176 WORCESTER SOCIETY. 



season's growth and tender, to mow them no faster than I 

 ploughed, and rake them into the furrows, to be buried by the 

 succeeding furrow, instead of gathering them to burn ; and I 

 am certain the practice is a good one. In some instances 

 where I had reason to suppose the brush would not be suffi- 

 ciently decomposed, I have omitted cross ploughing in the 

 spring, land ploughed the preceding fall, and harrowed and 

 planted top of the furrow. 



Again, I have added much to pasturing, by clearing alder 

 swamps, always leaving the maples and ashes to grow, and at 

 the same time draining thoroughly, by which means I have 

 often furnished myself plentifidly with a good material for com- 

 post — taking the contents of the ditches to the barn and hog 

 yard; and moreover I find myself amply paid the expense of 

 ditching, if for no other purpose than to promote the growth 

 of the maples. I have two pieces, side by side, one of which, 

 many years since, I burned over, after cutting, and harrowed 

 in grass seed as well as I could. On the other, I sufiered the 

 brush to decay on the ground. In the former case, the maples 

 were much injured and many of them killed ; the grass seed, 

 however, took very well, and it has proved to be good pastur- 

 ing. In the latter, tlie maples have grown twice as rapidly, 

 and having sowed grass seed pretty liberally, in March or April, 

 without doing anything to get it in, the grass is more abun- 

 dant than on the former. On some spots, I have had to repeat 

 the sowing of seed ; as my practice has been, for many years, 

 on all lands that I lay down, to search for spots, where, from 

 some cause, the seed has failed, and in March to scatter seed, 

 and always with success. I find, too, a great saving, in a little 

 attention once or twice a year to my ditches, by passing along 

 with a hoe or hook, and hauling out little obstructions, such as 

 weeds, hay, brush, and what has lodged there by cattle passing. 

 I have often had Irishmen say that they had rather cut a new 

 ditch, than clear out one that has been neglected. 



Before I dismiss the subject of improving pasturing, I will 

 allude to irrigation, as one of the best agents in the cultivation 

 of grasses. I have a piece of swamp land, at an elevation of 

 forty feet above good tillage land, and another swamp adjoining 



