Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-06-20
WORN OUT PASTURES

/
Must either hold his pow or drive.
No doubt this time-honored maxim is
true as a rule, but there is one exception
at least, for Judge Crossett, of Duxbury,
secures some of the most thrifty plowing
without doing either. Nor does his hired
man, or any servant or agent for him put
a hand to the pillow or guide the team.
And, moreover, they often plow lands
that an ordinary team could not reach
old worn out pastures rough and rocky,
and SO covered with brakes that the grass
is completely crowded out The Judge
took me up to his field to see these tillers
of the soil that furnish their own board
and camp on the ground where they la
Dor, as well as manure the land where
ever they work A portion of his pas
| ture that had grown up to brakes and
briars was fenced off by itself, and here
was the queen of the field with all her
train busily tearing up the mould making
| it as mellow as an ash heap, and follow
! ing each brake root until the last vestige
was consumed Likewise the briars were
destroyed root and branch, leaving the
ground behind them thoroughly pillow
ed that even the stones were thrown up
from their beds, some boulders as large
as twelve quart pail A little below
this was another field where they had
been at work the fall before Here a half
dozen shotes had been put upon an acre
of brakes and briars the first of August
and by the middle of October the whole
was completely ,plowed, every brake and
briar taken out by the roots, while the
shotes had gained in flesh and were in
thriving condition. The next spring the
Judge planted this to potatoes and fenced
of about five acres that was completely
covered by brakes and briars with here
and there n patch of grass that had near
ly run out for want of manure. He put
in a SOW and twelve shoats, scattering a
little corn among the brakes, the first
day or two; after that they had no other
feed They began in the midst of the
thickest portion of the brakes and briars
making clean work as they went and, feed
ing on these roots and the patches of grass,
were soon in very good flesh. This field
was on a steep hillside where it was al
most impossible to draw manure. and the
patches of grass had been moved over
But these shotes were covering them with
top dressing that would completely re-
store the land to its original fertility. 1t
is well worth going fifty miles for any
farmer to see them work There are hun
dreds of acres of land i'll this vicinity that
is 50 completely covered with brakes that
not one spear of grass can grow. Once
it was excellent pasture, but the brakes
have crowded in year after year, and the
land being too rough and stony to pillow,
there has seemed to be no remedy but to
''fall back in good order" and give the
brakes the field. One farm that formerly
kept dairy of twenty-five cows now can |
keep no more than twelve on account of |
the brakes overrunning the pastures. |
And how TO prevent it has been difficult |
question. Judge Crossett has solved the |
problem. Fence in few shotes and give |
them nothing else TO eat SO that they Will |
be obliged to tear up the brake roots or
starve-'root hog or die-and very soon
the brakes and briars will give place to
good crop of grass. But be sure that
you give these plowmen plenty of pure
cold water. This is Indispensable. 1t is
not every farmer that knows how neces-
sary it is for hogs to have a plenty of
pure water. Now do not these facts
teach us that we must go back to some of
the old land marks from which we have
departed BY pasturing neat cattle e1-
there are high knolls and steep
that become worn ont and bar
ren, besides rough rocky land where the
brakes and briars are crowding year by
year. A few sheep will nip the grass on
the high knolls and in every nook and
corner, biting close and loosening the
roots as well as giving it good dressing
of manure. Then again, the hogs that
are out plowing the ground and destroy
ing the brakes and briars Will be quite as
healthy as those that are shut up in pens
to wallow in mud and filth.
GEO. W. KENNEDY.
Waterbury, June 9th, 1879.