386 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA BREEDERS' ASSO. 

 CIATION AND DAIRY UNION HELD IN BOARD OF TRADE 

 BUILDING, HARRISBURG, PA., JANUARY 26-28, 1915. 



PASTURES 



PROF. E. D. GARDNER, State College, Pa. 



Gentlemen: When your committee made up this program, I know 

 they selected an important subject; but just why they selected me to 

 talk on it, I don't know. I am sure that I would not have selected 

 the subject for myself. I know that it is bad form for a man to as- 

 sure you he knows nothing about the subject, and then try to talk 

 about it. 



This country has not developed pastures to any great extent. We 

 find a dearth of literature on the subject, and at our Experiment Sta- 

 tion we have done very little experimenting on pastures. The main 

 source of reliable information is through a few farmers who have 

 observed the results of practice. 



The grazing of stock is probably the oldest agricultural practice 

 known to man. We find reference to it in the Bible; in fact, it is 

 stated that the son of Adam was a grazer of flocks, although his 

 brother tilled the soil. 



Coming back to modern agriculture, we find that England has 

 been noted for her good pasture for practically a thousand years. 

 They have given a great deal of attention to the subject, and have 

 fine pastures, the very best land often being devoted for grazing pur- 

 poses. In this part of the United States we feel that we cannot af- 

 ford to devote to grass, land that is of very high value. In fact, that 

 we must till all the land that can possibly be tilled. It is not only 

 a question of how many dollars you can make per acre, but how many 

 dollars you can make per man, and you can often get larger returns 

 per man in devoting much attention to hay and pasture than you can 

 from time spent on high priced crop. 



One reason why we have paid so little attention to the growing of 

 pasture is that we have had for many years a large tract of plains or 

 prairie land, as free range and men could let their cattle run there, 

 with no labor or other expense than was involved in bringing them 

 in at the end of the year; so there was little need of developing pas- 

 tures. But conditions are changed. These lands, once used for 

 ranges, are being broken up into farms. The drier portions which 

 were used for grazing have been over-grazed, and the grazing capa- 

 city largely reduced, so that the rearing of livestock is coming back 

 towards the East, and there are opportunities here for developing 

 pastures. 



About 60% to 75% of the land in the East is not devoted to farm 

 crops. What is that land doing? The forests have been cut off; 

 there is very little merchantable forest left; the land is too hilly or 



