New Hampshire Statesman And State Journal

AGRICULTURAL
IMPROVEMENT OF GRASS LANDS

There are various ways of improving grass lands, when they fail to produce a good crop such as top dressing, thorough culture and manuring, ploughing in green crops, inverting the sod and sowing down to grass again. The last mode is practiced while many who attend considerably to tillage, prefer taking off the crop from cultivation, and thoroughly pulverizing the soil, before seeding down to grass again.

Those who would improve their grass lands by turning over the sod and sowing down to grass again, will find the latter part of this month, and the first of September, a suitable time for this purpose. Rough stony lands are not suitable for this mode of improvement it is only adapted to those lands that have been well subdued, so that in ploughing the sod may be completely inverted and laid smooth.

After ploughing it may be beneficial to roll the land to press down the edges of those sods that do not lie flat. Then apply a good coat of manure, and harrow lengthwise, and then crosswise, if it can be done without disturbing the sod: this depends much on the smoothness of the land, the depth of the furrow and excellence of ploughing. If it can be harrowed lengthwise without injury, harrow diagonally, approaching lengthwise as near as may be without disturbing the sod. Then sow the herds grass and red top, and the clover in March.

There are different modes of working in the grass seed; some roll it in, others work it in with a brush harrow, and sometimes a light harrow is used. Mr. Horace Collamore, of Pembroke, who is much in favor of this mode, and practices it extensively, pursues the following course. He ploughs, rolls, manures, harrows lengthwise, and then crosswise; then sows the seed and rolls it in. He says that it takes well, even on dry soils. He objects to a brush harrow as it drags the seed into heaps.—Boston Cult.