St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-10-03
MOVING LANDS.
The Fertilization Necessary to Secure Bes-
Results.

in consequence OF the chaLacocA W Cno
soil. it becomes better to adopt, some
other means of restoring lost fertility
than by blowing and fertilizing growing
crops. It'll to be expected that by the
usual mode of treatment of moving
lands, they will gradually deteriorate'
although by proper treatment the rate
of deterioration from year to year ought
to be very small. It is by means of
abuses that serious results are produced,
and often when we have seen moving
lands fed by stock so closely that the
coil is almost disturbed in the attempt
to feed more, we cannot help thinking
that a penny wise and pound foolish
nolicy has been adopted. No soil can
be deprived of crop of hay, and then
of the aftermath, and finally, and on the
approach Of winter, fed closely, year
after year, without being greatly re-
duced. And if, as is more generally the
case with average farms, the soil is only
sufficiently fertile to produce one good
crop in the season, then the case be-
comes very much worse; and we intend
no injury to farmers, nor do we desire
to underestimate their efforts in saying
that such is the tendency to large ex-
tent. One reason why moving lands
are as closely fed as they are is because
the pasturage is not brought up to that
productive condition that is necessary
to maintain good feed through the aver
aoe dry season, and becoming short it
the practice of the average farmer to
make up the deficiency by turning his
stock upon his moving lands. Pastur-
age in many portions of New England
is a sort of independent institution; that
is, it is composed largely of the rougher
portions of the farm, and such as could
not, without the putting forth of great
labor, be brought under profitable Gull
tivation, or at least form any part OF
systematic course of rotation; and so,
from the feeding year after year, with
scarcely thought of the exhausting pro-
cess, it is not strange that farmers find
their pastures in poor condition. But,
however poor they may be, there should
| be some other system adopted to supply
the deficiency than by feeding moving
| lands. Because, if for no otherr eason, the
| Young grass should be left to protect its
| roots from the severity of the cold OF
winter.
In consequence of the rough charac.
ter of many fields and the fact that the
soil is well filled with stones and bou1-
ders, to plough a moving lot involves
an expenditure of considerable labor in
order to bring it back to condition to
render the cutting of the hay. As be-
fore intimated, if, after the hay crop is
removed, the grass is allowed to grow
and accumulate to reasonable exteht,
and this allowed to remain as a pro-
lection during the winter, and then
serve the purposes of mulch fertilizer
in the spring and early summer, the
crop of hay will be more gradually
| diminished.
We have seen such fields, and after
few years could see no diminishing o.
the crop, but, on the contrary, there
seemed to be gradual increase of the
crop from year to year. But even if it
were possible to restore lost fertility by
such means, it would be far too slow
and uncertain, for which reason more
effectual mode must be adopted. This
is found in top dressing with manure or
special fertilizers. Our preference is
for manure every time if it can be had,
and we would have it thoroughly
pulverized so as to come into as close
contact with the roots as possible. Top
dressing may be practiced in the early
spring or fall, or after haying. The
latter time is to be preferred, for the
reason that the manure is carried down
to the roots of the grass by the fall
rains, and stimulates to an early and
vigorous spring growth. The applica.
ton should not be made much before
fall rains are expected, unless tits neces.
sary to serve as a sort of mulch through
the scorching heat of the latter part Of
summer. 1t is not always convenient
to use pulverized manure, although Il
should be as fine as can be to ensure its
more even and equal distribution ovel
the surface; in case it is not entirely
broken up, it should be spread as evenly
as possible, and in the spring, after
some rain, when soft, the field should
be passed over with bush, whereby tht
Jumps will be torn and broken in pieces
and spread over the ground by it
t action.
A thorough top-dressing with manure
{ will last for number of years with very
marked results. In this way moving
lands can be maintained at com
paratiyely little trouble and any length
3 of time.
] Ashes are also excellent for top-dress
ing, and can be quite evenly distributed
where ashes are used the tendency is II
+ q thick growth of both red and white
clover. Salt in moderate amount AMI
: gypsum also serve a good purpose
| Where fowls are kept and there is al
I accumulation of manure, it has n
!. superior as a top-dressing. So long a
hay fnrnishes q larre 1arnnnrtinn O