The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-10-21
Top Dressing of Grass.


When it eeomes necessary to top
dress moving land, the question as
to the best time forces itself upon
the farmer, and he often settles it
without for moment considering
the kind and quality of the manure
to be applied. Az this has much to
the season of application, it should
be the first thing considered. When
barn manure somewhat coarse and
green is to be applied, then it must
be evident to every one who has
given the subject any attention that
it should be applied some months be.
fore it is required to furnish plant
food; for if applied in the spring, just
before the grass begins to grow, it
cannot decompose quick enough to
furnish very much substance to the
grass before moving time; but if APP
piled in the autumn, the frOsts and
sudden changes during the winter
will pulverize it and settle it down
among the grass roots, so that as
soon as warm, spring, weather comes
it will rapidly decompose and pro-
duce just the materials wanted by
the growing grass. The result will
be, as a rule, the first crop will be
muchlargerthan those where the ma
nure is not applied until spring, and
it will also have so settled down a.
mOng the grass roots that it will not
interfere with either the mower or
the rake.
If a quick acting fertilizer is to
he applied like superphosphate or
nitrogen in the form of nitrate OF
soda, it would be IL very wasteiul
practice to apply it several months
before the grass begins to grow; if
applied in the fall, much of it would
he lost before spring. But if it be
applied in the spring, short time
before the grass begins to grow, it
would change at once into plant food
and furnish Just the material needed
to make the grass grow.
If the material to be applied
be a substance like ground bone
or ashes, then little if any loss
would occur by applying it in the
autumn. In fact, experience seems
to prove that it is the best time to
apply both ground bone and ashes
as soon as the second crop af grass
is cutiin the autumn. BY so doing
the grass starts at once and grows
enough before freezing weather to
protect the grass roots and to so
cover the furtilizer as to keep it from
blowing away, and to also prepare
it for rapid decomposition when
springs opens.
Whenever barn manure is to be
applied in the spring, it should be
properly prepared by composing
with just enough of other materials
as are necessary to prevent over
heating, aud it should be pitched
over enough TO make it fine. Thus
prepared it may be applied early in
the spring with very good results,
but the labor of compOsiting manure
is such that, as rule, it does not
pay. When barn manure must be
applied as top-dressing, it had bet
ter be done in the autumn, in the
green state, and thus avoid the labor
of composing. Farmers very often
apply manure to their grass land
when the ground is fl oxen, and some
times when they have to spread it
OH the snow. This may be better
than to apply it in the spring, but
certainly not as good as in autumn.
The difficulty which the farmer en-
counters is, most of the manure is
made after the stock comes to the
barn, and therefore cannot be APP
piled until winter and spring unless
it is kept over, which is not desira-
BILE. Some farmers apply what barn
manure they have in the autumn to
their grass lands, and make up the
deficiency with commercial fertiliz-
ers, and use the barn manure made
in the winter for crops grown on
Laughed land.