The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-30

Correspondence Country Gentleman.
1t is very probable that wheat is more rap
idly and completely exhaustive of the soil
than grass, especially where the latter is fed
| upon the farm, but l doubt very much
whether grass effects any permanent i'm
provement in fertility. l have seen many
excellent results from clover, but it has been
on land kept in grass only one or two years
at fartheSt Glover is biennial, and makes
| the most growth it is capable of in few
months. Its roots strike deep into the sub
| SOIL while the broad leaves and bending
stem mulch the surface. 1t is very possible
| that clover really increases fertility. At
! least, it is quite certain that after lying in
clover year a field has more available plant
food than it had before the clover was
grown. But to keep a field in permanent
grass, either meadow or pasture, requires
something besides clover After one or two
years the gain i'll fertility OF timothy or
June-grass sod is so slight as to be inappre-
ciable, no matter whether the land be pas
tured or moved. If the latter, | believe the
decrease in fertility, except on land yearly
overdowed or otherwise manured, is as rapid
as. IN ordinary systems of grain growing.
As long ago as can remember, fifty-acre
field was bought by good farmer of man
who had kept it always in grass, and mostly
pastured, as it had never been plowed more
than once or twice. and was loo rough to
NOW. Everybody said the new field would
prove immensely profitable under the new
management as its fertility had never been
exhausted by grain growing. The new owner
thought the same. To his surprise, the new
virgin" soil would not produce, and did not
for several years produce, as well as his long
cultivated fields. 1t had never been covered
or MANFRED except from the droppings of
animals, and these were so scattered that not
even a tenth OF the ground was covered. The
field was not wet as it has since shown hut
the valuable grasses soon ran out and for
years before it came into the hands of its
present owner it was covered with moss
showing a cold and thin soil. There was very
little to pillow under at first, but after cultiva-
ton few years. and seeding with clover, it
gradually improved, and is now as fertile as
any soil in the neighborhood
We borrow many of our ideas about keep
ing land in permanent grass as a means of
improvement, from English farmers, who
are used to a climate radically different from
ours. The extreme summer droughts to
which our grass lands are subjected never oc-
cur in England In the moist climate of the
British isles pastures or meadows never suf-
Ter lack of water and the grass, If moder-
ately fertlized, grows thicker every year.
and with presumptiye increase of fertility.
Hence the reverse is the fact If land is
seeded with clover only, one full years
growth is the time when the land is best fitted
for blowing. After that the clover will die
out, and weeds or June grass take its place.
If timothy seed is sown the land may be left
a second year in grass, but with little if
any increase in fertility. The grass
takes more from the surface soil
than the clover does, and is less
valuable to pillow under for green manure.
The porous condition of soil which cultiva-
ton produces is much more favora BILE for
developing plant food than soil can be if
firmly bound in grass and impenetrable to
light and air. In very wet summer there
will be less difference, but in ordinary years
frequent blowing, provided a due propor-
ton of the crop is returned as manure, is
preferable, as a means of maintaining fertil-
ity, to keeping the land in grass, either for
pasture or meadow. The experience of
farmers who have made hundreds of loads OF
manure by growing, soilipg or ensilaging
crops, shows this to be much more favorable
both to fertility and profit than relying on
haV or Dasture