18 X. n. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 320 



plow and reseed. This will l)e especiall}' true unless a heavy appli- 

 cation of manure can l)e inct)rporated with the surface soil to build 

 up the org^anic supjily there. 



Is Pasture Improvement Profitable? 



In previous reports, (Experiment Station Circulars 35 and 48) an 

 effort was made to evaluate the economy of pasture improvement. 

 In Circular 35 it was noted that. "Feed can be produced in good pas- 

 tures by judicious fertilization at one half or less of its cost in a 

 mixed dairy feed." In Circular 48 it was stated, "Data are present- 

 ed indicating that from two to eleven times as much feed has been 

 produced in these pasture trials with fertilizers as an equivalent 

 amount of money would purchase at the feed store." In general, in 

 l)oth these publications it was noted that the better the pasture, the 

 more likely a profitable response would be secured. Further, that 

 pastures with wild white clover were much more responsive to ma- 

 terials other than nitrogen and that the presence of clover would in 

 large measure influence the economy of use of these materials. 



An attempt has been made to calculate the returns per acre that 

 have actually been received from using different fertilizer practices 

 in Seavey and Livingston pastures. In arriving at these calcula- 

 tions certain assumptions have to be made relative to the work, 

 since increases have lieen measured in harvested yields rather than 

 in milk produced. This we know is relatively true although not ab- 

 solutely so, since one instance has been cited of unpalatability that 

 developed under a certain treatment which probably prevented the 

 cows from using as much of the grass as our harvests would a])pear 

 to indicate. Further, it is assumed that the feeding constituents of 

 the dr}' matter of the grass bear a certain definite relationship to 

 feed that would have to be purchased in other forms. The values 

 herein have been calculated on the basis of grain prices at $30 per 

 ton. which is about 80 per cent of present costs. Although, as stat- 

 ed, this value is assumed, it is thought to be fair in view of experi- 

 mental work which has been done with dried young pasture fi^ragc. 

 Camborn.' for example, rei^orts that. "On the basis of total digesti- 

 ble nutrients consumed, the dried grass ration was apparently at 

 least ec|ual to or possibly ver\- slightly more efficient than the grain 

 ration." Our method of calculation would therefore seem to lie con- 

 servative. 



In the summaries that follow calculations have been made for 

 most of the treatments. So far as i^ossible average values have 

 been used instead of results for individual treatments so that the re 

 suits for nitrogen and for complete fertilizers ajipear together. This 

 has been done merely for conciseness. Present values have been 

 used in considering fertilizer costs as nearly as these can be obtained. 



This summary brings out in a financial way the facts that have 

 b.een stated previously concerning the res]")onses for various treat- 

 ments. The net annual returns per acre which are presented in the 

 last column of Table IS were obtained by subtracting the cost of the 

 fertilizer from the gain over the check plots in value of forage pro- 



M'nnil)orn. O. M. W-niiont lUillctin K9. Tunc. 1933. 



