10 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



TOP-DRESSINCr PERMANENT MOWINGS. 



BY WM. P. BROOKS, DIRECTOR. 



Between the County Koud and that portion of the college 

 estate where the dormitories stand lies an area of about 30 

 acres which is treated as a part of the campus. It is crossed 

 by numerous foot i)aths and portions of it are occasionally 

 used for company or battalion drill. The surface is rollino- 

 and the soil of somewhat varial)lc character; for the most part, 

 however, it is a strong retentive loam, well suited for grasses 

 and clovers. The greater part of this area has certainly not 

 been plowed during the past twenty-two years and i)robably not 

 for a considerably longer period. It was in 1889 that the writer 

 of this article first became responsible for its management. 

 At that time much of it had the appearance so common through- 

 out New England of a somewhat neglected mowing, although 

 it was much more productive than such mowings usually are. 

 The i)revalent species of grass were Kentucky blue and sweet 

 vernal. In places there was considerable orchard grass, and 

 meadow fescue was abundant especially in the moister places. 

 Whiteweed (Chrysanthemum Icucanthemum ) was extremely 

 abundant in all the drier portions. Dandelions, buttercups and 

 common jilantain were very abundant in places. Some por- 

 tions of this area have been plowed and reseeded during the 

 period intervening since 1880, but on most of it an effort has 

 Ixen made both to eradicate the weeds and to improve the prod- 

 uct both in quality and quantity by top dressing without plow- 

 ing and reseeding. This seemed desirable in view of the prefer- 

 ence of college aulhoi-itics to treat this area like a campus 

 lather than as farm laud. 



Th(^ most effective uuMhod for the eradication of the white- 

 weed has been found to be enrly cutting to prevent ripening 

 of seed, and toj) dressing with materials favorable to the 



