304 FIELD CROPS 



pastures. Clipping with the mower to prevent weeds from 

 seeding is also a good practice. 



377. The Management of Pastures. In the popular 

 mind, pastures need no care or management. All that is 

 necessary is to turn the stock on in the spring, and the pas- 

 tures will take care of themselves. If a particularly unfavor- 

 able season follows, or the number of stock is too great for 

 the pasture, it may be necessary in August or September to 

 supplement it with feed from outside, or the stock may be 

 turned on the grain stubble or the meadows to pick whatever 

 growth may be there. In some instances this may be a wise 

 practice, but in general it does not seem to be, as the young 

 seeding or the meadow may be damaged more than the stock 

 will be benefited. It is desirable to have rather more pasture 

 than the stock will utilize in a favorable season, or to be able 

 to supplement the permanent pasture with annual plants 

 on which stock may be turned or which may be cut for feed- 

 ing green. One of the best plans is to have two pastures, 

 on one of which stock grazes for three or four weeks while 

 the other is allowed to grow; then when the first pasture 

 becomes rather short, the stock is turned into the second and 

 the first is allowed to recuperate. Good pasturage is thus 

 furnished with no more land than would be required for a 

 single pasture which would give less satisfactory service. 



378. Renovating Old Pastures. The pastures of the 

 Northeastern and North Central states are usually in part 

 the low, wet lands of the farm which can not profitably be 

 brought under cultivation. The grasses which grow on this 

 land are not usually so palatable or nutritious as those which 

 thrive on the higher, better-drained land which is usually 

 devoted to harvested crops. One of the first and best means 

 of renovating or improving pastures is to provide thorough 

 drainage. Underdrainage with tile is usually the most 



