Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-08-01
(For the Freoma an,
Farm Notes.

Little is said in the papers concerning
the grass crop and yet it is of the greatest
importance to the farmers of the eastern
states, and is yearly becoming more i'm
portant in the west, as mixed farming
is grown in the eastern states less
dependence will be placed on hay fol
winter feed, and it is certainly better to
raise good crop of corn on given piece
of land than poor crop of grass. How
many acres of meadow do not bear grass
enough to pay for the cutting and draw
ing to the barn, and people blame the
moving machines and the dry seasons,
telling what crops of hay the mowings
once bore, forgetting that the great crops
have so impoverished the soil that only
poor crops can be obtained until the fer
tili,y is, in part at least, restored.
Here are some figures which may help
farmers to understand why their mowings
run out. OF course they are only approx.
innate, but they give an idea of what
amounts of potash and phosphoric acid are
taken from the soil by these crops. A
ton (2000lbs) of timothy contains about
40 2bs. of potash, IA l Obs. of phos.
phoric acid; average meadow hay, 2Glbs.
of potash, Slbs. of acid; corn. Obs. OF
potash, l2bs. of acid; stalks and leaves,
l9bs. of potash, II 2lbs of acid.
No one would think of planting n field
IN corn withont mannrino if well hn,
grass is grown wear after Year cattle are
1nrned on the wow;nrs in f,ll and snrino
and not nopnd of anv kind of fer,ilize,
js mt on It ia htlessn,ss Gazing
into certain wars of fsrmino mechanics
followino them. which cnI,ses farms to
run down. The farmers of to day INNS,
read and think and experiment. or fuII
behind If one has liph, mellow sol
there is no Question ,s to what shall he
done. Plow and fertilize taking off sncb
crons as corn and wheat which leave The
land in good condition for grass Rut
some farmers nlow and mamma a niece
then crop it until thew have taken ~ much
more from the land Than was mt nm in tho
manure, Far better turn The sod over,
manure and seed down 10 o,ass withou,
anv other cron
But what shall he done with wet. heavy.
stony soilsp IF one Move Them tho Nov
will he thrown ont everv few fac, nv tho
stones The sod will not he we'll turned
and there will be grassy spots the next
wear. Then. too. in such land it is verv
diflicult TO rot the sod The land canno,
he made smooth when seeded down to
grass on this account. and often the grass
roots instead of ro,tino after the land is
broken will come mn thronoh the sod
Such land is hard 10 plow, hard TO hoe
and in n wet season like the nresent. corn
or wheat will he drowned ont IF all the
atone. con,d be ramovad and tha land
drained No donbt oood crons con,d he
orown of ora;n or so,,a,h;no, hos;dos
Srass Tb;s would ho oostlu ND whora
iTand Is low !, nr;oo and tar eron, ,,rl.a.
few f,rmers wpn,d Ger ont Of IL If ,bev
had mncb If sncb l.nd Ifo f.rn,or ~
cani,al he needs = GOOD business hos hea1 t to
MANAGE lie in vos,n ,o,,t in Jr.;,inar s,,ah
soil. IF he haze to borrow money .t Civ or
seven ner cant interest he viii he nre,tr
! no 70 fail Parh,ns ha o.n dr,;n - r ,;,,la
ev.rv ye.r nsina no sionoS Ior dr,;niun
~ n,,t1,na ,har, ;r,a vii, ana ~ IN ,in7,
NO, bis land IN aooJ shaw hn, ba nan
7ot do Tho WI ,ban Thoro nro ,,,,,,