University of New Hampshire 



[ Sta. Bull. 326 



1.8 clays uv \.2 per cent ui the total pasture season roui^hai^e. At the 

 time of the survey, most of this was surplus corn silage. The in- 

 crease in grass silage has jjrovided another succulent summer feed 

 when pasture is lacking. It can serve two purposes, to get a lietter 

 quality roughage in difticult early summer haying weather, and to 

 provide an excellent and different summer pasture supplement. 



The need for somewhat more uniform production nearer the mar- 

 ket requires that dairymen in the southern counties with usually 

 poorer pastures, give greater emphasis to pasture substitutes. 



There is no satisfactory measure of the effect of pasture on grain 

 saving. Xor is it possible from these records to show the impor- 

 tance of uniform pasture i)ro<luction on milk yield \\hen cows are 

 brought in from pasture or fall feed and placed on full barn feeding. 

 Certain data indicate that this change from poor pasture to poor dry 

 feed or from good pasture to poor dry feed results in a slum]) in 

 milk i^roduction that cannot be overcome by economical winter grain 

 feeding. Pasturing rcnven also reduces the amount that can be cut 

 for hay and therefore the amount of high quality roughage available 

 for liarn feeding either \\hen cows first come off pasture or in the 

 late winter. The shift from good pasturage with little or no grain 

 to some grain and hay that is none too goorl docs not maintain ])ro- 



Table IV. New Hampshire farms of the 256 in the survey, 1935, using pasture 



management practices 



duction. It is also true that sj^ring freshening and production of a 

 iUish of milk on early summer jiasture is not conducive to maintain- 

 ing gocjd production on poor late pasture and dry winter feed. It is 

 a])parent, then, that good pasture is not entirely a matter of saving 

 grain during only the i)asttire season. Imt during the barn feeding 

 [)eriod as well. 



Hayiand Conversion into Pasture 



If roughage-])ruducing crojjland were growing the optimmn 

 amount, a small area of hayiand now growing rather indifferent hay 

 and unsuitable in other respects for retention as regular tillage land 

 could be converted to ])asture. 



