St. Landry democrat., 1888-07-07
GOOD MOVING LANDS.
Ths Application of Top-Dressing in Sum-
mer or EARLY Fall. #m f=


mer or EARLY Fail. @
With ;Lll that is said regarding tn
value of some of the principal so-calle,
cultivated grasses for hay, lis yer,
doubtful if any hay is superior to tha
which comes from an old, well-estab
lished moving lot. Observation teache
that different grasses are adapted tt
different soils, and that there are man,
OF the so-called natural grasses, o.
those that will establish themselves
even without the seed being sown, tha
for nutritive qualities and for feeding
purposes are fully as valuable as those
first named, dependence upon which
! requires occasional seeding, or extra
| care of the stubble after the cutting ot
| the crop.
It's by no means proba BILE that the
use of ensilage will become SO exten.
sively adopted as to supersede the use
| OF good hay, and for that reason farm.
ers will still be required to give due
attention to this crop in order to meet
the demand that is always likely to ex.
ist so long as animal creation exists.
Moving lands are as subject to
deterioration from being contin-
| ually cropped, as are fields subject
to the harvest of other farm crops, and
therefore if permanence without TAX
ing up is desired, this must be secured
by other means than an application OF
manure to cultivated crops, which are
supposed to leave portion for the sup
port of the grass crop when it is
brought under seeding. Renewal by
cultivation may be satisfactory and de-
sirable where the soil is easy of tillage
and free from all small stones or
boulders; but unfortunately this favor.
able condition does not always exist,
and notably SO in New England. where
the soil of hundreds of farms is literally
filled with small stones that are brought
to the surface by each successive effort
at cultivation, involving an amount Of
labor In their removal proportionate to
their number.
In such cases there is, therefore,
good reason for desiring a permanent
maintenance of moving lands, so far
as relates to those requiring the great
est amount of labor to bring into a
condition desirable for the use of the
machines necessary for harvesting
Moving lands may be maintained in
excellent condition, SO far as crop pro-
duction is concerned, by means Of top
dressing and the avoidance of close
grazing. There is probably no cause
more productive OF injury to moving
lands than the practice that some adopt
of close grazing both in spring and fall.
Great injury comes to a hay crop II,
after moving either the first crop or
the aftermath. cattle are allowed to
Craze the stubble so closely as to leave
little or no protection at all to the
roots of the grass. If all farmers
would resort to some other means of
supplementing fall feed than by the
grazing OF their moving lands, they
would be surprised at the effect that
would De produced asE 49, q
In top-dressing, well-pulverized ma
nure serves an excellent purpose and
with fair prospect of rainfall soon
after spreading may well be applied
as soon after the removal of the first
hay crop as convenient. If yearly !
application is to be made, which is by
no means necessary, it may be quite |
light, but should be spread as. evenly
as possible. A very satisfactory course
Is to make heavier applic alton every
few years. It is much better to apply |
In the summer Or early fall than in the |
spring because of less danger of break
ing the sward when dry than when
soft with rains. If fine manure is not
at hand, that of coarser character
may be employed that may require be-
ng gone over with, with bush drag or
narrow to aid in thepulyerization In
,ase of want of ordinary farm manure
o be used for top dressing land COM
nercial manures may be used. but
heir efficiency is more doubtful than
With good manure.
The best su bstitute for manure is un-
cached wood ashes. These, If applied
literally in the early spring or late
oil will secure very satisfactory re-
ults in the great increase Of the crop
nd the nourishment of clovers, which,
y their deep-rooting tendencies, bring
p nutriment from the deeper soils.
Fine results have been secured by
ne use OF ashes alone. the principal
dvantage in the use of which arises
rom the durability of effects where
berally applied. Regarding the fod-
er obtained from permanent moving L
lnds it appears to possess great value
,r feeding purposes, and is greedily /,
ev0ured By animals, which is very
satisfactory test of its Gesirableness. II
Vsa. Il. Yeomans, in N. 7. Observer. #,
Beauties Of Frog-Farming. /