let 10 starve.
IL seems to me that the process by which the
next seasons crop is benefited by leaving the
full fall growth of this season on the land is an
Internal process rather than an external one. 1
have never been able to find any proof that
there is any value in the fall growth as win
ter blanket, or as summer mulch.
In California have frequently seen two tons
TO the acre left on the ground from one season
70 the pext. have seen land by the side, with
nothing but the short stubble left by the now
ing machine, grow nearly as good crop as the
land not moved Perhaps there ia no place
where mulch, properly applied, is more useful
than it is in California. have often asked
myself why leaving one seasons growth did
not make more increase in the next crop. |
think with the permanent grasses of New
England, to leave the growth one season would
make perceptbe increase in the next sea-
sons crop.
Now if grass, the roet. of which live through
the winter, is benefited and the wild oats,
which grow from the seed each year, are not
benefited, the benefit cannot come from the
crop left acting as mulch, for in that case
think one crop would be benefited as well as
the other. Two or three tons to the acre left
OF land is not IN condition to operate as mulch
the frst season after being left 1t operates as
shase. Any covering of land to operate as
mulch, must be thick enough and in such close
contact with the earth that the point of contact
10 constantly kept moist
After many years of study and observation
about mulching and shading, assisting and
shseting evaporations, am at present conf
dent that the questions when to leave and when
rot to leave the September and October growth
OF grass on our moving fields can be correctly
answered from the plant-food standpoint. Ii
food is plenty, use the growth; if not leave it.
/ also think that the system of farming which
permits it to be used is in advance of the sys-
tenn which requires it to be left.
think that grass land, to do its best, should
Be msnured every year. The mechanical con-
dition OF land is important as we'll as its chem
icAl once heard . man say the chemical
composition Of Bunker Hill monument was
about right for growing csbbages; its mechan
oAl condition is not
The mechanical condition of much New
England farm land is not as it should be to get
the full benefit of its chemical capacity. So
confident am l that top-dressing grass land
every year with coarse, green manure will inn
p<ove its mechanical as well as chemical COZ
aition, that expect to work into the way of
putting sil my manure on the grass. and not
Asnuring when i plow, plant, and reseed I:
thereby reversing the common New England
practice. When get to it, / hope to report
Pssults, whether successful or otherwise
The best have seen about pasturIng now
ieg fields was the following: Gas general
Bule, it is better to avoid pasturing meadows
fk3er the growth has ceased for the season.
Dat there are exceptions to this rule. there
being some cases in which we would pasture as
closely as possible. Where the soil is rich and
the aftermath heavy, there may be mass of
dried dead stuff in the bottom next year, which
willfnterfere much with the moving, unless it
is pastured down now; for this case we would
pasture the meadow closely, and give some top
dressing if necessary, taking care to spread
the droppings of the stock evenly. Again,
strong but thin clover and grass will be
benefited by close pasturipg, by which the
stebbe will be eaten off. the coarse growth
rendered finer and closer, and the yield Of next
SEASON be improved in quality. A moderate
top-dressing of fine manure will be of more
value than all the stubby aftermath
like to NOW or feed the aftermath before
growth for the season has fully stopped, and 1
prefer coarse top-dressing to fine. With these
changes like this plan.-Massachusetts Ploay-
man.