14 



character of the soil so that the cultivated grazing plants will be able 

 to establish themselves so thoroughly as to prevent the growth of 

 other and less desirable sorts. The prairie lands of Louisiana make 

 excellent pastures without plowing, and the tliiu, sandy lands along 

 the Gulf coast can be made into very satisfactory pastures simply by 

 grazing to destroy the wire-grasses and to encourage the growth of 

 carpet-grass. The coming in of the carpet-grass can be materially 

 havStened by mowing an old pasture in July or August when the grass 

 is maturing its seed and scattering the hay over the new field. Wet 

 places should be planted with either roots or seed of the large water- 

 grass, which grows well in such places and is especially valuable during 

 winter. Many of the coast soils are so deficient in lime that it is diffi- 

 cult to secure a good growth of any of the clovers. Where the soil is 

 not too light, lespedeza will do fairly well, and as its growth improves 

 year after year, it pays to sow it in all pastures. On light soils which 

 contain lime, like many of those in southern Georgia and Florida, the 

 Florida beggar -weed grows well, reseeds itself freely, and makes good 

 summer and fall grazing, but yields nothing during the winter and 

 spring months. It is very little trouble to make good pastures on the 

 coast soils which have once been in cultivation, as carpet-grass takes 

 possession of such fields very quickly. Bermuda will cover the more 

 fertile spots, and the sowing of lespedeza or beggar- weed will provide 

 the best leguminous grazing plants for these soils. 



Kich and moist alluvial soils, like those along the rivers and large 

 streams, will finally become covered with a growth of Bermuda grass, 

 but even on such lands the spread of the grass is slow, and the ground 

 can be covered much more quickly if it is first plowed to kill the coarser 

 growth and bring it into better mechanical condition. These soils 

 make better pastures than do any other, as they are naturally the 

 most fertile, most easily kept in condition, and will support a greater 

 variety of plants. For these, as for all fertile soils, Bermuda is the 

 best possible foundation, and should be planted as described on page 25, 

 but as its season for good grazing lasts only six or eight months, it 

 should have other species planted with it. Large water-grass and 

 Terrell-grass will give good winter grazing along the water courses and 

 in damp places, while bur-clover and lespedeza should be sown on the 

 drier portions. Along creeks, the borders of marshes, and other wet 

 places redtop and alsike clover should be sown at the rate of a bushel 

 of the former and two quarts of the latter per acre. On black soils 

 four quarts of red clover seed may be added with advantage. 



On the drier and harder upland soils it is almost impossible to secure 

 good pastures without previous cultivation of the laud. The natural 

 pastures in this region are all that can be desired during the summer 

 and early fall, but fail (juickly after the first frosts and do not become 

 really good again until April. Here, as elsewhere, Bermuda and les- 

 pedeza are the best foundation for a i^asture, as both make vigorous 



