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BULLETIN OF 

 MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF AGEICULTUEE. 



IMPROVEMENT OF PASTURES. 



By Prof. J. W. Sanborn of Oilmanton, N. H,, formerly Director of the Missouri Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, President of the Utah Agricultural College and Director of the 

 Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. 



The older members of a generation of farmers now passing away 

 tell us that New England pastures have greatly deteriorated in 

 their day. That in their earlier days cattle grew more rapidly at 

 pasture than now, fattened into finished beef, and that the profits 

 of beef production depended largely upon pasture feed. At pres- 

 ent, on the average pasture, by dint of hard work stock may 

 make a short growth, and on the better class of pastures a low 

 grade of beef. Pastures have ceased to be the measure of the 

 profits on animal products and cannot be associated with success- 

 ful intensive methods in animal husbandry. It is a prerequisite of 

 such husbandry that an abundance of palatable and nutritious food 

 be supplied. Three to four fold the area is required that should 

 be to fittingly pasture a fatting steer, while the herbage is neither 

 as palatable nor as nutritious as it should be. Weeds and brakes 

 divide the annual supply of plant food and shade the grass. It is 

 found that such grass, or shade grown grass, contains more moist- 

 ure and inorganic protein materials, and is less palatable than the 

 grass of the open, under the full influence of the sun's rays. 



The fact that the dense rich mat of grass of our early pastures 

 has given place to bushes and weeds is evidence of change and de- 

 terioration. Sir John B. Lawes changed the ratio of the several 

 grasses and clovers and ev^n the per cent of weeds by varying the 

 chemicals applied. On plats of grass treated for several years to 

 dissimilar chemicals I found timothy preponderating on some, 

 clover on others and white top on others. On my grass plats this 

 year on which no nitrogen had been applied with the minerals for 

 years golden rod was abundant, while the plat having a half ration 

 of nitrogen contained some of this weed, but none was found in 



