MEADOWS AND PASTURES 109 



in terms of animals to the acre for the grazing season. 

 Thus, the carrying capacity of much of the western range 

 lands is 1 steer to 100 acres. The carrying capacity of the 

 best blue-grass pasture is 1 steer to about 2.5 acres, and for 

 the best Bermuda and lespedeza pasture in the South 2 

 steers to 1 acre. In the last two examples the period 

 is understood to be that of the growing season, but on 

 range lands the period is sometimes meant to cover the 

 whole year. 



98. Temporary pastures. A temporary pasture is 

 one designed to carry stock for only a short period. Tem- 

 porary pastures are usually sown to annual plants. 

 Sometimes such sowings are arranged so as to have a 

 succession of temporary pastures. This is often desirable 

 in raising hogs, but is also used with sheep and dairy 

 cows. 



In pasturing such crops, there is less waste by trampling 

 if the area to be grazed each day is inclosed by hurdles 

 or other temporary fencing. This also insures that the 

 animals secure about the same feed each day, as otherwise 

 they will eat the more palatable portions of the plants 

 first. 



A system of temporary pastures requires accurate knowl- 

 edge in regard to the date a crop must be sown to be 

 pastured at a particular time, the approximate amount 

 of feed an acre will provide and the length of time 

 during ivhich the crop may be grazed. 



Such a system is essentially identical with a soiling sys- 

 tem (Par. 36), but it permits the use of some crops not 

 adapted to the latter, such as chufas, peanuts and sweet 

 potatoes. 



99. Temporary pasture crop systems for hogs. Pas- 

 ture crop systems for feeding hogs continuously have been 



