92 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



Export Cattle on Bluegrass. "Have enough grass so 

 that the cattle can never eat more than two-thirds of it; 

 have enough grass for 20 and put on it 15; let the grass 

 cover the pasture so that it shades it and prevents the 

 land drying out in summer. If you find you have too 

 much grass when the cattle are gone fat in the fall you 

 will be able to feed it off during November and December 

 with younger cattle. Enough grass for three and two 

 eating it will make export cattle." This is the advice of 

 one of America's most successful cattlemen who owns 

 thousands of acres of mountain pastures in Virginia. In- 

 deed, the one item of leaving the grass long so that it 

 will mulch the soil and keep it moist is worth a great 

 deal, though grass too long is not relished by animals 

 as is shorter, sweeter, fresher blades. From my own 

 observation, I urge the use of the manure spreader on 

 bluegrass pastures, the use of phosphorus, of clover seeds 

 when needed, of keeping animals off till pastures can 

 start in spring. 



How Bluegrass Came to Ohio. The settler came with 

 much toil and trouble into the woods of Ohio. He chose 

 a dry little hill in the woods for his homesite. Below the 

 house there bubbled up a spring. After the cabin walls 

 of log were reared and roofed the spring was dug out 

 and walled with stone. Then clearing was begun. The 

 first crop on the fresh-cleared and burned land was wheat 

 or corn.. About the sole crops undertaken were wheat, 

 corn, flax, and buckwheat. Hay was cut from the 

 marshes from native wild grasses. Cows were turned 

 outside the clearings to browse in the woocte. Each little 



