June. 1940] Studies of Pasture Maxagemext 5 



farms studied, there seems to be little opportunity for using much 

 hay land for pasture. 



Including- all these, there is still need for more pasture area than 

 will be provided by the plowable pasture and the suitable open "oth- 

 er pasture". 



If we assume that all of the 78.604 acres is responsive to treat- 

 ment, this area might well provide two-fifths of the permanent pas- 

 ture needs. Data obtained by survey indicate that only 80 per cent 

 of this is suitable for improvement, so that this area would provide 

 only Z2 per cent of the permanent pasture needs. 



These same data indicate that about 60 per cent of the "other pas- 

 ture" is suitable for improvement and would provide good perma- 

 nent pasture. But only about 10 per cent of this area is at present 

 open and in condition to improve by fertilization alone. The rest 

 requires the removal of varying amounts of brush before fertilizer 

 is applied. 



Provided we are to maintain our dairy industry at its present lev- 

 el, our pasture needs would therefore require the removal of brush 

 from between 20,000 and 25,000 acres, followed by further improve- 

 ment, together with improvement of some 60,000 acres more of the 

 205,986 acres of "other pasture" which is still free from brush. 



All these improvements should provide about 196.510 acres of open 

 permanent pasture, the equivalent of about one and one-half to one 

 and three-quarters acres per pasture animal unit. 



At the time of the survey only 3.5 per cent of the open pasture had 

 lieen top-dressed, about 1.6 per cent had been plowed and reseeded, 

 and about 1.1 per cent had been cleared of brush; or 759 acres had 

 been improved out of 12,150 acres of open pasture. These improved 

 areas are on the better farms and represent somewhat greater im- 

 provement than would be shown by all farms. 



Summer Grain Feeding 



For most of the state the improved pasture fills a very small part 

 of the pasture needs. This small area gets more severe pasturing 

 than the rest of the pasture and produces less than if grazing were 

 controlled. Because of its small size it shows little influence on 

 changing the cost of milk production. Whether such pasture im- 

 provement is done on the better farms, or is done to provide better 

 feed for better cows, is not possible to state. It is true that on farms 

 where some pasture improvement work has been done summer grain 

 feeding is heavier than on farms where no pasture improvement 

 work has occurred. 



Pasture Season 



The average length of the pasture season for the state is about 145 

 days, varying from 130 days to 170 days depending largely upon the 

 practice of fall feeding on hay land. 



Of this total period, permanent pasture furnished about 105 days 

 of full feed, rowen 13 days, green feed 14 days, silage 2 days, and 

 hay 11 days. (See Table II.) 



