4 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 281 



Residents of Massachusetts annually consume milk and cream valued at approx- 

 imately $105,331,000 in 1929. Massachusetts farmers supplied milk and cream 

 valued at $23,094,170, or about 22 per cent of the total.' Present prices are 

 lower than those received in 1929, but the figures for the percentage of the total 

 supplied hold approximately. 



According to the 1930 census 753,088 acres, or 37.6 per cent of the total farm 

 land, were classed as pasture in 1929. Of this amount 78.5 per cent was not plow- 

 able. For the same year the number of pasturable dairy animals was 184,369. 

 From these figures it would appear that the average carrying capacity of Massa- 

 chusetts pastures in 1929 was approximately 3<4 cow per acre, but even this 

 figure is generous because much supplementary barn feed was given cows on 

 pasture. It is conservative to say that by the use of approved methods of pas- 

 ture management, the carrying capacity of Massachusetts pastures can be 

 doubled. With one of the best milk markets in the world, this is a point worth 

 the careful consideration of Massachusetts dairy farmers. 



In Massachusetts, as in other sections of the glaciated area of the north- 

 eastern United States, there are large areas of stony soils which on account of 

 the preponderance of stones and a rough topography are unsuitable for tilled 

 crops. Most of these soils have a fine-earth portion which ranges in texture 

 from a loam to a sandy loam, and which is sufficiently retentive of moisture and 

 in other respects suitable for pasture grasses and clovers. Such, for example, 

 are the Gloucester soils, a series which in Worcester County makes up 29 per cent 

 of the total land area. There are other soils in Massachusetts somewhat similar 

 in these respects to the Gloucester series. 



While much of the area of rough stony soils is in timber, and possibly some 

 of the area now in pastures should revert to timber, it would seem wise to utilize 

 a large portion of the stony soils of good texture for pastures. Forests, on the other 

 hand, might be more extensively developed on the light, infertile, droughty out- 

 wash plains and on the roughest and most stony uplands. Massachusetts has 

 nmch land of the latter types. 



Aside from the question of the best use of various soil types, the main prob- 

 lem of the Massachusetts pasture is that of the character of the vegetation. In 

 fact, the pasture problem of New England can be summed up in one word — ■ 

 weeds. By weeds are meant plants such as running cinquefoil, haircap moss, 

 red sorrel, devil's paintbrush, hardhack and gray birch, found in, and too often 

 dominating upland pastures. Plants in general reflect the fertility of the soil in 

 which they grow, and the weeds mentioned generally indicate a low state of soil 

 fertility. 



The e.xperiments covering a period of ten years reported in this bulletin 

 show that the common herbaceous weeds of upland pastures can be displaced 

 by nutritious pasture plants such as white clover, bent grasses, and Kentucky 

 blue grass, by a judicicjus use of chemical fertilizers and lime, in addition to 

 adequate grazing. Sliruliby weeds, once cleared, can be kept under control by 

 similar niethods. Present low prices of fertilizer niatcriids m;ike this method of 

 pasture improvement attractive. 



Data from U. S. Census of 1930 and recent state .surveys, \aluos are tliose received by farmer.s 

 and arc J^ to ?^ prices paid by consumers. .Although .some butter is made from niillv produced in 

 Massachusetts, most of the butter consumed comes from outside tlie State, as does practically 

 all the cheese. 



