174 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. 89. I 



ANn HORTICULTURAL RFG13TER. 



EldlteA by Josepb Brcck. 



Boston, Wednesday, Not. S!), 1843. 



IMPROVEMENT OF OLD PASTURES 

 FIELDS. 



AND 



In traversing the country, it is not uncommon to see 

 large tracts of old pnsturps «nd fields, whirl) have been 

 inigimproved, if we may use the expression, hy n con- 

 stant cropping ever since the cotintry was settU'ti — fitst, 

 by sucressiv ■ crops of Indian corn, ihe most cxli^usling 

 of all crops, and then by close pasturing, until hurdly 

 grass enouih is produced to keep the starving gnss- 

 hoppers alive. As you walk over these pastures in mid- 

 • ummer, it will be noticed that a species of mo.ss h;i» 

 taken possession of the ground and nearly excluded the 

 grass, and as it crumps under the feel, a casual observer 

 would be led to conclude that the land was cursed with 

 hopeless barrenness : but we believe this is no' the case. 

 Many of these tracts once produced good crops of 

 corn, rye and grass, and their present poverty may be 

 attributed to bad management ; for we hold that no land 

 will become sterile, where there is due regard to a ro- 

 tation of crops and a proper application of manure 



The great difficulties have been, a want of system, 

 the attempt to cultivate loo much land, and lack of econ- 

 omy in making and saving manures. It will be of no 

 use now to lament over past mismanagement, but it is 

 proper 10 inquire, what can be (jone to renovate and 

 bring back to fertility these worn-out pastures and 

 fields ? 



The great difficulty which first presents itself, is a de- 

 ficiency of manure — for we generally find where such 

 land abounds, there is a lack of this precious commodi- 

 ty, and every year the quantity must diminish, if the 

 lands are suffered to deteriorate — for, the smaller the 

 crop of hay and roots, the smaller mu.st be the number 

 of cattle kept, and of course the manure heap must di- 

 minish — and with such cultivatorji there is not often the 

 means to purchase manure, even if it could be obtained. 

 The question is, then, how .ire we to make a beginning ? 

 A gentleman of our acquaintance, a farmr of intelli- 

 gence, who inherited or came into possession of his 

 father's farm, informs us that he has in this farm a lar"e 

 quantity of this sort of land, and that he has been ope- 

 rating a number of years upon it with success. As his 

 mode of operation is whal we should recommend, we 

 will give it to our readers, hoping that, if we make any 

 omissions or additir.ns, he will give it to us in his own 

 language. 



This gentleman is deficient of one implement — the 

 subsoil plow — which he thought would be of very "reat 

 advantage in breaking up and pulverizing the subsoil, 

 which, he remarked, had become so firm by the constant 

 rubbing of the bottom of the plow, for so many years, 

 that it was difhcult to plow more than four inches deep. 

 He says he finds it good husbandry to plow up these 

 pastures and sow them down to grass, even without ma- 

 nure. It would be better, had he manure to spare, to 

 nse it ; but as this he cannot conveniently n-et, he is 

 obliged to dispense with it. 



Ills practice is to plow in November, Oeceinber, Jan- 

 uary or February, whenever the frost is out of the 

 ground, and as he has leisure. He stated that he did 

 not plow very deep, on account, as before slated, of the 

 hard subsoil. The furrows are laid over flat. After 

 plowing he rolls, and then harrows lengthways of the 

 lurrows. The ground lies in this elate until spring, 



when the grass seed is sown, after it has been harrowed 

 agiiin, after which he gives it another rolling. As he 

 sows early, the ground gets well covered with the grass 

 the first season — hut on this he suffers no creature to 

 feed. The second year ho gets a very good nop of h.iy. 

 Where he tiipdress.d with aslies the grass was much 

 heavier. 



He is of opinion that if the sub.^oil plow were u.seil, 

 the improvement would be much greater. He prefers 

 snviing his grass si-ed early in the spring to sowing in 

 the fjll. We were not informed whal quantity of grass 

 seed he sowed. It is a very great mistake to be parsi- 

 monious in seeding down land of any descriplion, but 

 more particularly upon a soil Ihat is poor. 'I he great 

 i>bjcct is to ;;et the land well covered with grass, and 

 the soil filled with roots. The thick growth prevents 

 the weeds from taking possi'ssion and smothering the 

 young plants. 



Were we to undertake to rtnovate pastures and fields 

 of this description, we should pursue very much the 

 same course as thij gentleman has, with the addition of 

 subsoiling, and if possible, to dress the land with some 

 good compost; if not, sow the grass seed without ma- 

 nure. Alter taking off" what crop there was the second 

 year, we should break it up again, plowing a little deep- 

 er than before : the decorpposition of the grass and 

 roots would greatly enrich the soil, and the nrxt crop 

 would be much heavier than the first. By thus repeal- 

 ing this operation every other year, the land would im- 

 prove, and it would not take many years to bring it back 

 to its original fertility. By plowing late in the fall and 

 winter, when no other work is pressing, it would not 

 interfere with the ntcessnry operations of the farm, on 

 which the farmer is dependant for his support As such 

 land as we are speaking of is comparatively worthless, 

 hardly paying for fencing, ihe interest of its value would 

 be trifling, and tlio only outlay, except the wear of the 

 implements and labor, would be the grass seed. 



One of the most profitable farms in the Slate, which 

 we vi iled a short lime since, was where no corn nor 

 any exhausting crop was raised. It is a grass farm, in 

 every sense of the word. The greater part of the first 

 crop of hay, 100 tons on 40 acres, is sold. The second 

 crop suffices, with a little of the first, to feed out to the 

 stock kept on the place. The number is very small 

 compared with the extent of the farm, yet bijt very little 

 manure is purchased. The process is, turning over the 

 grass as often as it begins to fail, and seeding down 

 again upon the inverted sod. This practice followed 

 on any land, will most assuredly increase the fertility of 

 the soil, however poor it may be. Il will take time, to 

 be sure, on sterile pasture without manure, to bring it 

 into a good state, but if corn is not raised upon it too 

 soon, iho desired iniprovernent will be effected. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOUIETV 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturilay, JVojj. 9.5, 1 



From the President of the Society, a di«h of tlu 

 rcnco Pear, a seedling from Messrs. Wilcomb & 

 nurserymen, Flushing, L I. For a description i 

 Pear, Bie ihe letter to the President, annexed. , 

 fruit was lasted by the committee, who were of 

 mous opinion that it may be classed with the vci 

 of Pears. It is about the size, and somewhat 

 shape, of the Urbanisle — melting, fine flavor, nci 

 skin. 



From Samuel Walker, Vicar of WinKfield Pea. 

 in eating, and was found to be very fine; speciii 

 Passe Colmar do ; Capiaumont; there were 

 doubts -vhether this vj3b coirect, notwithstanc 

 agreed in appearance to the description given of I 

 riety in the Catalogue of the London Horticult. Si 

 as this fruit is there laid down as in eating in 0( 

 whereas these specimens were not yet mature. 



From Josiah Lovelt, 2d, Pears, name unk 

 These were lasted by the committee, and allhougl 

 fine to look at, were only second rale in flavor, a 

 committee were of opinion that it was not of muc 

 sequence about the name. 



From Edward Marsh, Quincy, Lewis Pears. 

 For the Committee, JOS. BR El 



Preserving Manure — If you have no barn cellar or 

 other shelter for your manure that has accumulated in 

 the barn-yards, pile it in a heap or heaps, and cover it 

 all over, sides as well as top, with muck or any kind 

 of luif. This will prevent the escape of much of its en- 

 riching properties which would otherwise be lost. 



The following is the letter to the President, allu 

 above : 



Flushins, II mo., 20lA, l( 



AI P. Wilder, Pres't Mass. Hurt. Soc— We se 

 Harnden & Co. 's express, a box of Pears, and if 

 should think proper to present them to the Horti.i 

 ral Society, we would thank ihee to do so. Il is. 

 live of Flushing. It produces abundant crops 

 year; is in eating order over four months — say fro 

 lOlh to the 2d month— (from Oct. to Feb ) It is n 

 dined to rot or shrivel, as is the case with some o 

 winter Pears. We think it possesses as many 

 qualities as any late fruit we have seen, but this we 

 to the better judgment of the Horticultural So 

 The tree is of fair growth, and very full of thorns 

 appears to be a cross of iho old St. Germain and Si 

 chael, as it resembles both of them in wood, fo 

 and fruit; and theie is no other variety in the n 

 borhood of it. We intended to have sent the fr 

 Boston last year, but were disappointed. We call 

 Lawrence Pear. Respectfully, 



WILCOMB &. KIN 



T/it Carts, Gearing, 1,-c. — Examine every thing of the 

 kind with your own eye>, not with your man's or over- 

 seer's. Whatever repairs may be necessary, have done, 

 and sen that all your carts, wagons, sleds, carriages, &c. 

 are kept under cover. See if the sleigh wants repairs; 

 if you omit making them now, ten chances to one, you 

 ! will never think of it again until snow comes, when it 

 will be loo late. — Jmcr. Far. 



THANKSGIVING. 



We suppose it is altogether unnecessary to appris 

 readers that tomorrow is Thanksgiving day in the 

 old Coinmonwealih of Massachusetts — (God bless 1 

 — and equally unnecessary to read them a lengthy I 

 ily on their duties in conneciion wiih the lime fioii 

 occasion. The Jiusbandman is under peculiar ob 

 lions of gratitude to ihe Giver of all good for His un 

 ing bounty in causing the earth to yield plenteous 

 her products. If there be any thing (says Mr Coli 

 to make man feel the goodness of heaven, and reve 

 him its wide-spread and unmeasured bounty, it is the 

 rations and the results of agriculture. Who can re 

 upon that beneficence which lakes care of all, and 1 

 the products of ihe earth daily spreads u feasl for e 

 thing that lives, so that not one is sent empty av 

 who can see all this, and fail to lift up his soul 

 grateful adoration to an omniscient but invisible B 

 factor, and see "God in all, and all in God .'" Tl 

 Him from your hearts, for his wonderful, unceasing, 

 unstinted bounty ; enjoy His gifts with innocence, 

 impart of them with liberality. 



Corn-cobs crushed and steamed, contain fully two-fi 

 as much nourishment as the giaiii itself. 



