Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-03-17
For the VERMONT FARNra.
TOp-dressing Dry Land.

EDIroH VERMONT FARMER: In the re-
port of the meeting Of the board, at Roches-
ter. Feb. s and Q, we read that @. H. Hub
bard "favored saving manure for tOp-dress-
ing meadows that are not too dry" Now
We are not sure what to infer from that re-
mark. We are more willing 70 think il Is
because the moist land caupot be titled so pro-
fitably, yet we are we'll aware that many far
mers object to tOp.dressing dry land because
they say it "dOn't pay" but am convinced
that it pays as well to top-dress dry land as
any other. Sheep improve an old pasture
very fast by trp-dressing the dry knolls. l
have been well satisfied in using sheep ma
nure, ashes or straw, on dry land, but never
when used moist MANURE the nature ofwhich
is to keep moist, as it evaporates too rapidly
aud soon becomes worthless
we'll remember, when little boy, that
my father spread some fax on the grass to
rot, but as it soon became dry, sultry wea-
ther, the fax wouldn't rot and remained out
several weeks, Of course the fax was sun.
burnt but it protected the grass roots through
that dry weather SO that there was decided
Improvement in the crop on that little spot
for two or three years after, although little
or Dsthing was added to the soil, except what
grass might have accumulated with the moist
ure under the fax, proving to my mind that
brakes, leaves, straw or anything Of the kind,
spread upon the meadows as soon as the crop
is taken of, are OF great benefit in protect
ing grass roots from drought. II.
WateruiVe, w., March 6, 1876.
[0ur own experience in top-drsssiug dry
lands when the grass roots are thin aud fee
BILE. 10 other words when there is poor sod,
indicates thSt it is very uncertain way Of
using manure; /; the results are 50 dependent
on the weather. When followed by moist
weather for long time, the benefit has been
sometimes satisfactory, but in cases where the
application was succeeded by drouth, there
has often been no perceptible benefit. When
there already exists good sod, the soil being
filled with hungry roots, reaching for food, a
dressing of ine manure will be Immediately
beneficial. In such cases the young grass
springing up under the stimulus Of
the manure soon shades it and its
own roots from the sun. And yet in
every instance the results depend upOu the
weather aud the soil. IL the latter is mod.
srately dry but the weather Is wet the effect
Of the manure may equal that on moist soil
in dry weather, other things being equal.
Mulching with light dressing Of straw
or coarse manure, if it is 10 such shape as to
be evenly scattered over the surface, not il
Jumps or fakes, protects the sod from th'
scorching rays Of the sun. Ths spreading oi
fax on the grass may have occurred in
very drying season, aud have saved the grass
roots from perishing by the scorching sun
while the sod on the adjacent land was i'm
} paired by this influence. Or some fertiliz
: ing matter may have been absorbed by the
, soil from the fax. Who shall sayf
; Our correspondent will note that We re
: gard the surface application of manures Il
; grass lands as depending on soil, sod an
l weather, and that top-drsssing very DR..
a lands when there is poor sod is SO unceI
! tain as not to bear unqualified recommends
r ton.