10 NEW HAMPSHIRE EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 255 



The better type of pastnreland is relatively free from juniper and 

 similar plants, but not suitable for mowing. It may be too rocky, or 

 be too steep and broken by erosion. These lands are as good for pas- 

 ture as the poorer haylands. 



Below this there is the land which is so largely covered with ledges, 

 juniper and other bushes, loose rocks, brush and trees that the grass 

 is crowded and sparse. Such lands are of little value as pasture, but 

 no attempt is made to improve them. 



About 27% of the pasturelands. and 73% of that which has no tree 

 growth, is of the better type. This amounts to 1281 acres, while the 

 other 463 acres of the "open" pasture class, and most of the "wooded" 

 land are poor. Five acres of the better pasture will support a cow for 

 the summer, while the capacity of the poorer lands varies with the 

 density of the grass. If half the land is covered with grass, 10 acres 

 will support a cow, which is about the average. 



Fig. 2. The contrast between pastureland, in the foreground, and 

 hayland, in the center. The pasture growth here is sweet fern, 

 with a few junipers and one red cedar showing. A good cover of 

 grass grows underneath. 



The grasses on pastureland are practically the same as are found on 

 the wild haylands. On the uplands bluegrass, sweet vernal and witch- 

 grass predominate, while on the lowlands and meadows these are sup- 

 ported by or subordinate to foxtail, sedges, and non-palatable, coarser 

 species. A scattering of timothy and red top escaped from nearby 

 fields is rather common. Many other lesser species of wild grasses are 

 more or less frequently found both on the pasture and the haylands. 



Most of the pasture type has at least scattered pines, with perhaps 

 some cherry, gray birch, elm or other hardwoods. The most character- 

 istic plants are juniper, sweet fern and red cedar. Raspberry and 

 blackberry bushes are common on some cntover land, and meadowsweet 

 and hardhaek are apt to be scattered throughout. When pines are 

 present, they are bushy, weeviled, big-limbed and useless for lumber, 

 but are good seed trees, and windfirm. 



