MEADOWS AND PASTURES 203 



for the five qualities specified for meadows. What was 

 the yield per acre ? Is red-top as palatable for stock as tim- 

 othy? As clover? As cow-peas? Does timothy improve 

 the soil ? 



2. Pastures 



More improved farm land is devoted to pastures than 

 to any cultivated crop. Pasturage supplies the greater pro- 

 portion of the feed for the production of milk, butter, beef, 

 mutton and wool and is an important factor in the produc- 

 tion of poultry and pork. The annual value of our pastur- 

 age is more than that of any other crop raised. 



Requirements of a pasture. Pastures should possess 

 in general the same qualities as meadows. They should 

 (1) yield well; (2) have such grasses as will start early 

 and continue to grow late; (3) be palatable and nutritious 

 to stock ; (4) form a firm tough sod that will stand tramp- 

 ling; (5) have fine rather than coarse grasses; and (6) be 

 free from weeds. 



Pasture grasses and legumes. The best meadow 

 grasses are not always the best pasture grasses. For ex- 

 ample, timothy, the queen of hay grasses, is too coarse 

 when used alone for the best pasture grass, and does not 

 stand trampling so well as some others. 



Pastures should usually be made of a mixture of plants. 

 This will provide some varieties that start earlier than 

 others, root at different depths, adjust themselves to various 

 kinds of seasons, supply variety for stock, and endure longer 

 without running out. Pasture mixtures should contain a 

 much greater variety than meadow mixtures. 



Pasture mixtures. Over the greater portion of the 

 United States north of the cotton belt and the region west of 

 the Missouri River, Kentucky blue-grass and white clover 

 are the most common and valuable pasture grasses. No mat- 

 ter what mixture is sown, one or both of these grasses is 



