MANAGEMENT OF PASTURES. 75, 



regard, the trees will grow up and break the wind currents, turn 

 the courses of the atmosphere, and keep up the perennial flow 

 of our streams. It will be profitable too as a crop, for the wood 

 of course should be cut at maturity as should any other crop. 



But there are immense stretches of pasture land which require 

 diflerent treatment. They are on what we call the foot-hills. 

 They are not so elevated and precipitous as those we have been 

 considering, but are too rocky to be plowed. " Why don't you 

 plow your pasture lands?" asked a scientific agriculturist of a 

 New Hampshire farmer. " Plow them ?" was the answer. " I'd 

 like to see you run a plow-share through them. Why, we have 

 to sharpen our sheep's noses so they can get them down between 

 the rocks." There is a gteat deal of this land in these little val- 

 leys between the hills upon which, if there is nutrition for it, any 

 sort of grass will grow. What shall be done to renovate this 

 land ? Now here I come to tell you what to do. It is nothing 

 but fun for me to stand here and carry on farming. I can grow 

 almost any crop I want to, and I can renovate one of these old 

 pastures as easily as I can do anything else, though it is a differ- 

 ent thing, to be sure, when I go into the pasture and bring myself 

 down to the work. Now be patient while I get the brush out of 

 this pasture. 



The first trouble is it is rocky. The second is that everywhere 

 that a shrub can get hold it has taken root, and the land is full of 

 bushes, briers, brambles, anything and everything but what you 

 want. The first thing to do with Ruch a piece of pasture land is 

 to get the brush out. Now that means something with me. I 

 can remember when on an old Massachusetts farm, it was every 

 year the work for us boys to mow the brush in the pasture. 

 Every year there were the same brush scythes to be wielded, the 

 same brush to be cut, I verily believe the same bumblebees and 

 yellow wasps to battle with, and the same boys to do it. If you 

 want to educate a boy to hate farming, put him into an old pas- 

 ture to mow brush and fight bumblebees, and you'll do it. 



Now then, we want to get rid of the brush. If the owner of 

 the pasture really means to get rid of it he won't put the boys 

 there, but where the bushes are of sufficient size he will take the 

 team and his best hired man, and when the boys see that he 

 means business, they will take hold with a will.* Pull them all 

 out, pile them up, and burn them. There is work in it no doubt, 



