160 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY 



and the grass " run out," as the term goes, through 

 bad husbandry and neglect ; but the application of 

 yard-manures, of new grass-seeds and the harrow, 

 will, in nearly all instances, restore them to their 

 wonted luxuriance. It need hardly here be stated, 

 that irrigation, draining, and other artificial stimu- 

 lants may be important to the productiveness of the 

 meadow and the pasture ; but, as these always sug- 

 gest themselves to the judgment and good sense of 

 the cultivator, they do not necessarily come within 

 the province of this discussion. The quantity of 

 seed sown to the acre, for either pasture or meadbw, 

 should not be less than half a bushel ; the kind or va- 

 riety to depend somewhat upon the soil and its situ- 

 ation. For mowing, the red clover, timothy, and 

 red-top are the best and most desirable. For pasture, 

 the same, with the addition of white clover and blue 

 or June grass, which are almost everywhere indi- 

 genous to the soil, and are among the richest and 

 most nutritious of all our grasses. In fine, the sim- 

 plest methods compatible with the established rules 

 of good husbandry, your committee believe, with 

 such soils, are the best for their profitable and per- 

 petual cultivation. 



In treating the second proposition, viz., the culti- 

 vation of grasses on the lighter soils, your commit- 

 tee will remark, that much must necessarily be left 

 to the judgment of the cultivator as to the time that 

 his lands are to be kept in grass, depending upon his 

 own necessities, or what he requires from his land. 

 As a general rule, if the raising of grass be an object, 

 so long as the lands produce well, either from their 

 natural fertility or by the application of artificial 

 stimulants, they should not be disturbed ; but when 

 the object is a regular rotation, with a strict regard 

 to the greatest profit, two to four years is sufficient 

 for the benefit of the land, and as long as such soils 

 will usually yield a grass-crop that will pay. It is 

 better that the soils be properly prepared, by pro- 



