MEADOWS AND PASTURES. Figs. G59-675. [See, also, article on Grasses.] By S. Fraser.
Meadow is land devoted to crops which are to be made into hay. The word is from the Anglo-Saxon rued =meadow. Frequently land which is too low and wet to be used for other purposes is re tained as mea dow. Pasture is land de voted to crops which are to be grazed. Thewordisde rived through theold French from the Latinpastura.
The plants most com monly used for these pur poses include the clovers and the true grasses, and plants of many other species, frequently weeds, and all are generally spoken of col lectively as "grass" and the land as "grass-land." Meadows and pastures may be permanent or temporary in duration. When permanent, the land is seldom or never plowed ; when temporary, grass is grown for one to four years, usually as part of a rotation of crops.
The end in view, whether meadow or pasture, permanent or temporary, will materially aid in deciding the seeds which should be sown on grass land. For example, in a meadow the aim is to have all the plants at their best at one time, viz., when they are to be cut for hay. In a pasture the aim is to secure plants which will give a uniform amount of feed throughout the season, from spring to fall ; thus far, the advice given to secure this is to sow a number of different species of plants which are at their best at different times, and which will survive climatic conditions.
For temporary grass-land it is necessary to sow seeds of plants that are not costly, that arrive at maturity quickly and that give a good yield the following year. On the other hand, in the case of permanent grass-land, cost of seed and the time taken to reach maturity are secondary to duration and adaptability of the plants when established.
Permanent and temporary grass-land.
Land may usually be kept permanently in grass on (1) Hillsides subject to washing.
(2) Upland at a distance from market, and where labor is scarce or high.
(3) Lowland subject to flooding.
(4) Rocky or stony land.
(5) Swamp land.
(6) Heavy clay soils that can be tilled only at considerable expense.
Sometimes it is profitable on high-priced land which could readily be tilled if desired.
Temporary grass-land is especially suited to sandy or light soils where grass and clovers will not hold for more than one or two years, and is of especial value in almost any rotation. Some of the
advantages accruing from its use are : (1) Usually a larger yield of produce is secured per acre ; and when leguminous crops are grown the crop-producing power of the soil is increased.
(2) The introduction of grass crops into a rota tion reduces the labor bill.
(3) It furnishes an opportunity for improving the texture of the soil when the humus has been exhausted by several years of tillage, by adding humus from the mat of roots and stubble.
Whether temporary or permanent grass-land should or should not be adopted on any particular farm depends entirely on the conditions, and must be decided by the farmer himself.
If temporary grass-land is adopted, it may be accepted as a general rule for the grass-growing region of the New England and northern central states, that the clay and heavy soils may be left longer in grass, with profit, than the lighter soils. Whenever permanent grass-land, especially pasture, is the aim, it is well to remember the English adage, "To make a pasture will break a man, bnt to break a pasture will make a man." Making per manent pasture is slow work. Once the land is seeded it should never be plowed, and wherever there is great difficulty in retaining a sod, intelli gent care being given, it may be accepted as evi dence that conditions, climatic or otherwise, are such that it is better to adopt a system of tempo rary grass-land. A poor pasture is unprofitable, and yet a large proportion of the pastures of the eastern part of the United States are poor. This is due, largely, to lack of knowl edge and gen eral indiffer ence. To grow good grass is the fine art of agri culture, and no farm crop is grown on high er-valued land. In Italy the best irrigated grass land is valued as high as $3,000 per acre ; and those parts of England most famous for their pastures and meadows are the most highly prized. The Eu ropean farmer has given much more attention than the American to growing good grass. The present article reflects the English point of view as adapted to American conditions, for the writer's first experience was gained in England.