22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



and I want to ask if I am going to receive some benefit 

 from that ? Some people say that the bushes grow so much 

 faster when the pastures are not stocked fully that you lose 

 more than yuu gain; but I have never found that the cattle 

 kept the bushes down very much. 



Mr. CoTTOisr. There is no question but that you receive 

 benefit from the grass that has gone to seed. Our experience 

 shows that resting is one of the best methods of restoration. 

 As to reseeding, I think that if you could use a brush harrow, 

 as you can on nearly any piece of land, you could work the 

 seed in and give it a better start. Give the soil a good combing 

 when the frost goes out. If you have a dense sod, a worthless 

 foundation, your grass seed will not catch. If the ground is 

 comparatively bare, I believe you can reseed very successfully. 

 In the ranges of the mountain regions — in Washington, Cal- 

 ifornia and Montana — we have had excellent success by re- 

 seeding right on top of the ground. We shall have more data 

 on this question later on, through our experiment work in 

 Maine and Xew York. 



Secretary Ellsworth. Seeding in rye is one of the best 

 ways of seeding a pasture, furnishing spring feed for the cows 

 and protecting the young grass plants. Sometimes the milk- 

 man will complain of the quality of the milk, if the cows are 

 allowed to eat too heavily of the rye at first ; but that can be 

 avoided by bringing them onto it gradually, allowing them to 

 feed on it but an hour or two at first, and gradually increasing 

 the time. I know of no way in which spring feed can be ob- 

 taine^l more cheaply than on rye, or of making milk more 

 cheaply at that season of the year. 



Afteenoot^ Session. 



Secretary Ellsworth. I will introduce to you Mr. Fred- 

 erick A. Russell of Methuen, who represents the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society on the State Board of Agriculture, and who 

 will preside at this session. 



The CirAiE:srAX. It is a gTcat pleasure to preside at this 

 meeting. I am very much interested in the production of 

 milk, and have need to be interested. We have in the rear 



