44 FORAGE CROPS IN NEBRASKA. 



TAME PASTURES AT THE NEBRASKA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



A field of 30 acres was sown in April, lSin>, with a mixture of 

 2 pounds each of orchard grass, timoth}-, ])luegrass, tall oat-grass 

 perennial rye-grass, and white clovei", tt pounds of red clover, and 1 

 pound of alsike. Three pounds of alfalfa were added to 5 acres of 

 this mixture. In 1900, 30 tons of hay were cut and excellent pasture 

 was obtained through the fall. In 1901, the pasture was in excellent 

 condition, supporting 25 to 35 head of cattle and giving 14 tons of tine 

 hay. This pasture has been top-dressed with barnyard manure about 

 every other winter, and during the summer the weeds have been mown 

 two or three times. In the sprhig of 1900 the held was disked and 

 sown Avith brome-grass and meadow fescue. These grasses have gradu- 

 ally gained the ascendency until now the alfalfa has disappeared and 

 there is little to be seen besides the grasses mentioned. 



This tendenc}" for certain grasses to predominate in a mixture is 

 shown l)y the history of a 30-acre held of native pasture. About 

 1887 a portion of this pasture on the south side was sown with blue- 

 grass and white clover. The bluegrass has gradually spread over the 

 whole held, and at present the pasture appears to be mostly bluegrass, 

 which is especially in evidence during earh^ spring and late fall, while 

 during the summer, particularly if the season is dry, the native grasses 

 are conspicuous. This is the usual tendency where bluegrass is able to 

 thrive. It holds its own with other cultivated grasses, and may even 

 crowd out its competitors; but when combined with native grasses, 

 these are able to hold their own in the prairie region of the State. 

 The ]>luegrass starts to grow much earlier than the native grasses and 

 gives in early spring an excellent quality of pasture. In the dr}^ part 

 of the summer the l)luegrass dries up and becomes dormant while the 

 native grasses continue to vegetate. In the autumn as the weather 

 becomes cooler the bluegrass again starts up and gives late pasture. 

 The experimental pasture had been top-dressed with ))arn3 ard maimre 

 aboiit every third winter, and during the summer the weeds were 

 mowed two or three times. In 1898, 4 acres of the above fields were 

 plowed and sown to brome-grass. In the spring of 1901, 3 acres of 

 alfalfa were added from an adjoining field. This portion was disked 

 the following spring and sown with brome-grass and meadow fescue. 

 These grasses have driven out the alfalfa, and now none of the latter 

 can be found in the field. During the season of 1903 this field carried 

 40 head of cattle all summer, and also yielded a (^rop of hay estimated 

 at one-fourth ton per acre. 



Another field sown with timothy, orchard grass, bluegrass, meadow 

 fescue, and brome-grass is now nearl}^ all brome-grass. 



