The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-10-20
BAREPASTURES IN AUTUMN.
American Agriculturist for Oct !.

American Agricultur1Sc Tcr Ocl- -
WHY should meadows and pss
lures be brown and bare late IN
summer and in the autumn? Lawns
can be kept green and grass plots
for late soiling may be made to
yield a good cutting in October,
sbrown October" as it has been
called. The reason is that we deal
more literally with our lawns and
soiling plots it is not that we do
not cut them close, for no grass
land is cut closer than we'll kept
lawn. It is not the climate either
which we have been so ready to
blame for our brown and dry fields,
but something in our management.
The fact is, We do not give our
grass lands a chance to do the best
they can. As we write we look out
upon grass field which has been
cut the third time, but which has
been top-dressed after the first cut
ting; and another beside it which
has been pastured since it was cut
in June. The former is in com
plete verdure, and the ground is
thickly covered the latter is a
miserable exhibition of bare brown
spots, interspersed with masses OF
ragweed, left unesten by the COWS
a fair representative of the majority
Of meadows and pastures. When
we have learned that it is possible
to make more profit from an acre
ofgrass, than from an acre of any
other crop, we shall do justice to it
and treat our meadows iberally.
Just now it is very important to
consider what this treatment shall
be. A COARSE tufty growth should
not be left on the surface, which
dies but does not rot, and is in the
way of the mower next season ; but
this cannot be removed by pastur-
ing, which would only leave it in
patches, nor by moving, which
would be ~eosel y way of getting
rid of it, unless it is considered
that the advantage would override
the expense. Perhaps to NOW over
such surface, and leave the cut
tings on the ground as a mulch
and fetilizer, might be cheap
way of disposing Of it. But the
most helpful thing to do, is to give
a fair topdressing of manure, fine
and well rotted, before the winter.
This will bewell washed into the soil
tonourish the roots, so that an early
and rapid growth will be made in
the spring, after a smoothing har-
row has been run over the surface
to break mp any Jumps that may
remain. This early growth is the
greatest advantage, because the
crop being cut before the usual dry
weather occurs, a second growth
begins Immediately, and is ready
to cut very soon after the usual
first cutting would have been made
under other circumstances. During
the hot, dry season, the soil is well
shaded and protected, and the
roots are uniniured, and when the
second crop has been gathered, a
third gets under way at once. This
ezacting treatment Of course re-
quires liberal return, and in this
case the s:liberal soul shall be made
fat" In fact, niggardliness in the
treatment Of the soil is the worst
economy while liberality is re-
turned many fold. This is es-
pecially true with regard to
grass lands, which in America, on
the average, can pasture one steer
or COW, only upon seven acres !;
while in England pastures that
will fatten one bullock per acre are
common.
The want of manure with which
we should be so liberal is the great
difficulty. But this may be man
aged by de7oting one special COM
post heap for this purpose, and en-
riching this with the addition OF
bone dust, potash salts, gypsum
or phosphate of lime and wood
ashes. If this is prepared in time
for use in the fall, and a light
dressing Of nitrate of soda and
gypsum, or grass fertilizer is given
after the first cutting, there can be
little doubt that the dry brown ap-
pearance of the fields will be
changed to 7erdure, and the barns