358 DRY LAND FARMING 



grasses in combination under all conditions. The 

 methods of sowing these singly have already been dis- 

 cussed. It would seem reasonable, however, to expect 

 that one of the best combinations that can be sown will 

 consist of brome grass, western rye grass and alfalfa. 

 The seed may be mixed before sowing it. It would seem 

 safe to say that the best method of sowing the mixture 

 would be with the grain drill and along with a nurse 

 crop of, say, 2 pecks of oats or some other grain. It 

 should be sown to the depth of afoout 2 inches in average 

 soil, but due allowance must be made for the character- 

 istics of soil where the mixture is sown. About 4 pounds 

 each of the mixture should prove enough for an acre. 

 Under some conditions the crop may be grazed the first 

 season, but not until the plants have become firmly root- 

 ed in the soil. In other instances it may be better to 

 cut the nurse crop for hay and to defer the grazing until 

 the second season. 



Grazing the pastures. One great advantage result- 

 ing from growing alfalfa in the mixture is the large 

 amount relatively of the pasture which it will furnish. 

 A second benefit arises from the safe nature of the pas- 

 ture. When alfalfa is thus grazed along with other 

 grass pastures the danger from bloat is virtually elim- 

 inated. But when thus grazed the alfalfa would prob- 

 ably be the first of these grasses to fail. The brome 

 would probably be the most enduring because it is the 

 most aggressive. In time it would practically take pos- 

 session of the land. 



The grazing should not be too close. When grass is 

 grazed down too closely the hot sun saps the moisture 

 from the unprotected land, and it may also result in the 

 partial destruction of the stand of grass. It may not 

 be easy, however, to regulate the closeness of the de- 

 pasturing, because of the great variations in the seasons. 

 These pastures may usually be much benefited by top 



