SECRETARY'S REPORT. 25 



2. That the causes of exhaustion are the continual taking 

 from the soil without making suitable returns to it ; the spon- 

 taneous growth of weeds and bushes, and an excess of water in 

 a large proportion of such lands. 



3. That to rid the soil of bushes, ploughing or taking them 

 out by the roots with some other instrument, is the surest, if 

 not the cheapest mode of eradication. That cutting twice a 

 year for several consecutive years, and applying from one hun- 

 dred to two hundred pounds of plaster per acre each year, will, 

 on grounds where plaster operates favorably, destroy many 

 kinds of bushes effectually; that sheep will exterminate several 

 kinds of weeds and bushes, and that wet lands are, in all cases, 

 improved by drainage. 



4. That where stones abound, so as to render removal inex- 

 pedient, and ploughing impracticable, the bushes may be kept 

 down by continual cutting and the use of plaster and ashes ; 

 but that in most cases it is better to devote such lands to the 

 growth of wood and timber. 



5. That plaster operates favorably on some upland soils, and 

 that ashes, either leached or dry, improve most dry soils. 



6. That sheep improve upland pastures for two to four years, 

 as they exterminate weeds and briars, and drop their manure 

 more evenly over the ground, than neat cattle ; that pastures 

 should not be fed too early in the spring, nor too late in the 

 autumn, and that close feeding is always injurious to grazing 

 lands. 



7. That milch cows, kept in exhausted pastures, will often 

 seek for bones, and chew them. 



The above facts and propositions are the result of our 

 inquiries by means of circulars, on the subject of exhausted 

 pasture lands, and it seems that nothing new has been elicited, 

 nothing which was not well known before, and which is not 

 confirmed by the constant experience of all observing owners 

 and occupants of grazing lands every where in the State. 



In the judgment of the committee, the modes of reclamation 

 suggested, though in a degree effective, are quite inadequate to 

 the purpose. 



It is known to all who have investigated this subject, that all 

 pastures which have been constantly and closely cropped for 



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