FORAGK CROPS. :\n-:ADOWS AND PASTURKS 



128^ 



975 - Economic Desirability of Tree Planting in Grasslands. — Spiridonovn., in 3e- 



.U.teOih.lh'O'ciid.H I\iiciii(i (A'^iiculliiiuil (uiTdfc), Xo. 12 (128), pp. 310-311. Petro- 

 grad, March 191 6. 



Observations effected during a period of 25 years on more than 44 hec- 

 tares of the zone of "grey earths " in Russian Europe, highly suitable for 

 sylviculture (i). The above area was divided into 18 meadows, part of 

 which was already free from trees when purchased ; the remainder being 

 sown, the trees being retained as far as possible. The soil is peaty, sandy 

 or " podzol ". 



During two or three periods of great drought, the value of the treeless 

 grasslands fell off 12 to 50 %, while that of the grasslands planted with 

 trees increased 16 %. In rainy years, the latter exhibit much better vegeta- 

 tion than that of grasslands without trees. 



At the beginning of the period of utihsation the treeless grasslands were 

 the best as regards vegetation ; about 12 years afterwards however the com- 

 position and appearance of the vegetation suddenly grew worse, and at the 

 present time (25 to 30 3-ears after) these grasslands have the aspect of moor- 

 land covered with Nardiis stricta ly. Tillage, manuring and sowing with 

 good forage crojjs were not eifective in producing a permanent improve- 

 ment of these grasslands. 



The turf layer was broken up at a suitable moment, and the grass- 

 lands were ploughed, after which various crops were sown but the result 

 obtained was always the same. In the first year the grassland produced 

 35.8 cwt of hay per acre containing 80 % of leguminous plants ; in the 2nd 

 year it produced about 17.9 cwt. of hay in which Gramineae predominated ; 

 in the 3rd and 4th year the crop became poor ; it afterwards fell off rapidty 

 to such an extent as to be below that of the uncultivated grasslands. 



In the grasslands planted with leafy trees (in this case birches) the ve- 

 getation begins to improve towards the 12th year after they have begun 

 to be utilised, and attains its maximum development between the i6th 

 and the 20th year. Then, when the tops of the trees are in contact as well 

 as their roots, there is a rapid retrogression : vegetation becomes sparser, 

 the leguminous plants disappear and the crop suddenh^ declines. If howe- 

 ever during this period the trees are felled, there is for 3 or 4 years a fine hay 

 crop, rich in Lathyrus pratensis, Trifolium montaniim, and, it appears, 

 in T. incarnatiim. This operation however is not desirable. It is bettet to 

 rest content with poor crops for 6 to 8 years (which crops, however, never 

 fall below the level of those yielded by Nardiis stricta in the treeless grass- 

 lands), after which the trees are felled. After 28 years, each birch tree, ac- 

 cording to the writer's investigations, yields 2.8 cubic metres of wood apart 

 from branches. In short, these observations hold out the prospect of ob- 

 taining at the same time a wood which, at the rate of 144 trees per acre, 

 will yield in about 28 years 400 cubic metres of wood and also good hay crops. 



FORAGE CROPS, 



MEADOWS 

 AND PASTURES 



(i) The " grey earths " oi the wcwmIciI and steppe zone form the transition from the " pod- 

 znl " zone to that of " tcheruozioiii ". They ]>reeede the step])cs. In T\iiropean Russia their 

 width ranges from 62 to 124 miles. (/'"''■) 



