HAY 151 



are improved by the use of lime. A top dressing with commercial 

 fertilizer, or with barnyard manure, will often stimulate the pas- 

 ture growth and promote good returns. 



Pasture Mixtures in Different Sections. In regions where 

 blue-grass is easily grown, this is the chief crop used in permanent 

 pastures. As the crop does not thrive well in dry regions, and is 

 not well adapted to soils deficient in lime, it is often found advis- 

 able to mix with it grass or clover to supplement the pasturage. 

 Timothy is a fairly good pasture grass for upland places and is 

 often mixed with blue-grass. Creeping white clover when mixed 

 with blue-grass pastures has the tendency when approaching 

 maturity to cause horses to slobber severely. Particularly in the 

 wet season, as early spring, it may cause bloating of cattle. How- 

 ever, it furnishes good feed and may be used with caution. For 

 low grounds, add to the mixture some redtop. 



In some of the western states where the climate is compara- 

 tively dry, smooth brome grass is mixed with other grasses such 

 as blue-grass, white clover, redtop and timothy. 



In the gulf states and some of the other southern states, Ber- 

 muda grass is commonly used in permanent pastures. Mix with 

 this small grains, as wheat, oats and barley and sow in the fall to 

 form a winter pasture, and for the same season have crimson clover 

 and hairy vetch sewn at the same time. In the early spring the 

 same pasture may be sown with lespedeza to improve the pasture 

 through the summer season. 



Soiling crops are valuable particularly for dairy and swine 

 feeding. They are used chiefly during the dry summer season 

 when pastures are poor. The manager must have the crops 

 growing in time to cut for soiling purposes at any time when the 

 hot summer weather destroys much of the pasture forage. The 

 flow of milk from dairy cattle is kept up by this means at a very 

 nominal cost and much loss is thereby prevented. Corn is one of 

 the best soiling crops, but in some sections is not mature enough 

 for use in this way when the dry weather begins. It is then well 

 to have some other green feed ready for use. Oats and Canada 

 peas grown together may be cut in the green state and used for 

 soiling. Red clover is also fed green. Alfalfa is perhaps the most 

 satisfactory of all crops for soiling, as it is ready to cut at almost 

 all times and the crop itself is better when cut frequently. 



Hay. Timothy is the chief hay plant in the cool, humid 

 districts of America. Smooth brome grass and various native 



