UNITED STATES 

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Miscellaneous Publication No. 194 



Washington, D. C. 



Issued April 1934 



Slightly revised September 1946 



A PASTURE HANDBOOK 



By A. T. Semple, formerly associate animal husbandman, Bureau of Animal 

 Industry; H. X. Vinall,* senior agronomist, and C. R. Enlow, formerly associ- 

 ate agronomist, Bureau of Plant Industry; and T. E. Woodward, senior dairy 

 husbandman. Bureau of Dairy Industry 



With a foreword bj' Hexry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Foreword 1 



Establishment, maintenance, and improve- 

 ment of pastures 3 



Considerations in establishing pastures 3 



Kinds of pastures 5 



Tame pastures 5 



Natural or native pastures 6 



Permanent pastures 7 



Climatic adaptation of pasture plants. _ 7 

 Grasses desirable in permanent pastures. 7 

 Legumes desirable in permanent pas- 

 tures 13 



Plant mLxtures for different sections of 



the United States 17 



Establishing permanent pastures 22 



Maintenance and improvement of 



pastures 24 



Supplemental pastures 31 



Crops for summer and early fall 



grazing 35 



Crops for late fall, winter, and early- 

 spring grazing 38 



Aftermath of meadows 41 



Amiual pastures 42 



Calendar of seedings 42 



Vitality of seeds of pasture plants 42 



Utilization of pastures 44 



Pastures compared with harvested crops in 



cost of feed. 44 



Pastures compared with harvested crops in 



yield of nutrients 45 



Quality of meat from livestock fattened on 



grass 46 



Influence of pastures on health of live- 

 stock 46 



Feed value of immature pasiui age 47 



Preserving immature pasturage 48 



Changes in feed value as plants mature 48 



Mineral content of pasturage 49 



Page 

 Utilization of pastures — Continued. 



Proteins and other nutrients 51 



Vitamin content of pasturage 52 



Palatability a factor in pasture manage- 

 ment 52 



Grazing practices 53 



Shade, shelter, and water 54 



Rotation grazing 55 



Hohenhelm system of pasture manage- 

 ment 55 



Use of permanent pastures in winter 58 



Precautions against diseases and parasites.. 59 



Stock-poisoning plants 59 



Plants sometimes injurious 63 



Prevention and treatment of bloating. 65 



Pastures for beef and dual-purpose cattle 65 



Breeding cattle on pasture 67 



Creep feeding suckling calves 68 



Fattening cattle on grass alone 68 



Fattening cattle on grain and gras5 69 



Pastures for dairy cattle 71 



Requirements of the dairy cow 71 



Quantity of grass a cow will eat 71 



Supplementing permanent pastures 72 



Supplementary feeds. 7! 



Pastures for dairy calves and heifers 74 



Pasture for the dairy bull 74 



Pastures for horses and mules 74 



Pastures for sheep and goats 75 



Avoiding stomach worms 76 



Rotating pastures to control parasites.. 77 



Schedule of temporary pastures 77 



Rotations with permanent and tem- 

 porary pastures 78 



Fencing sheep pastures 79 



Pastures for goats 79 



Pastures for swine 80 



Pastures for poultry 83 



Index 86 



FOREWORD 



Encouraging the conservation and building of the Nation's soU 

 productivity has become a definite and important national policy. 

 Preservation of the resources of the land upon which the 5sation 

 depends, now and in the future, for its food and clothing prompts such 



*Mr. Vinall died February 1937. 



