Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 305 



Mr. Robert J. Dodge— The suggestion of Professor Colton, that 

 the first runnings be conveyed away and not permitted to enter the 

 cistern, is a good one. It might also be well to sweep the roof once 

 in a while, and keep it clear of leaves and other rubbish. 



Moss est Meadows. 

 Mr. G. Korn, New London, Conn., said that ridding pastures or 

 meadows of moss, means nothing more than strengthening the growth 

 of grass. Every meadow, every pasture, is a battle-field where plants 

 of different kinds are fighting for their chances. Supply your 

 friends with what they want freely, and they will overpower its con- 

 currents without further assistance. The washing down by rain, from 

 hilly, stony pastures, of soluble mineral substances, takes the subsist- 

 ence from the plants we desire to encourage. Spread rich soil, guano, 

 wood ashes, upon a peaty, swampy turf, where you never before saw 

 white clover or useful grasses, and suddenly they will make their 

 appearance without even being sown. They have been there before, 

 waiting only for a better chance ; but you could not see them, for they 

 were overrun by coarser plants, and powerless by starvation. Supply 

 your pastures with a good, choice of plant food — fresh, rich soil mixed 

 with wood ashes, compost, marl, night soil, guano, kalisalto, soluble 

 phosphates. Let them have a light top-dressing every spring, better 

 than a heavy one at once, and help them before they are entirely worn 

 out, as this is the cheaper way. Roadside washing contains many 

 useful ingredients, and liquid manures also. Lime may be useful 

 where plants and soil are in want of it, but useless for only killing 

 moss. Plaster helps mostly the clover. If you cannot afford more,, 

 haul the washings down on any good soil from the lower part of your 

 pasture, by and by again to the top, and thinly spread it over the grass, 

 and, if you are able, give a mulching of straw, brushwood, salt hay 

 during winter and early spring. Mulching, even in summer time, 

 shows useful effects, preventing the blowing off, perhaps, of moist- 

 ure and carbonic acid by the winds ; and two lots of pasture alter- 

 nately mulched, while the cattle are kept off, produce a good deal 

 more of food than the same area run over the whole season, by the 

 same number of animals. Another correspondent, writing of moss in 

 meadows, said the best application is plaster. " There are," he added, 

 " knolls in our pasture where nothing but moss grew a few years ago, 

 which are now covered thick with white clover. Nothing but plenty 

 «>f plaster has been used to effect this change." 



Adjourned. 



[Inst.] 20 



