Pastures in New York. 481 



on the drier soils, but as only a small amount of seed is used it is advis- 

 able to include it in all seedings for pastures. 



Grasses and clovers commonly found in permanent pastures in New 

 York. — From studies thus far made in this state it appears that there 

 are certain plants which may be looked for in the best pastures with a 

 fair degree of certainty of finding them. These plants include timothy, 

 Kentucky blue-grass, meadow fescue, red-top and white clover. To 

 these may be added for particular situations, Canadian blue-grass, 

 orchard-grass, sheep's fescue, sweet vernal, red and alsike clovers. 

 There are a few unimportant annual grasses which make up a small 

 percentage of the herbage of most pastures. The above list includes 

 most of the plants of any importance. In the larger part of the state, 

 orchard-grass and meadow fescue are found on the richer lands. These 

 two plants, however, have not been commonly observed in the northern 

 part of the state. Timothy and Kentucky blue-grass are universally 

 found in that section, with a large amount of red-top in the poorly 

 drained fields. 



It seldom occurs that any single pasture grass gains a great ascendancy 

 in pastures which have become seeded by natural methods. Ordinarily, 

 Kentucky blue-grass will approach this condition oftener than most 

 plants. A few pastures have been studied which consist almost entirely 

 of Canadian blue-grass. The fact that grasses and clovers do not grow 

 singly when left to themselves would seem to suggest that a mixture 

 is advisable when sown by man. 



GRASS MIXTURES 



Permanent and rotated pastures. — As to duration, pastures may be 

 classified as permanent and rotated. Permanent pastures are those 

 lands which are devoted to grazing purposes alone. For the most part 

 they are fields which, for various reasons, are not so well suited to the 

 production of cultivated crops. They are often too steep, too stony 

 or too poorly drained for profitable cultivation. In many instances 

 they are subject to overflow and it is advisable to leave them in sod. 

 Heavy clay lands are well adapted to permanent grazing. 



It is sometimes good practice to use old meadows for pasture. Many 

 farms have no permanent pasture fields. Two or three crops of hay are 

 cut, after which the land is used for pasture for a year or two. This 

 system works well in case the soil does not hold grass permanently. 

 It is also satisfactory for fields infested with paint brush. 



Mixture of grasses and clovers for temporary pasture. — Timothy should 

 always form the basis for a temporary pasture on good land. To this 

 16 



