250 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



these conditions, even for a comparatively short period, dur- 

 ing tlie growing season causes gradually serious changes in 

 the whole character of the growth upon grass lands. A wet 

 condition of the soil due to a high local level of the water in 

 the soil favors the appearance of an inferior class of grasses ; 

 stagnant water is destructive to all good grasses ; while 

 a continued dryness of the soil favors the appearance of 

 a class of herbaceous plants characteristic to dry pastures. 

 The stated results become in the same degree more marked 

 as these undesirable conditions occur or continue. 



Well-devised systems of uuderdraining or of irrigation are 

 efficient remedies wherever local circumstances admit of an 

 unrestricted judicious management. The growth upon wet 

 lands not capable of uuderdraining is not unfrequently mate- 

 rially improved by ditching or by raising the surface of the 

 land with a layer of a light, sandy soil several inches in thick- 

 ness above the previous level of the ground water. A choice 

 of either one or the other of these modes of improvement 

 or a combination of both depend for obvious reasons on local 

 resources, to accomplish the end in view at a reasonable 

 outlay. 



Dry lands unfavorably located for irrigation, or under the 

 influence of adverse climatic conditions, as frequent scarcity 

 of rain during the growing season, ofler but little induce- 

 ment for the cultivation of perennial grasses. The bad effect 

 of short spells of dryness may be somewhat modified by add- 

 ing the seeds of some valuable broad-leaved fodder plant, for 

 instance, medium red clover or white clover, for the purpose 

 of shading the ground and thereby economizing existing local 

 resources of moisture. Some of our ])etter grasses are less 

 affected by spells of dry weather than others ; a due consid- 

 eration of this fact in selectins: amons^ these for cultivation 

 tends to materially improve the chances of success. Mead- 

 ows and pastures which are in an exceptional degree inclined 

 to a spontaneous growth of an inferior class of fodder plants 

 and weeds, if at all fit for a more thorough system of culti- 

 vation, ought to be ploughed up and subsequently for some 

 years planted with some hoed crop or subjected to drill cult- 

 ure, for the purpose of destroying effectually the foul growth 

 and improving the physical and chemical condition of the 



