36- A TEXT-BOOK OF GRASSES 



southern Texas. It is useful in wet or almost swampy- 

 land, where it will furnish a large quantity of forage. 

 Pard-grass does not well withstand grazing because its 

 extensive stolons, being above ground, are killed or 

 injured by trampling. Guinea-grass grows on drier land 

 than that best suited to Para-grass. It is extensively 

 used for pasture, hay and green fodder at low altitudes 

 in the tropics. It withstands grazing well and its numer- 

 ous basal shoots furnish a large amount of palatable 

 forage. 



TEMPORARY PASTURE 



38. Temporary pasture, as here understood, refers 

 to pasture obtained incidentally from plants grown for 

 other purposes, or to that obtained from annual plants. 

 The usual kind of temporary pasture is that from plants 

 grown primarily for hay. It is a common practice to 

 graze meadows after the hay has been cut. Care must 

 be taken that the meadow is not grazed too closely and 

 the plants are not injured by the trampling of animals in 

 wet weather. Alfalfa is commonly grazed in the West, 

 where this may be the chief forage crop grown. There is 

 objection to allowing cattle and sheep to graze on alfalfa 

 and clover since these legumes are likely to cause bloat- 

 ing. Fall-sown grain is often used for pasture, and stand- 

 ing corn-stalks furnish considerable fodder after the corn 

 has been removed by husking in the field. 



Annual plants for pasture 



39. Grains, especially rye, are sometimes grown 

 primarily for pasture, being sown usually in the summer or 

 fall. Sorghum in some of its varieties is grown for pasture 



