PASTURE CULTURE 39 



to any great extent. In the early da\s when pasture land was plentiful and 

 grazing was good, farmers saw little need for expending additional time and 

 money to rotate the grazing of these pastures. Later, when these pastures were 

 "run out," it made comparatively little difference whether grazing was rotated 

 or not. Controlled grazing practices are at present much more important in the 

 management of good semi-permanent pastures than in most permanent pastures. 



The Principles of Grazing Management 



About the only semi-permanent pasture species whose grazing management 

 has been studied in Massachusetts is Ladino clover. Although the requirements 

 of other species may vary, it is likely that many of the best management prac- 

 tices for Ladino clover will apply to many of the other legumes at least. Some 

 of the most important elements of grazing technique include the following: 



Alternate Grazing. — Ladino clover will not withstand continuous, close grazing. 

 Vigorously growing Ladino clover produces large leaves borne on long upright- 

 growing stems. If these leaves are continually removed, the plant cannot main- 

 tain a large enough leaf surface to carry on its normal life functions. Its growth 

 becomes less vigorous and before long it is crowded out altogether by some less 

 productive, less desirable species. Continuous grazing probably results also in 

 much mechanical injury to the heavy, succulent runners which spread over the 

 ground, and in this manner reduces plant growth. Therefore, Ladino clover 

 pastures must be rested periodically to allow the plants to recover from the effects 

 of grazing. A grazing period of one week to ten days appears to be the best for 

 Ladino clover. This permits the removal of most of the vegetative growth which 

 was present at the beginning of the grazing period, but not of much of the new 

 growth which occurs during that period. 



Keeping animals on the pasture only a few hours a day during the grazing 

 period is another desirable practice, for it reduces mechanical injury to the plants 

 and compaction of the soil through tramping. This latter factor is particularly 

 important in the spring and during wet weather. 



Even Grazing. — Unless a good pasture is uniformly grazed it deteriorates 

 rapidly. The undergrazed areas quickly become less palatable and are therefore 

 shunned more than ever, while the overgrazed areas become more palatable in 

 contrast and are therefore still more heavily overgrazed. Heavy stocking over a 

 relatively short grazing period is the best way to prevent the development of this 

 condition. A good Ladino clover pasture usually requires from eight to twelve 

 cows per acre to graze it evenly in a grazing period of one week to ten days. 

 Occasionally the use of a mower after grazing may be necessary to remove un- 

 eaten clumps. 



Late Fall and Early Spring Grazing.— Grazing good pastures late in the fall 

 frequently prevents the storage of adequate food reserves in the roots of plants 

 like Ladino clover and often results in severe winter injury. Grazing early in 

 the spring before good growth has started or while the ground is soft is also fre- 

 quently injurious. Pasture plants must be permitted to make their early spring 

 growth unmolested, to enable them to maintain high productivity levels later 

 in the season. 



The Pasture Plant 



The third principal factor which directh- influences the productivity, feeding 

 value, and general usefulness of a pasture is the kind and type of plants which 

 thrive there. 



Not only the total productivity of a pasture but also its seasonal productivity, 



