4 IMPROVEMENT OF PASTURES IN EASTERN NEW YORK, ETC. 



keeping the weeds down has been attempted. As a result many of 

 these pastures have been so badly overgrazed that at the present 

 time they do not produce enough feed to pay for maintaining the 

 fences, let alone the building of new ones. (See PI. I, fig. 1.) In 

 many cases weeds have taken complete possession, as is shown in 

 Plate II, figure 1 . In a number of instances the pastures have been 

 entirely abandoned and are growing up to young timber. 



It is stated that this depreciation has been very rapid during the 

 last twenty years. There are two reasons for this: First, the depre- 

 ciation of a pasture as the result of overgrazing will be much greater 

 during the latter half or even quarter of the period grazed than in 

 the preceding years. Again, with the increased demand for dairy 

 products and with better facilities for transportation there has been a 

 decided tendency on the part of the farmers to buy western grain and 

 raise only the necessary roughage on their places. This has enabled 

 them to carry much more stock. With this increase in stock there 

 has not been any corresponding increase in the size of the pastures, 

 nor has there been any attempt to increase their carrying capacity. 



DAIRY AND BEEF PASTURES CONTRASTED. 



The dairy pastures in the region referred to have depreciated very 

 greatly, and in many instances to the extent that' they have very 

 little value. In direct contrast there are numerous beef-cattle pas- 

 tures in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia of the same age that are 

 fully as productive as ever, and are valued at $100 or more an acre, 

 even when located 20 to 30 miles from a railroad. In the northwestern 

 part of Middlesex County, Ontario, there is an area of nearly 300,000 

 acres that the farmers, owing to scarcity of labor, have rented to 

 cattle grazers for fattening export cattle. After twenty years' 

 use practically all of these pastures are as good as ever, and in many 

 instances have actually improved. Care is taken that these pastures 

 shall not be overgrazed. If such pastures show any tendency to 

 depreciation, steps, such as feeding roughage on the high points dur- 

 ing the winter season to add to the fertility, the application of lime 

 and bone meal, and other means that may be considered necessary, 

 are immediately taken to restore them. All weeds that are likely 

 to prove dangerous are carefully kept out. 



In the corn belt men buy badly worn land for $25 an acre, and 

 b}^ putting it into pastures and feeding cattle on it are able to build 

 up this land so that in from five to ten years it is worth from $100 to 

 $125 an acre. 



A comparison of eastern pastures with those of the corn belt is 

 made here only for the purpose of showing that neglected land can be 

 built up when utilized as pasture and fed upon, or, in other words, 



[Cir. 49] 



