The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-05-24
Deer Creek Farmers Club.
PERMANENT PASTURES,


The Deer Creek Farmers Club met at the req
idence of Mr. II. F. Willis, near Churchville, on
Saturday, May 18th, and discussed the subject of
permanent Pastures; how to establish and how
to maintan them ?''
Mr.. Willis said he had not been successful in
establishing permanent pasture, and in lieu of
his own experience read from the american
Farmer an excellent essay by A. w Cheever, de
lvercd before the Vermont Dairymen's Associa-
ton.
s. NJ. Bayless said he would SOW clover and
timothy, and by top-dressing with stable manure
and bone dust the natural grass will take the
place ofany seed you sow. permanent pasture
may be kept up by top-dressing.
Henry s. Gorrell said that to make perma-
nent pasture you must pillow the land properly !;
set it in clover, manure heavily, and not pasture
too closely at first. Would never sow timothy
where anything else would grow. Would top
dress with stable manure, and did not think any
thing else would do. He had seen bone used with
good effect on grass; but it should be put on a
year before the land is plowed. Pastures can be
kept permanent. He knew field on Mr.. James
Lees place that has not been powed for 80 years,
and it is the finest grass he knew.
VIM. Webster thought that what had been
done and is being done can be done again. He
mentioned field on Mr.. John Stump's farm, at
Perryville, that has not been plowed since 1900,
and it will Craze more stock now than it would
60 years ago. That is proof that we can make
and maintain permanent pastures without ma
nuring A field on his place was plowed and he
failed TO get a set of grass. He let it lay, top
dressed it and got good set of white CLOVER
Glover and timothy are not permanent. Glover
will run out in three years and timothy will
not last over four 1t is an erroneous idea to pillow
to get permanent pasture. A permanent pasture
can be made and maintained on any soil. Would
prefer to have it convenient to the barn; but if
he had q hill side that he could not pillow, would
make it there.
VIM. D. Lee said the best piece of grass on his
place has never been plowed. tbs natural grass
and furnishes more pasture than any field lie has
1t is great benefit to eop.drcss permanent pas
ture.
r. Harris Archer.-By permanent pasture
would understand not small but a large field.
Nc doubt pastures can be made permanent, but
if q man must sacrifice the fertility of ali the
rest OF his farm to keep up this permanent pas
ture, it is mistake to do so. Mr.. Archer argued
that all the fields should be plowed once in ten
years, and all treated alike. Pastures can be
kept in full luxuriancc by top.dressing every
three or four years; but if you put all your ma
nure on your permanent pasture, you keep it up
at the expense of the other fields Mr.. Archer
thought bone dust spread on grass did but little
good
George r. Glasgow has never Kept one field
for permanent pasture If he had meadow land
he might use 1t in that way, but does not know
whether 1t would pay or not. To make per-
manent pasture he would pillow the land, manure
heavily, SOW several kinds of grass seed, and top
dress with stable manure. He thought grass
starts earlier in the spring where stable manure
has been applied Some of his fields, treated
with bone, phosphates, &C., are as good as any
land he has and his cattle fatten there as well as
where stable manure was applied.
James Lee said permanent pastures can be
maintained, and alluded to the field spoken of
by Mr.. Gorrel, part of which, on hillside,
he determined to pillow it, After hauling out
manure on it, the grass grew SO rapidly that he
changed his mind. 1t was sowed originally in
timothy, and came into natural green grass. The
way to maintain permanent pasture is to top
dress once in eight OF ten years.
Wm. Munnikhuysen believed a permanent
pasture can be made and maintained, and that il
pays TO do it. 1t is not necessary to have it at
the expense of the rest of the land. Permanent
pasture will make more and better beef and
make it faster than new grass. 1t will not need
top.dressing more than once in five years. Briars
and weeds can be killed by moving in August.
They do not iDjure the land when cut, but act
as a mulching, and benefit the grass.
Mr.. Archer thought he could tatten cattle
better on new grass than OH old.
j. IL. Ball thought it possible to make and
maintain permanent pasture without blowing.
Even waste land, with bushes, briars, &c, can
be converted into permanent pasture without
blowing. Put cattle on it, spread hay on the
bare spots and the grass will follow The cattle
will eat the leaves of the bushes and kill them,
To kill sedge grass make the land rich. If YOU
give sedge field as much fertilizer as would
bring corn crop you would make it more val
liable than to pillow it,
In relation 10 the effect of bone dust on grass
Mr.. Munnikhuysen stated that Judge Waters
had used it in that manner with decided good re-
suits.
S. M. Lee said that if he wished to make a per-
manentpastu of natural green grass he would
put the ground in high cultivation, SOW in wheat,
then in clover, and allow 1t to run into green
grass; top-dress with stable manure the second
year the clover was on. Would top.dress in from
one 10 six years with stable manure, from either
cattle or horses. The permanency of pasture
depends upon the time you take your cattle off
in the fall and turn them out in spring. If Won
turn off carly in the fall you may turn out earlier
in the spring. Permanent pasture will main
tain more stock per acre than new pasture.
Thos. A. Hays.-lf you start with sedge field |
would fertilize to get good set of clover. Turn
that down and set in timothy and clover. If You |
sow orchard grass you will not get green grass |
Would select low lands for permanent pasture.
because they can be made and maintained there |
at less cost than on high ground. 1t will pay to |
have permanent pasture, but not If you must |
sacrifice threc-fourths of your farm to keep one.
fourth in permanent pasture.
Mr.. Gorrell desired to know whether we can
have any permanent pasture but natural or green
grass. Mr.. y. NJ. Lee replied that it could be
had by sowing orchard grass, white clover or
herds grass.
John Moores said that to have permanent pas
lure he would first have the ground rich, and
.op-dress it. Then you would have whatever
grass was natural to that Soil. If you take your
,attle off In September you will not need to top
lress, and you can turn your cattle on it as early
n the spring as on any Deer Creek timothy or