12 University of Xi:\v Hampshire [Sta. I^juII. 326 



acres of open i)asture du the farms included in this study. This is 

 ])robably more than would be found on most farms since the farms 

 studied represent somewhat larger than average dairy farms for 

 New Hampshire, and this area represents the total treated over a 

 five-year peri()d. 



Practically no lime was used on permanent pasture. A small 

 amoimt was used on plowed and reseeded pastures. 



Plowing and seeding 



.\ still smaller area than that fertilized on the farms included in 

 the sur\c'\ has been plowed and reseeded. Such treatment is more 

 expensive and where the pasture sod is reasonably good is frequently 



Table VII. Acres of pasture plowed and seeded on 50 of the New 

 Hampshire farms in survey, 1935 



County No. farms Acres 



13.5 



2.U 



16.0 



100 



6.5 



20.0 



8.5 



58.5 



36.0 



55.0 



226.0 



4.5 



no more effective than top-dressing. On the lighter soils plowing 

 to make it possible to incorporate organic matter in the soil may be 

 necessary to maintain good pasture production. It is, nevertheless, 

 an expensive way to improve pasture, and can be done on only a rel- 

 atively small area of permanent pasture. 



This area, smaller in total but slightly larger per farm than that 

 improved by fertilization, has less effect than fertilized pasture in 

 reducing costs of milk production. 



An average of 4.5 acres of seeded pasture per farm will not have 

 much influence on reducing summer feed costs, since improvement 

 in pasture production often means more cows for the increased pas- 

 ture rather than more pasture for the same nuinber of cows. 



Brush removal 



Brush removal alone as a means of improving i)asturc has not 

 been particularly successful. It has usually resulted in temporarv 

 improvement. As stated earlier, one reason why brush is present is 

 because it includes plants that will grow on soil of the low fertility 

 level found in many of our permanent i^istures. Brush removal fre- 

 quently makes way for a form of brush or other pasture growth 

 poorer or more difficult to eradicate than the r)riginal brush growth. 

 Sweet fern, low bush blueberry, and sheep laurel are three such 



