Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-10-27

Why Do Our Meadows Run Out?
T. IL
Corning, Steuben Co., N. T.

In the FREEMAN of September 29th APP
pears a communication taken from the
Country Gentleman. in which the writer
seems TO think that one of the great rea
sons why our meadows do not produce AS
much grass rs in earlier times is because
of the use of machinery in securing the
hay crop. He thinks that the grass roots
are "crushed by the heavy wheels of the
moving machine" and " scratched " by
the "steel rake teeth" This is not new.
We frequently read in the papers that the
moving machines and horse rakes are
spelling our meadows think read in
the FREEMAN during the past summer that
some of the farmers in some parts OF
Vermont were giving up the use of the
moving machine, and going back to the
old scythe because, as they think, the
moving machine is injuring their mead
ows. do not remember of ever seeing
an attempt to answer the question.
Now | do not think that machinery has
anything to do with it, more than our i'm.
proved steel plows and disk harrows, etc,
have to do with our poor grain crops. We
have all heard our forefathers tell what
great crops they used to get when they
used wooden plows and harrows with
wooden teeth. In those days, when the
land was new, and before the forests were
cut away, the soil had not been worn out
by long and continued cropping. 1t then
contained all of the elements required 10
sustain good crop of grain without the
use of fertilizers, as is required at the
present day. Then the farmer only needed
to stir up the soil with his wooden plow
and scatter the seed. Nature would do the
rest; and while his grain would be grow
ing so luxuriantly, needing but little, if
any of his care, Gas it does at the present
time) he with his ak would be clearing
away the forests to make room for more
land to till; and so it has gone on from
year to year, each succeeding generation
seemingly vying with its predecessor to
see which should destroy the most timber,
But what has this to do with our meadows
think it has great deal more to do
with them than the moving machine, as
regards the point of injury. Every farmer
knows that grass needs good deal OF
! moisture, and it has been proved that the
cutting away of the forests in such a
wholesale manner is the great cause of our
| frequent and extended drouths. This,
think, is one of the main reasons why we
| do not get more grass; and then they have
become worn by continual cropping until
it now requires all the ingenuity that Il
| farmer has to meet the strain on the soil
| caused by 50 long usage; and then if he
has not the ingenuity to do it, the next
easiest thing is TO lay it to the new fan
gieu machinery "'tnout s,oPp'h? 10 M
qulre INTO Tue cause. 90 ne nays "si,'e MS
lnacninery' anu goes nach mo Iue Soo,
olu pou anger Gays Una, ne mas he''rn
'ell ABOUT, "neh lolHs l,Veu 9eSS rs WE'LL
ana olhh nave 10 "orh naI ;'S 'laru,
When our moving was dohe WIN II
'cythe II IS true that good deai OF the
grass became ripe before IL couln ne al,
cut, and the seed would be scattered, and
so help the meadow lhe next year. where
[rass Is so ieit II mas out 'lI'ie nutritious
matter IN 1t, so thlnk that Is one argu-
mrnt IN FAVOR OF the machines
III necessary SEED can ne SoWed aiter
Ille crop is harvested therehy saving the
waste that would come from allowing IL to
scatter itself. Ii The moving machine
wheels inJure the roots (Which doubl),
then use the Eureka moving machlne,
''''SA 49, H'S N''SI 'N - '-NN'N - "'
One-haIf AS much ground AS other ma
chimes; and again, our improved sulky
rakes do not scratch the ground but II
they did l think 1t would do no harm
Many of our best farmers harrow their
meadows and find that 1t benefits them.
think the writer In the country de'tIe'
nun is in error, too, when be says that
the grass cut with scythe is "cut with n