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EAR-'ROUN6 PASTURE |jf^^ 



PROGRAM for 125 Ewes .W^^ 

 and their lambs on 45 acres 



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^ f»ERMAf4EMT »^TURE 



[15 ACftes) 5ummeK feed. 



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 TIMOTH/ 



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BLUE GRASS 

 RED TOP 



TiMOTHy 

 LESPEDE2A 



ClOMRES} 



RYE PASTURE 

 Seedkd i^ 

 LESPEDEZA &n^ 

 SWEET CLOVER, 



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 9 Win) seeded to 

 LESPEDEZA smA. 

 SWEET CLOVER- 



By LEW REISNER 



Field Editor, lAA RECORD 



DIXON Springs Experiment Sta- 

 tion, the 5000-acre experimental 

 farm run by the University of 

 Illinois in Pope county, is spread- 

 ing a new science of pasture 

 farming throughout southern Illinois. 



By showing how grass farming is 

 restoring its own hilly and eroded 

 fields, bought by the federal govern- 

 ment in 1935 for about |15 an acre, 

 the Dixon Springs station is proving 

 that careful farming can bring back life 

 to abandoned lands. 



The pastures at Dixon Springs are 

 visited each year by thousands of farm- 

 ers who come singly and on organized 

 tours from all parts of southern Illi- 

 nois and surrounding states. These 

 pastures are providing a wealth of in- 

 formation on good management prac- 

 tices. 



Because of the mild climate, hilly 

 terrain, and thinner soils, mi^fh of 

 southern Illinois is well adapted to rais- 

 ing sheep. The men at Dixon Springs 

 were quick to realize this and sheep 

 flocks were established as one of the 

 first livestock enterprises. 



The station keeps about 700 grade 

 breeding ewes which are divided into 

 smaller flocks for feeding and pasture 

 experiments. In addition a purebred 

 flock of Hampshires and Sufiolks are 

 maintained. One of these flocks of 

 grade ewes has provided a revealing 

 experiment in the value of pasture 

 farming. 



This sheep project is called a year- 

 around pasture program for feeding 

 125 ewes and their lambs on 65 acres 

 of pasture-type lands. The field pro- 

 vides pasture in the summer and hay 

 and grain during winter months. 



In 1947, the second year of the ex- 

 periment, this flock of sheep harvested 



MAY. 1948: 



in terms of lambs and wool a $2573.40 

 crop, an average of more than $39 an 

 acre, on land that once went begging 

 for a buyer. 



The 65-acre field is divided sensibly 

 into 10 and 15 -acre tracts as shown by 

 the accompanying chart. The sheep, 

 with their lambs, are turned out early 

 in the spring on a 15-acre field of suc- 

 culent balbo rye which this year was 

 ready to be pastured on March 19. In 

 May the rye is disked and planted 

 either to soybeans for hay or soybeans 

 and Sudan grass for silage. 



In early summer the sheep graze 

 alternately on the two permanent pas- 

 tures. Later lespedeza and sweet clover 

 are ready for the ewes and lambs. Then 

 in late summer and fall the permanent 

 pastures are used again. The five pas- 



*;i>Sa^^:^^^E?^ 



Dicic Webb, 3, sen of ttatien luperintcndent, 

 lias hard time holding frisky lamb which has 

 markings about *y*% resembling < 



Ewes and lambs are turned out on rye pasture early in spring at Dixon Springs. Picture 



was taken March 19. 



tures provide green grass from early 

 spring to late fall. 



R. J. Webb, station superintendent, 

 says that the ladino clover has provided 

 by far the best pasture for the sheep. 

 Ladino is well adapted to southern Il- 

 linois. 



The cost of seeding the pasture and 

 treating the soil before the sheep were 

 turned into the field is figured at |30 



an acre. The soil was treated with four 

 tons of limestone and 400 pounds of 

 super-phosphate per acre. This cost 

 plus the original cost of $15 for the 

 land is about equal to the gross return 

 last year. 



Last year the 125 ewes produced 

 10,170 pounds of lamb and 840 pounds 

 of wool. The lambs sold for 22c a 

 (CoHtinued on page 34) 



