No. 4.] BIPROVEMENT OF PASTURES. 



433 



Grasses for Pastures. 



It is an old and insistent contention of authorities that a 

 mixed grass sward yields more and better food than a single 

 grass can. The varieties root differently, mature their grasses 

 at different times, are some of them best in dry seasons, 

 others in wet seasons, differ in composition, digestibility 

 and palatableness, and form a sort of rotation when mixed. 

 The reasoning is logical and cogent on the face of it, yet 

 may have an exaggerated importance. It costs more to 

 seed mixed grasses, by a heavy margin ; and, Avhile a mixed 

 grass sward carries more plants to the acre, it must be 

 remembered that great yicldcrs if mixed with lesser sorts 

 may have their number of plants per acre reduced, and pos- 

 sibly thereby to this extent the yield reduced. 



But an abstract reasoning is an unsafe guide of action. 

 I made in Utah a trial of nine varieties of grass and clover, 

 and all of these mixed. These were sown on measured 

 acres, fenced, and grazed separately at the same time by 

 weighed steers of equal age and similar weights. Two steers 

 were fed on a half acre each lot until the grass was used up. 

 The ground w^as naturally poor and rather overstocked. 

 The gain per steer per day for each kind of grass as the 

 average of two years' trial was as follows : — 



The above kinds included the great producing sorts and 

 the most popular kinds for grazing. The point of chief 

 importance is that the most productive kinds gave the best 

 results, although they are not classed as the best grazing 

 sorts. Timothy made a good showing for a grass that has 



