486 Bulletin 280. 



Manuring. — The barnyard manure from the farm is almost all used 

 for those crops which bring a quick return in cash. Too often the 

 pasture is not looked upon as a field crop. The greatest need of large 

 numbers of pas hare soils is organic matter. This can be supplied in 

 no way better tnan by the use of manures. For maximum returns an 

 application of f'^-e to ten loads per acre should be made every four 

 or five years. If a manure spreader can be used it is desirable as it 

 will make the manure go farther. Especial attention should be given 

 to those areas of the field which are getting poorer. Often the reason 

 they are getting poorer is because of excessive browsing. This can 

 be checked if manure is applied. Aside from increasing the fertility 

 of the soil, thus encouraging the growth of useful plants, manure has 

 the tendency to keep cattle off these areas until the grass gets a fresh 

 start. 



Many farmers think that sufficient manure is left on the pasture 

 by the cattle to keep up the condition of fertility. Doubtless that 

 left by the cattle helps to do this, but a little observation will convince 

 one that it is not evenly distributed. Favorite resorts of cows are 

 knolls and shady places. Moreover, many farmers take the cows off 

 the pasture at night or place them in a night pasture. 



The use of commercial fertilizers has proved successful for the . Roberts 

 pasture on the Cornell University farm. No doubt a fertilizer high 

 in nitrogen would greatly improve those pastures which already have 

 a good stand of grass and are producing fairly well. This treatment 

 would be expensive, but it is worth trying, provided stable manure 

 is unavailable. 



Reseeding. — Some of the most valuable pasture plants are unable 

 to hold their own without reseeding. Red and alsike clovers belong to 

 this class. To some extent it is also true of timothy. Wherever the 

 grass in a pasture is becoming too thin more seed should be sown. The 

 need for this will be much diminished if the land is kept sweet and fertile. 

 Land which produces a good growth of Kentucky blue-grass and white 

 clover will seldom need reseeding. 



There are spots in most pastures which are thin and which frequently 

 show the need of lime. A top dressing of fifteen hundred pounds of 

 lime per acre will invigorate the grass and control the moss in such 

 areas and greatly aid in preparing the soil for useful plants. This may 

 be applied in the fall or early spring. The land should be thoroughly 

 dragged with a spike tooth harrow after applying the lime. After this 

 is done is a good time to sow grass and clover seeds where needed. The 

 amount and kinds used will depend on the amount and kinds of grass 



