44 



fifteen acres of old land, and has, in four years, got what the farmers say are 

 excellent results. At first the laud was verj' rough and covered with hardhacks, 

 these were burut and the ashes spread, it was plowed both ways, left to the frost 

 through the winter, and bonedust apphed. sowed thirteen varieties broadcast, 

 and rolled in. Used a httle timothy, red-top, Kentucky blue or June grass, or- 

 chard, a good proportion of sweet-scented vernal, which the cattle relish, and he 

 fancied it gave a flavor to the butter, two varieties of foxtails, two of clover, and 

 some other varieties which he did not remember. 



J. W. Parks, of Sheffield, said that on an old pasture he had piit from eight 

 to ten loads of charcoal dust with great benefit. He had spread two sacks of 

 cattle salt on a rye field, which showed in the growth of straw and grain better 

 results than from plaster. 



J. A. Kline has found that his oats will stand up better by using a httle salt. 



John C. Munson, of Van DeusenviUe, has seen good results on lands of John 

 H. Coffiug from furnace slag spread upon it. Mr. Goodman thought coal dust 

 might be of value in absorbing valuable grasses, by warming the land, and chem- 

 ically loosening heavy soil. 



Alfred Peck, of Great Parrington, said his pasture was deteriorating, and 

 asked if it could be renovated without plowing. 



President Smith suggested wood ashes. 



M. S. Bidwell, of Monterey, said that land that has been plowed every time 

 does not answer to top dress, but finds plaster to be best. 



Mr. Munson also recommended plaster for dry land, and that it should be 

 sown just before a rain. He thought it of no particular value for wet land. 



Herman A. Potts, of Egremont, gave his experience in renovating an old 

 pasture. He tried manure, plowing in part in the fall and left a little until spring, 

 finding a decided difference. He sowed it with oats and then with plaster. He 

 plowed in the oat stubble and sowed rye with timothy and clover late in the fall 

 as an experiment. It was but httle frozen, the rye crop was not very heavy, but 

 the growth of grass was remarkably good, and continued so for several yf ars. 



Gershow M. Fitch, of Clayton, said that his experience had been that top- 

 dressing was of no benefit for meadow-laud. He got as much comjDost into the 

 land as he could when he seeded it. He thought all the money he ever got from 

 farming was from grass, although he had raised other crops. He sowed seed rye 

 and herds-grass in the fall, dragging in compost and plaster, and in the spring 

 sowed clover and piaster. To renew it, when grass was ran out, he put on oats 

 or corn, in the fall rye and seed again. A top dressing of 200 lbs. plaster to the 

 acre, applied after the hay is removed, will keep up a meadow. He always 

 finds it of benefit for an old pasture, but does not consider plaster a manure, but 

 a stimulant. By using it as he described, he had been able to keep double the 

 stock he had done without it. 



Prof. S. T. Frost, of New Marlboro, said that in regard to plaster there was 

 no guessing about it, lime rock land did not need it as it made its own. Plaster 

 was needed on granite land. 



Mr. Palmer remembered a farm, within forty rods of a Ume kiln, where 

 plaster was apphed with benefit. 



Leonard Tuttle had seen most remarkable results by sowing plaster on land 

 so wet that it was almost swampy. 



Mr. Parks told how a neighbor had renovated a hide-bound meadow by 

 scratch-harrowing, manuring and seeding just after haying, but without plowing, 

 and for many years afterwards had excellent crops. 



The afternoon discussion was opened by president Henry L. Smith, who 

 gave an account of his growing a large yield of corn last year, although it was 

 considered a bad year for com, but his ground was good. Clover had been 

 mowed on the field for two years. He ploughed it six inches deep about the 5th 

 to the 8th of May, without coulter, to break up the roots and dry readily. The 

 manure was ploughed in. some of it being spread in the fall and some in the win- 

 ter on the snow, thus saving valuable time in the spring. It was thoroughly har- 

 rowed, and then planted the 14th and 15th of May. A compost of half hen ma- 

 nure mixed with muck and scrapings of barnyard was dropped in each hill. A 

 long rain came on immediately, which prevented some farmers from finishing 



