GRAZING INDUSTEY OF THE BLUEGEASS EEGION. 5 



stock, unless the land is so wet that it cuts up badly, is also beneficial. 

 The soil of an old turf tends to become too loose. In an investiga- 

 tion carried on in England^ with a view to discover a method of eradi- 

 cating moss from old pasture fields, it was found that rolling was the 

 most effective means of overcoming the trouble. 



KINDS OF LIVE STOCK RAISED. 



Considerable numbers of horses, mules, hogs, and sheep are raised 

 throughout the bluegrass region, but cattle predominate and are here 

 mainly considered. In order to graze profitably, the cattle must be 

 well bred. One of the most serious drawbacks to the grazing industry 

 is the difficulty of obtaining well-bred young cattle. The three lead- 

 ing beef breeds (Shorthorn, Angus, and Hereford) and their crosses 



Fig. 4. — Steers which have been fed corn fodder in a pasture. Feeding fodder or hay is an effective 

 means of improving poor spots in a stand of grass. 



and grades are well represented, with the Shorthorn breed very much 

 in the majority. Scrub stock will not produce^the weight and finish 

 that is required in a steer for export. A good beef calf dropped in 

 the spring should weigh from 350 to 450 pounds the first fall. Twelve 

 months later, as a yearling, he should weigh 700 to 750 pounds; 

 as a 2-year-old he should weigh 1,050 to 1,150 pounds. A steer that 

 will not approximate these weights is marketed for home consump- 

 tion or kept until he is 4 years old. 



WINTERING THE STEERS. 



The common practice throughout the bluegrass region is to buy 

 young cattle, commonly spoken of as stockers, in the fall. These are 

 usually kept but one year, although some farmers buy yearlings and 



1 Eradication of moss in pastures. In Join:. Bd. Agr. [London], v. 7, 1, p. 39-40. 1900. 



