Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-09-16
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FARM AND FIREsIDE.

| FARM AND ElRESIDE.
| MAINTAINING THE FERTILITY OF Pas
TUREs.-Dr. J. B. Lawes, of Rotham-
stead, England, presents detailed account
of his experiments on permanent pastures
in the first volume of the journal of the
American Agricultural Association, . from
from which we gather the following: The
| complicated nature of pastures, made up,
| as they generally are, of a number of k inds
of grasses, and so-called grasses, (clover
etc., and the difficulties in the way of ar
irving alta perfect knowledge of them, is
shown by the following Illustration. "a
great many years ago, a very remarkable
improvement of some pasture land, in one
of our northern counties, was obtained by
the application of large dressing of bones.
The land had always been employed in the
production of cheese, for which this coun :
| ty was celebrated. This success induced
others to use bones, and the people whose
land had been impoverished by the con-
tinual sale Of hay, could not understand
why the bones, in their case, produced no
effect, not distinguishing the difference in
the character Of the soil, it's exhaustion
due to the sale of cheese. as compared with
that caused by the constant removal of
hay" r
At the close Of the detailed statement OF
the plot experiments, DR.. Lawes says:
''The results of these experiments make it
somewhat doubtful whether hay can be
grown prohtably by means of artificial ma
nures applied to permanent pastures. With
us hay is generally grown near large towns,
and the same conveyance which takes it to
market, brings back the manure at. little
or no cost. Compared with the selling
price, hay removes more of the soil con-
stituents from the land than most of our
other saleable products. One hundred
pounds of hay will remove nearly as much
nitrogen, and much more mineral matter
than 100 pounds of wheat. These consid-
erations must all be studied when the
| question comes as to the profitable appli-
| cation of expensive manures. While,
| therefore, the evidence is somehow against
| the use of artificial manures when hay is
grown for sale it by no means fOrbids
| their employment when grass land is used
or cheese" eff land has been impover-
ished by the sale of hay, and hay is to be
sold, dung is the cheapest manure to ap-
ply; but if land so impoverished is intend
ed for the future to produce milk,
or other animal products, potash is sure to
be wanting. and the best manure to apply
will be either 200 pounds Of sulphate or
muriate of potash, or three times that
quantity of KANT salts, and, in addition to
whichever of these substances is selecJe d,
200 pounds of superphosphate of lime, and
from go to 80 pounds of nitrate of soda
If, however, the land has been impoverish-
ed merely by feeding stock. then the ex-
haustion will be more likely due to the alb
sence of nitrogen and phosphate, and fer
tility must be restored by an application
of these substances"
equality of pasture is dependent upon
the food in the soil; in land under grass
there is constant struggle going on be-
tween the various plants which constitute
what we call a PASTURE" "Hav-
ing once started permanent pasture by
means of judicious mixture of artificial
manures, the question arises whether 1t is
more economical to keep up the fertility
by fresh application Of artificial manures,
or by the manure obtained by feeding such
stock upon the land with food grown in
other localities? 1t is not easy to de eide
this point. am, myself, inclined to think
that the latter process is the most eco
nomical, and in the conversion of arabic
into pasture land-upon which operation
I have been engaged for the last ten years
have trusted to the fertilizing properties
of the manure from cotton cake to enable
me to accumulate the stock of fertility
which, being exhausted by ages of arabic
culture. had to be replaced before the land
could again become pasture.
RENEWING GRASS Ian s.-When
grass lands get run out, as the phrase goes,
the best way to renew it, unless it is very
rocky or rough land, is to break it up, and,
if it is not available or desirable for cult
walton, to manure heavily and reseed.
This month, after the hay is cut, is the
best time for breaking up sod. 1t can then
be MANFRED, thoroughly narrowed and re-
seeded with grass, or sown with rye. the
last of the month. In sowing grass seed
only those kind should be sown together
that mature together. Herdsgrass and
red top go we'll together, but orchard grass
and the other early varieties should be
sown by themselves.
Twelve quarts of herdsgrass and three
pecks of red top make very good seeding
for an acre. If herdgrass is sown alone
on very heavy land it should be sown more
thickly. so that it will not grow too rank
and coarse. Orchard grass should be sown
very thickly or it will grow in clumps.
From bushel and half to two bushels
of seed to the acre gives good result.