176 



THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



IRRIGATED GRASS PASTURES PAY PROFITS 



THE old Eng- 

 lish 'admoni- 

 tion, "Drive 

 your crop to 

 market" is, with 

 all that it im- 

 plies, good acl- 

 vice to the 

 farmers of any 

 locality. It is 

 especially ap- 

 pro p r i ate to 

 those on the ir- 

 rigated lands. 

 There is little 

 doubt that the 

 permanence and 

 ultimate profits 

 of a system of 

 agriculture de- 

 pend largely 

 upon livestock 



By J. S. WELCH 



of the Agricultural Experiment Station, University cHdaho 



production, and 

 that successful 



livestock pro- This vitr ified tile silo has put its owner in the money-making class. It is located in southwest Texas. tlOHS have been 



will be remark- 

 able. 



During the 

 past four years 

 the G o o d i n g 

 Sub- Station has 

 conducted 

 a number of ex- 

 periments with 

 grasses. These 

 have included a 

 comparison of 

 different vari- 

 eties and mix- 

 tures, experi- 

 ment, seeding- 

 time, and grax- 

 ing tests with 

 dairy cows, beef 

 steers, and 

 sheep. In the 

 course of this 

 work a great 

 many observa- 



duction neces- 

 sarily involves the growing of grass pastures. 



In most irrigated sections alfalfa is the great 

 forage plant, and for the production of both quality 

 and quantity of cured hay it is unexcelled. But 

 because of its tendency to cause bloat in sheep and 

 cattle it is very unsatisfactory for pasture purposes 

 for these animals. During the summer months 

 cured hay furnishes only a small part of the average 

 livestock ration and hence most farmers will have 

 to look to some other source other than alfalfa for 

 their summer feeds. 



The growing and feeding of soiling crops or 

 the use of the summer silo is occasionally practiced 

 to very good advantage in dairy farming. These 

 systems, however, find their greatest use only where 

 dairying is the farmer's sole business. On most 

 irrigated farms time and labor must be divided be- 

 tween a diversity of interests. Many good farmers 

 desire to keep in addition to their horses and dairy 

 cows a small flock of sheep or possibly some beef 

 steers. In such cases a good irrigated grass pasture 

 will undoubtedly prove very profitable. 



The irrigated land of southern Idaho is pe- 

 culiarly adapted to the growing of pasture grasses. 

 Ample water which can be applied whenever needed 

 keeps the grass green and succulent during the en- 

 tire season. The comparatively high lime content 

 of our soils fits them well for grass production. 

 These conditions with almost continuous sunshine 

 insure a rapid, vigorous growth. 



Pastures fit well into a system of crop rotation 

 and are very effective in building up and conserving 

 soil fertility. The humus that is so necessary in 

 soil maintenance is furnished in abundance by a 

 decaying grass sod. A good pasture will, of course, 

 be maintained for a number of years, but when 

 finally plowed up its beneficial effect upon the soil 



made regarding 

 the various phases of pasture management. 



It is a mistake to assume that the pasture 

 should be located on land that is "good for nothing 

 else." Grasses do fairly well on new soil, but will 

 respond as readily as any other crop to increased 

 fertility. Where practicable, it will pay to locate 

 the pasture on land that has grown a leguminous 

 crop or has had an application of manure. 



The farm sometimes contains a piece of ground 

 that is rough or stony and on this account hard to 

 work ; or there may be a piece of wet, poorly drained 

 land that fails to respond to ordinary cultivation. 

 There are among the cultivated grasses varieties 

 that are fairly well adapted to such conditions. If 

 properly seeded to the right grasses these pieces of 

 land can be made to take their place in the farm 

 economy to much better advantage than if handled 

 in any other way. 



A question has arisen concerning the advisa- 

 bility of devoting our best and comparatively high- 

 priced irrigated land to grass growing. In the light 

 of the results that are being secured at the station 

 and on many other farms, because of the small out- 

 lay of time and labor necessary to produce these 

 results, and, in consideration of its lasting impor- 

 tance to our agriculture generally, we must con- 

 clude that the grass pasture deserves a foremost 

 place in the list of very profitable farm crops and 

 that very little of our land is too expensive to be 

 used for pasture. 



While a great many different grasses are used 

 for pasture purposes, the list of really valuable and 

 important ones is not very extensive. The follow- 

 ing ten varieties have been tested at the Gooding 

 Station in southern Idaho : 



Kentucky Blue Grass is very extensively used 

 and is one of the most valuable pasture grasses. It 



