70 BOARD^OF AGRICULTURE. 



often preferring it to the best of grass, and soon kill it. If cut 

 and cured in the same manner, they prefer it to tlie Lest English 

 hay. I state tliese facts respecting white-weed and wood-waxen 

 only on tlie authority of others, and not from actual personal 

 observation, but with the hope that they may be confirmed by 

 the experience of those who may endeavor to rid themselves 

 of these noxious weeds in the manner indicated above. 



I have said that great care is required for the renovation of 

 our pasture lands. The work has already begun in some sec- 

 tions, as one or two brief extracts will show. A correspondent 

 in Worcester County, speaking of pastures in that section, 

 gays there is but little variation in the number of acres: — " In 

 many instances farmers have suffered unproductive portions of 

 pasture lands to bi abandoned to wood, particularly the light 

 soils, on which the pine readily springs up ; while others have 

 appropriated their vacant clearings to pasturage, thereby equal- 

 ling the number of acres of pasture laud. Farmers are now 

 directing their attention to the improvement of pasture land, 

 by ploughing thoroughly and seeding with herds-grass, redtop 

 and clover, and using plaster very extensively, which suits 

 most of the soil of the town. This application has been in use 

 for many years, particularly on our hill lands. As the town is 

 quite elevated and reposes on the granite formation, the use of 

 plaster would be found valuable over nearly its entire surface." 



Another in Middlesex writes: — "As our woodland increases, 

 our tillage and pasturage diminish. A large proportion of land, 

 formerly improved as pasturage or tillage land, is now under 

 a promising growth of young wood, which is the most profit- 

 able crop we can raise here ; it will grow without our paying 

 laborers nine shillings a day to hoe up weeds." 



These may be regarded as indicative of the attention paid to 

 pasture lands in difi"erent sections of the State. In some places 

 some real and positive improvement has been made — in others, 

 no pains have been taken even to prevent deterioration. If, 

 instead of absolute neglect, the farmer could plant the pine* 

 and hasten the transformation into woodland, it might be the 

 most economical disposition that could be made of these worn- 

 out pastures ; but the practice in the majority of cases is to 

 leave them uucarcd for till the bushes got the possession ; in 



