298 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



plowed since the settlement of the country, and we would not, 

 under any consideration, touch them with tlie plow. The meadows 

 are raaintaiued in their fertility by top-dressing. The fertility of 

 the pastures is maintained by being used rather as night pastures, 

 and getting a little more than their share of the droppings of the 

 cattle, otherwise, I think we could not boast so much of their fer- 

 tility. But "circumstances alter cases." There are in other sec- 

 tions of Connecticut lands that I should not attempt to keep in 

 permanent pasture or meadow at all, and there are portions of my 

 t>wn farm that I should not hope to keep in that condition without 

 the use of the plow, and fertilizers in connection witli it. But 

 those old pastures and old meadows arc our most valuable grass 

 lands — lands that we could not get along without — lands that will 

 yield us, when mowed, from two to three tons per acre every year, 

 with proper top-dressing — mixed grasses, fine, thick clover, timo- 

 thy, redtop, and June grass, all mixed together, the very best 

 quality of hay for cows. Those lands we would not touch with 

 the plow on any consideration. 



Mr. Norton. You mean by "meadow lands," swamp lands? 



Mr. Gold. No, sir ; by "meadow lauds" we mean anything that 

 we mow. 



Mr. Norton. We call swamp lands " meadow," here. 



Mr. Gold. I understand the distinction. In some parts of Con- 

 necticut they mean by meadows, low intervale and swamp lands, 

 and by arable land they mean uplands ; but we call anything we 

 mow "meadow," for the time being; and most of our meadows 

 are liill lands ; most of them are perniailentl^' in grass upon our 

 best farms, and have been so ever sin^e the settlement of the 

 country. 



Question. What do you use for top-dressing ? 



Mr. Gold. Principally barnyard manure, composted sometimes 

 with muck, but more often with very little addition except straw 

 and the refuse from the stable. 



Question. What is the value of muck in that connection ? 



Mr. Gold. It depends somewhat upon the character of the soil 

 on which you wish to put it. If it is black, mucky soil, we don't 

 consider it of any value — on some of those hill lands there is black 

 soil for one or two feet before you get down to the liard pan — 

 naturally black soil. We do not consider that muck is a veiy great 

 addition to the manure heap, but anything put upon the surface 



