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them as valuable as the best arable lands of that state. On these pasture 

 lands hog-back ridges are often seen, making it impossible to grow any 

 tillage crop, and yet these lands make the finest blue grass pastures in the 

 South, not excepting those in Central Kentucky, and are worth from fifty 

 to a hundred dollars per acre for the raising of cattle. Likewise in some 

 of the rough lands of East Tennessee may be seen strong growing, nutri- 

 tious grasses upon lands that are worthless for any other purpose except 

 for pasture. 



In selecting grasses for the pasture an opposite course must be pur- 

 sued from that pursued for a meadow. In the latter only such grasses 

 should be sown as mature about the same time. In a pasture, on the other 

 hand, the grasses selected should form a succession of green forage from 

 €arly in the spring until late in the fall. Some pasture grasses also die 

 out after the first year, while others do not reach their greatest value for 

 several years after being sown. In selecting pasture grasses regard must 

 be had to their turf-making qualities. A grass may be eminently adapted 

 to the making of hay and yet be totally unfit for the pasture. Our best 

 meadow grass, timothy, will not survive as a pasture grass because it 

 cannot bear the close cropping and heavy tread of cattle. 



Some grasses are relished by one kind of stock and not by another. 

 The author of British grasses, M. Pleues, put the case happily thus: 

 "Sheep have strong likes and dislikes. They will hasten to a kind of 

 grass which is a favorite with them, tramping down all the other grasses 

 as unfit to taste. Horses, again, have their preference and cows theirs. 

 and we have even seen swine exercise considerable cunning to secure a 

 feed of a favorite grass. So the agriculturist has as much to consider as a 

 master of ceremonies; he must consult the capabilities of situation, the 

 qualities of his provision, and the various tastes of his company." 



In the selection of a situation for pasture it is highly important that 

 the soil be naturally moist in its character. Pastures suffer more in the 

 South from dry than from cold weather or heavy grazing. When they 

 occupy a thirsty soil they may furnish good grazing during the wet 

 spring months, but the grasses parch to a crisp when the hot weather of 

 July and August comes on. Early pastures do well on southern slopes, 

 but low level bottom lands or north hillsides having rich soils can only 

 be depended upon for good pasturage during the heat and dryness of 

 summer. 



The best grasses for pasture lands in Tennessee are the following: 



Blue grass — { Poa prateusis. ) 



June j^rass — [Poa compressa. ) 



Orchard grass — ( Da civ/ is glouierata. ) 



Meadow fescue — ( Festuca pratensis. ) 



Hard fescue — [Festuca duriuscula.) 



Herd's grass — [Agrostis alba. ) 



Bermuda grass — {Cyiiodon dactylon.) 



Meadow foxtail — ( Alopeciirus pratensis. ) 



Sheep's fescue — [Festuca uviua.) 



White clover — f Trifoliuin repens. ) 



Red clover — ( Trifoliuin pratense- ) 



Four or five of these glasses, the names of which are given above, 

 should be sown together in the fall of the year on land intended for a per- 



