22 MISC. PUBLICATION 194, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



This mixture, requiring a total of 21 pounds per acre, is seeded in- 

 the spring. Such a pasture is much less likely to cause bloating than 

 alfalfa or Ladino clover alone ; it pro\ddes a longer grazing season and 

 a better balanced ration, makes better use of the irrigation water, and 

 is less expensive to maintain. Harding grass, sweetclover, and or- 

 chard grass are sometimes added to this mixture, but the simpler one 

 as given, is on the whole more satisfactory. 



ESTABUSHING PERMANENT PASTURES 



Many permanent pastures are simply worn-out or unproductive 

 meadows. Others are the result of the occupation of uncultivated 

 fields by certain pasture plants that are sufficiently aggressive so that 

 they spread without the help of man, as Kentucky bluegrass and 

 white clover do in some sections of the humid Northern States, and 

 as Bermuda grass, carpet grass, and lespedeza have spread in the 

 Cotton Belt. This undirected and unaided establishment of improved 

 pastures requires many years for its full development and thus results 

 in immeasurable waste of potential resources. The low production of 

 average pastures in the United States at the present time is due to 

 lack of planning and the prevailing disposition to avoid as far as 

 possible any initial expense for labor, seed, and fertilizer in starting 

 the pasture. The increased expense of thorough preparation is usually 

 balanced by an increased production the first 2 years. 



SEED-BED PREPARATION AND SEEDING 



Most of the plants recommended for permanent pastures have 

 small seeds, and the young seedlings are weak. It is necessary, there- 

 fore, to prepare a good, firm seed bed and to cover the seed lightly. 

 A general practice is to seed the grasses and legumes in small grain, 

 which is considered a nurse crop. In defense of this practice it is 

 claimed that the wheat, oats, rye, or barley takes the place of weeds 

 and is less harmful to the pasture plants than are weeds, and in 

 addition there is a crop of grain or hay which pays for the labor 

 expended. Numerous experiments have shown that pasture mixtures 

 like those recommended (pp. 17-21), if sown in the fall or early spring 

 without a nurse crop, will be highly productive the first year, and if 

 grazed properly will provide a larger net return than the grain crop. 



The land to be seeded should be plowed long enough before seeding 

 time so that it will become settled and firm. Just before seeding it 

 is profitable, except on especially productive soil, to apply 400 to 

 600 pounds per acre of a complete fertilizer that is known to be 

 successful on small-grain crops in that vicinity. Fertilizers having 

 approximately a 4-12-4 formula are generally effective. A light disking 

 after the fertilizer application will put the soil in condition for seeding, 

 which is usually accomplished by broadcasting. If a cultipacker is 

 available, running this over the land after seeding is the best method 

 of covering the seed. If there is no cultipacker available, then an 

 ordinary spike-tooth or drag harrow with the teeth sloping slightly 

 backward should be used. Where the seed is such as will flow through 

 a drill the seeding and covering may be accomplished in one operation, 

 and usually a better, more uniform stand results if the seed is drilled 

 than if it is broadcast. It is best to sow grasses, except a few like 

 carpet and Bermuda, in the fall, and seed the legumes on the surface 

 in the spring, 



