The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-13
Making a Wood Pasture.


Prof. Soule of the Tennessee Expert
ment Station says:
"On nearly every farm there is a
good deal of waste land. 1t may be
low and swampy in some sections, but
for the most part it is hilly and broken
and cannot be cultivated in general
farm crops with profit. AS a rule, it is
sparsely covered with timber but the
best trees were long since cut off. The
growth at the present time is not
worth much and it is a problem to
know how to utilize these lands to the
best advantage. Shall they be left
for timber? This would be an excellent
thing to do If it were skillfully for
casted. If the land were not burned
every year the tree growth would soon
cover it and prevent it from washing
There is another way, however by
which it can be profitably utilized and
that is for pasture. This will necessi-
tate the cutting off of about one-half
or two-thirds of the small trees now
growing on it and grubbing out the
underground which is not an extensive
operation, and the work can be done
in the winter during the period of the
greatest leisure on the farm. AS soon
as the grubbing is completed, take a
spring-tooth harrow mounted on
wheels and run over the surface of the
ground to scarify it lightly and prepare
seed bed. The breaking need not be
deep, but the stirring of the soil which
has often become packed and hard on
the surface is an important factor in
getting good stand of grass. After
the grass is seeded the weeder may be
utilized TO advantage for covering the
seed. Use about twenty-five pounds of
well-selected seed per acre, which may
consist of five pounds of tall oat grass,
five pounds of orchard grass, five
pounds of alsike or white clover, five
pounds of red-top and five pounds of
Kentucky blue grass. The coarse
growing grasses will take almost inn
mediate possession of the soil; the finer
and slower growing ones will become
more and more available as the years
go by. The writer has seen a number
of pastures laid down along the lines
suggested, and they present a very at
tractiVe appearance and will furnish
large amount of choice grazing the
present summer. These pastures
should not be grazed much during the
first year of their life, and cattle
should not be turned on them when
they are wet, as they tramp and tear
up the sod, which means the COM
mencement of gullies, which if allowed
to grow will soon destroy the pasture.
III THESE pastures are properly cared
for and not grazed too heavily and not
overloaded with stock, there is no rea-
son why they should not grow more
valuable from year to year. The ease
with which vast areas of land can be
laid down to woods pasture and util-
lied for grazing purposes will solve one
of the greatest problems of the South
ern farmer to-day, who finds it neces-
sary to utilize all his level lands for
the cultivation of grain and forage
| crops. In clearing off the land for
woods pasture extremes should be
avoided that is, too many trees should
not be left, for if the shade is too
dense the soil will be thin and sickly.
On the other hand, if too many trees
are cut off the scorching rays of the
sun on the hillsides during the dry
months of the year will probably de-
stroy a considerable per cent. of the
grass. Woods pastures can be utilized
to advantage on almost every farm and
will prove a valuable aid in carrying
stock during the summer season, and
will bring into profitable use large
tracts of land that have been over
looked and neglected.