Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-07-23
PASTURE LAND.
The Annoyance of Weeds and How to
Mitigate the Evil.


There are certain qualities of land
that are better suited to permanent
pasture than to any other use. Here
very little land is too rough for cultiva-
ton, but very much had better never
rave furrow turned on it. l refer to
hill lands and the white clay. Some
hill land is of excellent quality, but if
turned over it will wash and gully, and
the most fertile part spread itself over
the fields below, often doing them more
injury than good.
Then much of the hill land is very
poor corn land, and while it is in its
natural state, excellent bluegrass land,
yet after it has been Impoverished by
cropping and washing, it is slow to form
a good sod again. know it is hard to
tell a hill farmer that he must not pillow
his land and in fact to seed it to blue
grass now, would verify the old English
prOverb: 40 make a pasture will break
man."
Bluegrass is so slow of becoming well
and proftably established on the poorer
quality of soils, where it should always
be, that an attempt should never be
is intended, and man had better think
u little before he breaks an old pasture
that has grown thick, firm sod, and
yields satisfactory amount.
l know of fields that have not been
plowed since l can remember, and
where the grass is thick and heavy and
profitable and growing, but which, if
plowed, would, in few years, be so
poor as to scarcely repay for cultivation.
These soils are light-colored, calcareous
clay, quite tenacious and somewhat wet
and cold. They will not grow corn very
well without a good deal of manure,
but do pretty well for wheat or grass
They ought not to be farmed while there
is money in pasture grass, and when
they are farmed they need thorough tile
drainage.
Blue grass, when thoroughly estab-
lished on this kind of land, is more sue
cessful than on some rich, black, bottom
lands, which seem to be too dry for it to
do its best, though No. l for corn or
clover, and of almost inexhaustible fer
tility. With this exception, however,
the better the land the better the grass,
and, in fact, the very slowness of its
getting set is caused by the slowness OF
the soil in regaining its lost fertility,
much of which must come from the de-
caying roots and blades of the grass.
For that reason it is a bad practice to
feed down any pasture, and especially q
young one, very close, for it not only
weakens the grass and removes the nat.
ural fertilizer and winter covering, but
bares the ground for the entrance of va
rious weed seeds.
| All annual weeds with which | an
acquainted blue-glass will subdue, if lef
to itself, but there several perennial:
that have appeared here, and have
shown themselves to be masters of the
situation. First, worst and cursed il
yarrow. 1t has not made much show
yet, and half the farmers neither know
it nor fear it when they see it. Therein
lies the danger.
1t appears by the roadside or in the
field; Misunderstanding, feathery-foli
aged, modest-fowered plant. 1t grow
in small clump that harms nobody
1t does not spread fast. AT first only
single plant appears next fifty in varion
parts of meadow or pasture; yet NJ
notice is taken of it; next five hundred
and may be the farmer begins to wisl
they were fewer, but the clumps ar
not large, and the next year there ar
five thousand, and every one spreadin.
in all directions, both by seed and b,
means of the creeping roots, and wher
ever a clump grows bluegrass is ex
cluded. What is to prevent the odious
bitter-tasting, acrid-smelling plant from
creeping on TO complete possession
The pastures ought not to be ploweC
over after it has good controls; any 9th
er way of extermlnating it is impracti
cable, while the road-sides are bein.
stocked with it for seed for years t,
come. Kill the first stalk yol
see quicker than you woul
"a rattlesnake. Don't let it get starte
along the roadsides, or on your neigh
bor's farm, if you can help it. Believ
me, | have studied the iniquity of
and seen the practical examples that
is going to give all in its own goo
time.
Next to yarrow, place iron-weed
not that it is to be dreaded, but it
pretty troublesome in some pastures
liking best, rich, moist soil. 1t
hard enough to exterminate, but doe
not spread badly, and can be kept j
check and much weakened by mowin
every year close to the ground just be
fore it blossoms.
Wild carrot is biennial, and ougf
never to be allowed to ripen a seeC
when it will soon run out.
The profitable feeding off of the pas
ture grass is another question, and on
that is practically neglected, the con
mon custom beng to inclose as much q
possible within one fence, and tur
stock on, letting them choose their ow
feeding places. The result is, that part
of the pasture are gnawed to the earti
while other places, bearing luxuriar
growth, are left untouched. TIL
is not only waste of food
the part passed by, but an injury to tn
part so closely eaten. A partial remed
: would be to divide the field into sever,
parts by cross fences, arranged with r,