Huntsville gazette., 1889-01-05
ABOUT GRASS LAND.
Evils of Pasturing 1t at Times When 1t
Should Be at Rest.

Evils Of Pasturing 1t at Times When It
Should Be at Rest
Because land is seeded to grass is
hardly sufficient reason for consider
ing that it does not require any further
attention. In some localities it is
much more difficult to secure a stand
of grass than in others, and whenever
this is the case it is usually best not TO
plow up all the meadow or pasture un-
stilsreasonably sure that good stand
in the meadow or pasture has been Sc
cured. If system of rotation is
adopted and carried out an arrange
ment can be planned so that this can
wbe done. Grass is a very important
crop, both to supply plenty of green
food during the summer and to make
into hay for winter feeding, and it will
pay to take such measures as will best
insure this. AS rule the best plan
of keeping up the fertility of the soil
is to carry out a system of rotation and
: apply manure when the ground is
plowed, as at this time it is in the best
condition to derive the full benefit of
an application.
But there are exceptions to this.
Some land, while not very rich,i is better
adapted to grass than any thing else.
1t is good either for meadow or past
,fure, and when once well seeded down
it is better to keep it in system of ro-
tation When this is the case manure
had better be applied in the fall or
!, early winter, and if well rotted and
fined the soluble portions will be car
ried into the soil, SO that when the
grass starts to grow in the spring it
will be able to derive the benefit.
Raising crops of grass every year
without returning any thing back to
the soil will exhaust the available
plant food fully as much as the grow
ing of any other crop. And if any
thing like a fair crop of grass is Sc
cured it is very necessary to keep the
soil reasonably rich, and this can only
be done by applying manure to the
soil. With wheat, oats, corn, clover
and timothy making a six years -rota-
tion, the fertility of the soil can be
kept up. The meadows are kept in
grass two years, and there will be
plenty of opportunities to enrich the
soil, either by applying manure after
plowing or while in grass. Manure
can be applied after blowing for wheat
in the fall and before sowing the seed,
or after the ground is plowed in the
fall for spring crops. There is usually
time for hauling out manure early in
the fall, and again more or less can be
hauled out during the winter. So then
when grass land can be made part of
4, the system of rotation, manure can
oe applied after plowing, while in a
soil that when once we'll seeded down |
and good, even stand is secured it |
will be best to apply only well-rotted
manure in the fall or early winter.
Grass land should not be pastured
too late in the fall or too early in the
spring, or when the soil is soft, so that
the grass will be injured by tramping
By not pasturing too close after frost
the tops of the grass will form a mulch
that will aid materially to protect the
EOOtS vi bllC plttutO UHC
Pasturing too early in the spring, be-
fore the plants secure good start to
grow, lessons the vitality, and in con-
sequence the plants fail to make as
good growth as they should, while
the food secured is of a very poor
quality; but by waiting until the plants
have made a good growth the grass
will make better feed and be less in
jured by tramping.
A very good plan of thickening up
an old meadow or pasture that from
any cause has barren spots in it is to
harrow we'll and then SOW the seed as
evenly as possible. The pasture and
meadows ought to be made to furnish
the largest possible amount of feed,
and when this condition is secured care
should be taken to preserve it.-M j.
Shepherd. In Detroit Free Press.
FOREST-TREE SEEDS.