138 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



From the first year's work it was concluded that cuhivating pastures with disk and 

 iron-tooth harrows, especially in the semiarid regions of the State, was profitable, 

 and that pastures in that region should be rested during the seasons when the grass 

 seeds mature and fall to the ground. These conclusions were confirmed Ijy later 

 results. 



The outcome of the second year's work demonstrated the availability of alfalfa, 

 sulla, sainfoin, vetches, several varieties of cowpeas, velvet bean, soy bean, teosinte, 

 and several varieties of sorghum for annual or temporary pastures and for hay pur- 

 poses. The results further showed that the seeds of grama and mescjuite grasses and 

 of wild timothy, cotton top, Canadian rye, and everlasting grass can be utilized to 

 good advantage for permanent pasture purposes. In addition to the above results 

 it was also definitely shown that the ranges may be improved by judicious resting of 

 the pastures, cultivating the sod, and sowing the seeds of hardy native and improved 

 grasses. 



During the third year from 80 to 85 head of mixed cattle were pastured on the 

 land. This was about one head to every 7^ acres, as compared with a capacity as 

 estimated by experts of one head to every 16 acres at the time the experiments were 

 begun. All the pastures were not grazed at the same time, as each portion of the 

 pasture land was given periods of rest in regular succession. During these resting 

 periods the different pastures carried double the number of stock recommended. 

 "As one result of this systematic resting, the grasses in each pasture were, to a greater 

 or less extent, permitted to mature seeds, which, falling to the ground, increased 

 the number of grass I'oots and in that way added materially to the capacity of the 

 range for supporting stock." 



The author l)elieves that the sustaining capacity of the range can be increased in 

 connection with pasturing stock provided the number of cattle is never too large and 

 each i)art of the range is given its regular period of rest. "It was practicaljle Ajiril 

 1, 1901, to jjlace as many as 100 head of mixed cattle on the 640 acres included in 

 the grass and forage plant station near Abilene, and hold them thereon during the suc- 

 ceeding 12 months without giving them other feed than they could get for them- 

 seh^es. But that could not be done with the 640 acres thrown into one pasture and 

 the 100 head of cattle allowed during the 12 months to range at will over the entire 

 pasture." 



The cost of the range improvement work did not average 25 cents per acre per year. 

 The author considers the outlay and the resulting increase in pasture capacity and 

 shows the profitableness of the work. 



As a result of experimental work a list of grasses and forage jilants well adapted 

 to the climatic and soil conditions of central Texas is given. Each .species is briefly 

 described and its behavior in culture tests at the station grass garden and elsewhere 

 in that region is reported. The list includes the following: Grasses — barnyard grass 

 {Panicum crus-(/alU), Bermuda grass {Cynodon dactylon), buffalo grass {Bulhilis dac- 

 tyloides), bushy blue stem {Andropogon nutans), Colorado grass {Panicum texanum), 

 cotton top grass (P. lachnanthum) , crab grass (P. sanytmiale), curly mesquite {Hilaria 

 cenchroidcs) , everlastmg grass {Eriochloa jnmctata) , gra.nvA grass ( Tripsaeum dadyloides), 

 black grama { Hilar la mutica.) , blue grama {Bouieloun oligostachya), side oats grama 

 {B. curtipeiidula), Johnson grass {Andropoyon halepensis), knot grass [Paspdhim dis- 

 tichum), little blue stem {Andropoyon scojxtrius and yl. torreyanus) , the millets, needle 

 grass {Aristida fasciculata), rescue grass {Bromus unioloides), smooth brome grass, 

 {Bromus inermis) , the sorghums, Texas blue grass {Poa arachnifera) , white top grasss 

 {Triodia albescens)., wild rye {Elymus canadensis), wild timothy {Muhlenbergia race- 

 mosa), teosinte {Euchlxna laxurians), and common oats and wheat; legumes — alfalfa 

 or lucern {Medicayo sativa), Turkestan alfalfa {M. sativa furkestanica) , oasis alfalfa, 

 Florida beggarweed {Desmodium tortuosum), alsike clover {Trifolium. hyhridum), bur 

 clover {Medicago maculata, M. denliculata) , mammoth clover {Trifolium medium) ^ red 



