A PASTURE HANDBOOK 4:1 



15 to October 15, with a nurse crop of winter rye, oats, or barley. 

 Grazing may begin in late February or early March and lasts ordi- 

 narily till about May 15 or June 1. Vetch is not relished as much as 

 most legumes, and the injury from trampling is considerable, but it 

 is nutritious and provides pasturage in region 2 before growth begins 

 on the permanent pastures. 



WINTER PEAS 



The gray winter pea, or Austrian winter pea as it is commonly 

 known, is grown for the same purposes and in the same way as the 

 vetches in region 2. Section 5-a is the principal source of domestic 

 seed of this variety of field pea, and most of the acreage in that section 

 of the Pacific slope is harvested for seed, very little being grazed. 

 The winter pea is more palatable than vetch, but the vines are very 

 tender and the injury from trampling greater. The grazing season is 

 the same as that of vetch. 



RESCUE GRASS 



Rescue grass, also known as arctic grass, is a winter annual which 

 ordinarily begins its growth at the end of the hot summer season and 

 thrives only during the cool weather of late fall, winter, and early 

 spring, at which time it produces seed and ceases growth for the year. 

 This grass is not well known or much used, perhaps because the 

 winter small grains are available for grazing at practically the same 

 season of the year and are much more productive. It is grown most 

 in eastern Texas, where some sow it on Bermuda turf in the late 

 summer with little or no cultivation and thus provide some winter 

 pasture after the Bermuda grass and lespedeza become unproductive. 

 It normally produces abundant seed crops, and under favorable 

 conditions will reseed naturally after becoming established. 



Rescue grass is useful only in sections which have mild winters, 

 such as those along the Gulf coast and in southern California. It is 

 fairly palatable and perhaps deserves more consideration than it 

 receives. 



AFTERMATH OF MEADOWS 



On the ordinary farm there are usually some fields devoted to the 

 production of hay. In the Northeast and in the Corn Belt these mead- 

 ows consist largely of timothy and clover or alfalfa; in the central 

 West there are many meadows of native grasses and of alfalfa. In 

 most hay meadows there is a considerable growth after the hay crop 

 is removed, and except in the case of alfalfa these meadows are not 

 injured by a reasonable amount of grazing. There is usually a 

 considerable proportion of clovers in the aftermath of timothy-and- 

 clover meadows; thus the animals are supplied with a diet rich in 

 protein and minerals. The carrying capacity of these hay lands is 

 high for the short periods in which the}^ are utilized as pasture, and 

 much feed that would otherwise be wasted is put to excellent use. 



When meadows, especially alfalfa fields, are grazed in this way it 

 is unwise to allow the animals to remain on them late in the fall. 

 They must be removed in time to allow a sufficient growth to restore 

 root reserves and produce enough foliage to protect the plants during 

 the winter; otherwise the yield of hay the following year will be 

 lessened and the productive hfe of the meadow shortened. 



