No. 4.] NEW ENGLAND PASTURES. 



NEW ENGLAND PASTUKES. 



BY J. S. COTTON, ASSISTANT AGKICULTURIST, UNITED STATES DEPART- 

 MENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



One of the most important problems confronting the NTew 

 England farmer to-day is the improvement of his pasture 

 lands. These pastures have deteriorated greatly, and many 

 of them have now reached a point where they are not pro- 

 ducing sufficient feed to pay the taxes and the cost of main- 

 taining the fences. As a result of their extremely low yield 

 it is necessary to devote a considerable area of the cultivated 

 lands in the growing of forage to supplement the pastures. 

 In view of the present high price of grain it is important 

 that these pastures be made to produce more feed than they 

 are doing at the present time, and thus relieve the tillable 

 land from growing so much forage, in order that the farmer 

 can raise some of the high-priced grain on. his own land. 



These pastures were cleared of timber some forty to one 

 hundred years ago, and were allowed for the most part to 

 sod over by a natural process. Since that time they have 

 been grazed from early spring until late fall at practically 

 their highest carrying capacity. During this time very lit- 

 tle improvement in the way of reseeding or fertilization has 

 been practiced. At first the deterioration of these pastures 

 was very gradual, but during the past twent}^ years they have 

 declined much more rapidly. One of the reasons for the 

 more rapid decline during the past few years is that, because 

 of the enormous increase in the growth of the cities of this 

 country, and because of better transportation facilities, the 

 majority of farmers in this region have been specializing in 

 the production of dairy products, and have been increasing 

 the amount of stock that is being run on these pastures with- 



