Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-03-19
Some Practical Methods for In.
creaSing the Yield of Hay and
Stimulating the Growth
of Pasture.
Proper Management of the Soil Essen.
tial to the Success of the
Hay Crop.


natural grasses and clovers. In 1918
the six New England states had three
and one-half million acres in hay pro
ducing over five and one-half million
tons. The average yield per acre for
the same year was one and one-half
tons. The average price per ton for
the five years ending December, 1916,
was $21.S4 per ton, which means a re-
turn of S32.76 per acre. Since 1916
the price of hay has been much higher
The total value of the hay crop is close
to $S0,OOO,O00 annually.
The conditions for hay production,
which in the main are favorable, are
not uniform, since a great variety of
soils is found. These vary from the
stiffest clay to the open, sandy types
A characteristic of all the soils of this
region is that they are likely to be
quite acid. 1t is well known that the
growth of all grasses and especially of
the clovers Is most satisfactory where
the soil is neutral or alkaline The
only practical way to sweeten the soil
is to apply lime in some form. 1t Is q
common practice in New England to
follow corn with grass. Splendid re-
suits have been secured by sowing the
grass seed in the corn at the last cul-
tivation, usually from the Goth of July
to the 9th of August, in the latitude of
MaSSa chusetts. Since the clover should
have sweet or neutral SOIL the lime
should be applied to the corn crop just
| previous to planting. After blowing,
the land may be narrowed once and
the lime applied The remaining work
| ings of the soil will thoroughly mix the
| lime with the soil, which is highly de-
sirable in order to obtain the best re-
suits. In case the grass and clover are
seeded in oats the land should be lilneu
! this spring just before the oats are
seeded. Care should be taken to apply
| enough lime to counterfeit the acidity
present in the soil. Usually not less
| than one ton of lump or hydrated lime
should be used per acre. Grass, in
Guiding clover, which was seeded last
fall, but without lime, will be benefited
| by a moderate application late this
winter or early spring before the grass
begins to grow. Old meadows which
have been cut for several years Will
often respond TO a topdreSsing of lime
in the early spring. If 1t is desired to
renew the stand in portions of the field
where the clover has disappeared the
lime may be applied first and the clio
yer and grass then seeded. To insure
covering of the grass seed and the dis
tribution of the lime the land should
be narrowed. In practice it is not de-
sirable to sow the seed Immediately
after the lime but q few days later.
That lime is a great aid in hay pro-
duction has been shown by DR.. Whee-
Ter, formerly director of the Rhode Is
land Experiment Station. He found
that proper lining increased the yield
of hay 40 per cent. Many other ex-
periments in New England and New
York show that lime will often double
the yield of hay.
henONdIinS Oiu FdStuTSS-
The growing of grass for pasture is
also an important part of the farming
operations in this section. Much of
the pasture land is too rough or stony
to put in cultivation or rotation; hence
it is desirable to keep the land in grass
as long as possible Some of the most
valuable pasture plants will run out
and must be reseeded from time. to
time. To make the reseeding success
full the soil will need in most cases a
topdressing of lime and occasionally n
light dressing of manure. An applica-
ton of 1900 or 1000 pounds of lime
per acre may be made in the late win
ter or early spring. The thin spots
may be seeded to clover in the early
spring and scratched in with spike
tooth or a brush harrow If the surface
Is not too rough or stony. If this Is
followed by thin dressing of manure
on the reseeded portions a good stand
will be secured. Land which produces
a good stand of Kentucky blue grass
and white clover will seldom need re-
seeding, and the presence Of these
plants generally indicates that the soil
has been well fortified and lined. On
the other hand, the presence of moss
indicates an unfavorable condition for
clover. which can be corrected In a
large measure by the use Of lime.
A little patience in the application
of lime and manure and an occasional
reseedng of the thin spots of the pas
lures will result in a marked improve
ment of the stand and quality of grass.
Many believe that the cattle leave
enough manure on the land to fertilize
the grass, but close observation will
I show that the manure is not distrib-
uted evenly. Here is where the harrow
is an aid in spreading the manure more
thoroughly. This may be done after
the lime has been spread over the pas
fura