The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-11-27

PERMANENT PASTUREA
nav rhsy May He Mads More nsasiifsl
and Pront~bis Than They Now Are.
Americans travelling in England are
sften enthusiastic in their admiration
Of English permanent pastures, and
Englishmen. in turn, who come to this
country, are sometimes at loss to
know how we can keep cattle at all
upon such poor pastures as they some
times find here upon our dry hill sides.
A subscriber to the Former, recently
returned from England, has been at
tempting to describe to US an English
pasture, as he found it at its BEST on
one of the noted stock farms in the
southeastern part of the Island. Such
luxuriance, such depth of velvety YER
1ure, he had never seen before, not
even in the best pasture in the best
natural grass districts of Vern ont.
Nor did he ever at home see such noun
tains of flesh and fat as he found ;azily
grazing in these luxuriant pastures.
To the question we put to our friend,
can such pastures be made in this coun-
try, he answered.: Eyes, not q doubt of
it, He said that the Englishman
secuted the idea of keeping his cattle
upon grass alone, even in June past
nre where the feed was foot high, and
as thick as mat, but was giving them
oil meal or cotton seed meal in
large troughs in the open air,
and where the cattle could help them
selves to it at pleasure. Conditions in
alike. Here land on the average is low
in price, there it is high; here the eli
mate is sunny, there it is foggy much of
the time. and just suited to continual
growth of the grass crop. Here the
winters are long, and our farmers give
great attention to grass for hay, and
to other crops grown for feeding in
stables in winter. There the cattle are
in the open air nearly the whole year
through, and obtain a far larger part
of their living from the pasture feed,
turnips being extensively grown for
winter feeding in the field. Natural
pastures in England are rarely ploughed,
and the very best land is devoted to
pasture. 1t is believed that pasture
grows better as it grows older; the sod
getting thicker, and the variety of grass
greater. Here our pastures are often
the rough lands that are too stoney, too
steep, or too poor to plough and cul-
tivate. They are fed with no regard
whatever to improvement, nor even
to keeping up their present state of fer
tility. They are over-fed in dry weather,
and under-fed ut other times. Bushes
and weeds get in aHd spread without
any effort being made to exterminate
them. 1t may not be possible for ell
farmers to have as good pastures as are
in England, but many might have most
excellent ones, if they would treat their
lands as the English farmers treat
theirs.
Our best pastures would neeu to be
made on lands which are now little
too wet for cultivation. There are
many thousands of such acres, now
half grown up to bushes, which only
need understanding to render them the
best lands we have. Thorough damage
will put them in condition to I've pas
tured at any time sfter the ground
settles in spring, without having the
sod ruined by the trampling of amin ais.
After draining they should be ploughed
and thoroughly cultivated for year ut
least, and MANFRED heavily, especially
if crop be taken in the time. We
would prefer taking off no crop; early
In August we would sow a variety of
seed suited for pastures; Kentucky blue
grass, orchard grass. meadow fescue,
white clover and red top would be the
leading varieties. The next year we
would turn in only young cattle that
would tread the ground lightly, and we
would not feed close The second year
cattle little heavier might be turned
in, and the third year would give good
firm sod. The after treatment would
be moderate ,pasturing, heavy feeding
of the animals with grain, and an
occasional dressing of fine steamed bono
and wood ashes, especially if mich
COWS were kept in the pasture. There
is no doubt that such method would
produce rs good pasture as our Amer
lean climate would allow of being made.
The next question is, would it pay? As
q rule we do not think it would. That
is to say, a field treated in the way we
have described would pay better as now
ing than as pasture, except where
pasture is wanted for keeping very
choice cattle that require exercise for
maintaining them in the best of health.
A field treated as we have described,
would produce three or four tons of hay
per acre ut two cuttings. In pasturing.
much is soiled and injured by tramping
of feet, and by pulling up while feed
ing. Then there are the unavoidable
accidents, worms that eat off the roots,
ice that kills in winter, and drought in
summer. The English landlord values
his acres, and the English farmer his
fat animals, more than either values the
laborer that does the work. and earns
the money to pay the rent. With US
land is of less consequence than the man
who tills il, or the man who is support
ed by the crops produced. As popula-
ton increases and land grows scarce.
we shall learn to use it better. Il would
pay to treat it better now than most OF
US do.-N e. Farmer.
DIISC WITH GREAT hEAn