Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-12-03
Determining the Trouble.

Our pastures are overrunning with
broomsedge This weed seems to be
worse this year than usual, and it is
probably due to the protracted drouth
of last summer which debilitated the
native sod, and left it weaker and
thinner this year than it otherwise
would have been. Such conditions
allows broomsedge to gain Il strong
hold. But there are other causes
by which our sods become exhausted;
such as lack of plant food and defic-
icncy of lime.
Broomsedge is worse where sods
are weakest. The problem then is to
improve the native sod. Feeding on,
and tramping will help where the
drouth is the cause, but there are pas
lures, even here in Tazewell county,
which are sour or deficient in plant
both. Tramping will
not remedy all evils, and there is not
enough feed consumed on the average
farm to produce sufficient amount
of manure to furnish the quantity
that is necessary to top dress the
pastures and leave some to go on the
other crops, such as meadows and
corn. So the only alternative is to
supply the plant food in commercial
fertilizers, and correct the acidity
with lime where the land is sour.
What Fertilizer to Use.
Nearly one-third of the weight of
bone in steer is acid phosphate,
which is the most deficient r,cn. r., 4
element in our soils. What becomes
of this PHOSPHORUS which goes to
make the bone in the cattle we raise :?
An application in the spring of 200
to 300 pounds of 16 per cent. acid
phosphate will make . considerable
difference in the number of cattle
that can be grazed on boundary,
and should be sufficient to last three
or four years. Cost: About rs cents
per year per acre. Returns: Blue
grass instead of broomsedge.
How TO Treat.
If the grass has entirely run out.
IL should he reseeded with Il mixture
oil either bluegrass, and timothy with
red clover, alsille and little white
clover; or bluegrass, red top, and or
chard grass with sapling, alsike and
J white clover for thin land. The grass
should be sown in the spring when
the ground is honeycombed by frosts,
and after applying the phosphate.
The young grass should not be graz
ed before the first of May in order
to let it get 4 start.
Narrowing. where permissible, will
put the seed in better. where the
PHOSPHORUS alone is used, it should
be applied in the early spring before
the grass has started to grow.
How 10 Use Lime.
Pastures that are puffy" or
"heavy," are quickly frightened and
brought to life by giving them an APP
| plication of about thrce-fourths &c
one ton of lump lime per acre, or one
and one-half to two tons of either
the slackened lime or the ground lime
stone. Applications may be made any
time during the winter months, but
lump lime should be thoroly Stacked
before spreading. 200 pounds of ac-
Ill phosphate per acre can be eco
nomincally used in connection with
the lime. A treatment of this kind
will show an improvement over I'M
treated land for years and years
Most of the land in this county, which
has southern exposure is badly in
need of lime and PHOSPHORUS. Land
which lies to the north is usually well
enough supplied with lime for graz
ing purposes, but here we sometimes
find the ground too loose to hold a
sod, unless it is fed on and tramped
Why not plan to fix few acres
this winter, and watch the results
next year?
JAMES L. MONTAGUE,
Farm Demonstration Agent.
Note-This is the first of a series OF
articles on Farm Management Prob
lens, which will be printed from
week to week. The next article will