Ellsworth American., 1876-05-25
tarm anD houstboln.
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The hay crop must be increased for TWO
.easons.-to get stock and to get manure.
How shall this be done: i there good
-z-l farm whose yield Of haY Is Two tons
to each acre moved: There you Will lind
stock mature and crops TO correspond.
" ..at treatment do the hay fields common
Is receive: Il is severe and >4d truth
that no other crop Is sighted half so much.
stones that can be easily dragged Of. or
buried. lie where grass roots should be,
chilling tie scythe and preventing the use
ut machines. Clumps % bushes are su!-
fercd 10 stand. fast spread, or if eat their
up,ta-fiug roots. and unburnt brush re-
main. Sprawl.ng stumps are thickly scat
tered. many occupying each E square rod
/, !, bad enough TO put upon the tender
'lrt team in having time, but on some
fields IN the fall, III the winter thaw. and
even iu early spring, cattle aud horses are
allowed TO tramp, II the >oI j. hard i
should not be jAmmed harder. II son the
ze Of the foot i every time pressed Down
from two to x inches. Killing many grass
roots Jrujsluy many other, The sod 30
crushed dies. The dirt above gradually
il, ub the hole. and the surrounding gras,
-pread, over il. Heavy stock for many
Gays thus punch, punch. punch. For every
lp0 lbs Of grass eaten. 400 Of next year.
hay j. cut OF. The hoof- destroy four
times what the mouths save 4 fine mead
ow, swale, or run. i wet and messy, yield
Ing only the coAr>est grass. and in winter
frozen into ice. The wash OF upland has
been drenching It. The soil Is dark and
rich but must be warmed and sweeteued
then the sJoutest hay will grow here. To
get heavy crops OF herdsgrass and redtop
L only needed draining and good coat Of
top dressing. 4 single drain viii often do
wonders. Five or ten days labor will
sometimes drain acres. Yet this best land
.ir, dead. The 30 or 80 acres Of mowin.
are MANFRED By patch being ploughed
each year and put into potatoes or grain
aud similar patch laid down to grass.
In this way ii takes fifteen years to 90
once over the field and no wet parts at
thai. When the last section is seeded the
first i run out and the remainder OF life
may see this done once more. Wheat i
not expected 10 grow without manure, nor
are vegetables and fruiss, 20 they get near
ly all. very little goes upon the field.
Does manure depend on hay: But that
i falling aud stock must be less. The
process Is gradual. The soil every year Is
more exhausted. The grasses struggle
long and hard for life. \ wet season re-
wives them. Ia dry one they die. Some
inger sill the practice is stuF the crops
and starre the hay. In ten thousand cases.
such j. the fatal treatment given to the
grass cop in the State OF Maine. The
best way 10 apply manure to bay field.
Hummocky. nubby ground should be
ploughe1 and planted year or two. well
dressed then seeded and rolled. smooth
fields should be top dressed. The cutting
Of grass is unnatural. stops iis growth.
endangers lis life. bieeds the plant and ex-
poses the roots 10 burning sun. Roots
OF herdsgrass often so shritel and perish
and the next spring are called "win.sr
killed" Pasturing Is different. The ground
j. not laid bare, the grass not SO mature
when bitten of.
Fine manure spread among grass roots
after hayiug shades the roots and holds
moisture around them, side shoots are
thrown out and seeds sprout. New plants
are formed and the old ones recover. A
vigorous growth is made. Spring finds
them strong, healthful, supplied with nour-
ishment. and ready to produce twice or
thrice the previous weight.
One hour in winter midday melts the
surface. then biting night seals it like
flint. By these quick. terrible changes the
bayfield, loses greatly; but coat Of man
ure spread after haying covers and pro-
tects hundreds OF thousands Of roots.
The common grasses root In the surface.
Sods holding half q dozen varieties are
only two or three inches thick. Clover
strikes deepest The only richness that
can benefit grass must be where the roots
are. That below does the grass no good.
Manure does not rise but sinks. Ifploughed
in one-half will be below the reach of the
plant. If surface-spread it settles directly
among the root fibers and so is all con-
verted into hay. To raise hay one cord
of manure used as top dressing is worth
far more than two ploughed under. Top
dressing is a protection against droughts.
An inch of compost spread evenly over
grass will keep the roots wet enough to
produce full crop in the dry times.
Iumpy. strawey manure should not be
used The Jumps kill the grass under
them and afford a nest for bugs and worms
which eat out the life. The Jumps often
harden and obstruct the scythe and are
rakad up with the hay. Spots may De-
soupd in many fields where the grass is
ro,a the dirt is bare. Throw over these
: dressing of manure, then sow grass seed
IA brush II in. II this is done In spring
Or Immediately after haying the grass will
have made a good growth before winter
:, Is loss 10 spread manure on grass in
winter The ground is solid with frost.
r, doas the grass no good till spring, and
,,., time storms have carried on the