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FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



PASTXJR 



The system of management com- 

 monly adopted by farmers includes one 

 or more pasture lots. These pastures 

 may be allowed to remain in native 

 grasses for years, without any attention, 

 and of course this is the simplest sys- 

 tem of pasturage, and one which requires 

 the least work. It is also the least satis- 

 factory, for the reason that the yield of 

 grass is comparatively low, unless a par- 

 ticularly productive variety of grass pre- 

 dominates in the pasture. Better re- 

 sults are obtained where pastures are 

 seeded to tame grasses and plowed from 

 time to time and planted to cultivated 

 crops. While pastures are at their best 

 a good milk flow can be obtained from 

 them with small grain rations. As soon 

 however, as the pasture begins to get 

 dry, the results in milk yield are unsatis- 

 factory. The pasture may be helped 

 out at all times by other green feeds, 

 roots, silage or hay, and particular atten- 

 tion should be given to this side of the 

 feeding operations late in the season. 

 The great advantage of pasture is that 

 cows may secure a succulent feed under 

 cleanly and healthy conditions, com- 

 bined with a proper amount of exercise. 



Kinds of pasture grasses—May found 

 that in Kentucky the foundation of suc- 

 cess with the average dairyman rests 

 upon nutritious pastures of blue grass, 

 supplemented by various introduced 

 grasses. Rye pasture, when at its best, 

 produced a satisfactory milk flow. In 

 Kansas, Otis made observations on the 

 value of various grasses for pasture. It 

 appears that in Kansas, prairie grasses 

 are well adapted for this purpose, since 

 they are nutritious and capable of with- 

 standing drouth. Excellent results are 

 also secured from pasture containing 

 orchard grass, English blue grass, red 

 clover, brome grass and wheat. Alfalfa 

 pasture produces enormous quantities of 

 milk and keeps the cows in good condi- 

 tion: the only objection to such pasture, 

 as already stated, is the danger from 

 bloat until the cows become accustomed 

 to it. 



In Nebraska, Lyon and Haecker report 

 good success from the use of pastures of 

 cowpeas and brome grass, but soy beans 

 and hairy vetch are not recommended 

 for Nebraska. The largest amount of 

 green substance was produced by rye 

 and sorghum pasture, but cowpeas 

 made a greater quantity of milk and 

 butter fat than any other crop used in 



comparison. In Alabama, Duggar al- 

 lowed cows to graze on cowpeas which 

 had been drilled between the corn rows. 

 On this pasturage the milk yield was 

 15 per cent greater, and butter produc- 

 tion 9 per cent greater than on a good 

 pasture of Bermuda grass or carpet grass. 

 The returns from grazing 3 acres of 

 cowpeas were $15.25. In this case the 

 peas were planted for their fertilizing 

 value, and since the butter removed 

 none of this the butter obtained is con- 

 sidered as a clear profit. 



Corn is sometimes planted for pasture, 

 but it is usually more satisfactory to 

 harvest this crop in another way. In 

 Nebraska, it was found that two or three 

 times as much feed was obtained when 

 corn was used for soiling purposes as 

 when it was pastured. 



According to experiments by Lyon 

 and Haecker in Nebraska, German mil- 

 let as a pasture did not have as favor- 

 able an effect upon the milk flow or 

 butter production as did leguminous 

 crops or mixed grasses. 



According to Canadian experience, 

 pasture produces more and better milk 

 than soiling on rye, oats or alfalfa. 

 Hills has shown in experiments extend- 

 ing over a period of six years, that a 

 change from dry feeding in the barn to 

 the pasture produces an increase in the 

 solid matters in milk, especially in fresh 

 cows. Drouth affects cows on pasture 

 by diminishing the casein in the milk 

 and increasing the fat. In New York, 

 greater returns were obtained from stall- 

 fed cows than from those allowed on 

 pastures affected with drouth. In Utah, 

 grazing on a pasture of mixed grasses 

 under irrigation has been found to be 

 the most economical way of producing 

 milk. A change from dry feed to pas- 

 ture gave a greater increase in milk 

 than a similar change to soiling, but 

 the composition of the milk was not 

 affected by pasture. 



Grain fed cows on pasture — Refer- 

 ence has already been made to the use 

 of grain with cows on pasture. The 

 results obtained in experiments along 

 this line are not all in harmony but 

 indicate that under average conditions 

 cows will yield a little more milk and 

 maintain their weight better when re- 

 ceiving small quantities of grain, even 

 on the best pasture. In Mississippi, 

 Moore found that the difference in milk 

 yields in cows on good pasture, when fed 

 grain, was not enough to justify the 



