18 University of New Hampshire [Sta. Bull. 326 



moval. However, reprotluction of pasture herbage is often so slow 

 that it may be questionable to attempt to clear such land for pasture. 



Hardback or steeple bush is usually readily killed by burning, but 

 the new shoots that start from the roots are partially protected b}- 

 the standing dead canes and some browsing is thus prevented. The 

 canes of hardback, particularly when dead, are very hard and difficult 

 to cut with a bush scythe, but many of the dead canes break over in 

 a year and are tramped under foot. Pulling early in the spring is 

 (juite effective, resulting in about 95 per cent control in one year. 

 The greater palatability because of the fertilizer induces some brows- 

 ing. Cutting hardback is usually only about 50 per cent effective the 

 first year. 



Meadow sweet, a smooth-leaved spirea, is also difficult to cut and 

 almost impossible to pull. Burning and cutting are the best methods 

 of control. Cutting has one t)bjectionable feature with hardback and 

 meadow sweet. The clump growth of these two shrubs leaves many 

 sharp stubs when cut, and these sharp stubs are almost as great ob- 

 stacles to browsing of the new shoots as are the old canes left from 

 l)urning. 



In addition to labor, burning required but little kerosene for the 

 fire gun. This varied from as little as a gallon per acre to as much 

 as eight gallons, depending upon the kind and amount of brush. This 

 cost about 11 cents per gallon. 



The character of brush growth is frequently an indication of the 

 quality of soil and of the permanence of pasturage, once established. 

 Sweet fern in solid stand is more usually found on the lighter soils. 

 These soils are less suited for permanent pasture than heavier soils. 

 A solid stand of hardback is usually found on a relatively good pas'- 

 ture soil. Juniper may be found on a variety of soils, frequently 

 either sandy or ledgy. A mixed stand of hardback, meadow sweet, 

 sweet fern, sheep laurel, gray birch, juniper, blueberry, some scat- 

 tered small pine and other shrubs in lesser amount, usually indicates 

 a good pasture soil, retentive of moisture through a long season. 

 The varied brush growth indicates that the soil had been pastured 

 till the level of soil fertility was too low to maintain good pasture 

 herbage. The growth of various kinds of brush is the first step in 

 its return to woodlanrl. but pasturing makes this return to forest 

 very slow. 



Soil Treatments 



Under continuous pasturing soils finally become highly acid. This 

 is one of the reasons old permanent pastures usually produce so 

 little good pasture herbage. The pH was determined for all the pas- 

 tures and again for the variously treated plots. The soil samples 

 were taken only to a three-inch depth, since most of the lime and 

 supcr])hosphate ajiplicd remains in the upper inch or two of soil. 

 The pH concentration on the various plots is shown in Table XI. 



Lime and the various fertilizers were applied at uniform rates on 

 all ])l(its irrespective of amount and kind of herbage and of fertilizer 

 needs. As shown later by soil analysis the nineteen pastures were 

 all lacking in phosphorus and potassium and all but three were too 

 low in calcium to grcjw red clover. Even in these three pastures the 



