52 THE Mi^NAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



supply of grass with more or less succulence. Pas- 

 tures are usually suitable in proportion as they are 

 palatable and nutritious, and as they produce abun- 

 dantly. Among the most palatable and nutritious are 

 bluegrass and open range pastures, the latter usually 

 bearing a variety of grasses. They differ exceedingly 

 in their producing power. In some parts of the arid 

 range country, from 20 to 30 acres are required to carry 

 a cattle beast through the season of grazing. On the 

 other hand, the Montana Experiment Station carried 18 

 head of cattle on 5.04 acres of irrigated alsike clover, 

 for a period of 102 days, and the increase obtained an 

 acre was 904.7 pounds of live weight. At 4 cents a 

 pound the said increase was worth $36.19. Pastures 

 least suitable are those that are excessively wet and 

 produce mainly coarse and relatively innutritious water 

 grasses. 



If results completely satisfactory are to accompany 

 summer grazing, it is absolutely essential that the pas- 

 tures shall be abundant at all times, or if not abundant 

 they must be supplemented by other foods. The sea- 

 sons for such supplementing are usually spring and 

 autumn. Insufficient supplies in the grazing lead to 

 lack of relative increase, increase in the food of main- 

 tenance, and decreased production in the pastures. 

 Pastures are never sufficiently abundant to meet the 

 needs of the animals unless thev can get what food 

 they need so readily that they may rest during the larger 

 portion of the day. Overstocking pastures is usually 

 the one great source of loss to those who keep cattle 

 during the season of grazing 



For animals of the ages now under consideration, 

 no shade is, on the whole, more satisfactory than that 

 furnished by a grove or rim of forest within the pasture 

 or accessible to it. The more dense the shade, the more 

 perfect is the protection from flies, and the more com- 

 plete also is the protection in inclement weather. Single 



