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



ANNUAL PASTURES 



A succession of annual crops chosen from those described under 

 supplemental pastures may be so managed that they will provide 

 pasturage for all 12 months of the year in region 2, and for a consid- 

 erable part of this period in region 1 and the irrigated districts of the 

 Western States. Such pastures are of special value to the dairy farmer 

 and the producer of sheep and swine. The expense of preparing the 

 land and seeding these crops is in most cases more than offset by the 

 greater productiveness of such pastures and certain favorable reac- 

 tions upon the animal, such as a greater degree of freedom from 

 internal parasites and the more adequate supply of mineral nutrients. 



Some of the advantages of annual pastures are a greater production 

 per acre, so that less land is required; a longer grazing season, which 

 reduces the feed cost; less trouble from internal parasites; better 

 maintenance of the productivity of the soil; and less danger from 

 obnoxious weeds. 



There are also certain disadvantages which cannot be overlooked, 

 such as a much larger labor requirement; more expense for seed, 

 fences, and macliinery; greater danger of erosion; the impracticability 

 of grazing such crops on clay soils in wet weather; and the frequent 

 impossibility of obtaining good stands of necessary crops. 



CALENDAR OF SEEDINGS 



Advice as to a sequence of annual crops that are suited to the 

 climate and soil of a particular locality as well as to the kind of 

 animals that are to graze them can usually be obtained from the 

 State agricultural experiment station or the county agricultural 

 agent. An effective arrangement of annuals used successfully in 

 southeastern North Carolina to provide pasturage for dairy herds 

 is given as an example: 



Abruzzes rye, sown in September and grazed from November 15 to March 

 15; crimson clover and hairy vetch, sown August 15 to September 1, and grazed 

 from March 1 to May 15; Sudan grass, sown April 1 and grazed from May 15 to 

 November 15; and Biloxi soybeans, sown March 15 and grazed from June 1 to 

 November 15. Several progressively later sowings of soybeans, or soybeans and 

 Sudan grass in alternate rows, usually furnish pasturage for the entire herd 

 during the season indicated, thus leaving the pure Sudan grass for night grazing 

 or to be cut for hay as circumstances demand. 



Similar combinations of annual crops have been devised for other 

 sections of the United States, not only for dairy cattle, but also for 

 hogs and sheep. While the possibility of having grazing available 

 for each month of the year decreases as one goes northward, a proper 

 combination of annuals usually results in a longer grazing season 

 than is possible on permanent pastures. Advice regarding desirable 

 crop combinations for any particular locality should be obtained 

 from the local county agricultural agent or the State agricultural 

 experiment station. 



VITALITY OF SEEDS OF PASTURE PLANTS 



There is always a question as to whether seed of grasses or legumes 

 that has been in storage for several years is in condition to germinate 

 and produce a good stand when properly seeded. This question is 

 answered for the most important of the pasture plants in table 5, 



