MEADOWS AND PASTURES 159 



3. Make a collection of the different meadow plants 

 produced on your home meadows. How many different 

 kinds of grasses? How many legumes? Do you find any 

 grasses that were not sown, but which have come in of 

 their own accord? Learn to identify each different grass 

 and its seed in your meadows. 



4. Make a collection of the most troublesome weeds 

 found in your meadows. Learn to identify both plants and 

 seeds. How many farmers in your region cut down the 

 weeds on their meadows to keep them from going to seed ? 



5. Go out into some meadow near by and examine it 

 for the five qualities specified for meadows. What was 

 the yield per acre ? Is red-top as palatable for stock as tim- 

 othy ? As clover ? Does timothy improve the soil ? 



6. Examine .some meadow just seeded. Identify the 

 plants. Is the stand good ? Is the field free from weeds ? 

 Is it reasonably smooth? 



7. Are there any old meadows near at hand that are 

 run down? If so, what do they need to improve them? 

 How much do they yield? What is the quality of the hay 

 produced ? 



2. Pastures 



More improved farm land is devoted to pastures than 

 to any cultivated crop. Pasturage supplies the greater pro- 

 portion of the feed for the production of milk, butter, beef, 

 mutton and wool and is an important factor in the produc- 

 tion of pork. The annual value of our pasturage is more 

 than that of any other crop raised. 



Requirements of a pasture. Pastures should possess 

 in general the same qualities as meadows. They should 

 (1) yield well; (2) have such grasses as will start early 

 and continue to grow late; (3) be palatable and nutritious 

 to stock ; (4) form a firm tough sod that will stand tramp- 

 ling; (5) have fine rather than coarse grasses; and (6) be 

 free from weeds. 



Pasture grasses and legumes. The best meadow 

 grasses are not always the best pasture grasses. For ex- 



