184 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Sunderland, November 19, 1857. 



$213 20 



IMPROVEMENT OF WASTE LANDS. 



ESSEX. 



Report of the Committee. 



The question is often asked : What can be done to improve 

 our pasture and waste land ? Your committee are to some 

 extent aware of the importance of the question , and find it not 

 easy of solution. It may seem superfluous again to recommend 

 plaster, as it has been recommended by former committees, and 

 premiums have been awarded for its use. The committee, how- 

 ever, feel constrained again to recommend it, as it is undoubtedly 

 the easiest and cheapest way of improving pasture land. There 

 may be some land on which it does little or no good ; but it is 

 believed that it may be profitably used to a much greater extent 

 than it is ; and it should not be given up as useless iintil it is 

 thoroughly tried. 



Some pastures may be improved by sowing hay seed, and har- 

 rowing with a heavy, sharp harrow, early in spring, when the 

 ground is soft. Ploughing, and sowing with rye and hay seed, 

 and letting the cattle feed on the rye, sometimes has a good 

 effect. Pasturing sheep improves the land, as their droppings 

 are far superior to the droppings of cattle, and they will kill 

 most kinds of small bushes, except lamb-kill, which usually 



