PERMANENT PASTURES. 389 



oessary to remove any of the weeds or grass so cut from 

 the land. If a nurse crop is sown and in some in- 

 stances, it may be an advantage to have it very thinly 

 sown and always cut for hay. Such a. crop may be 

 helpful in preserving lands from drifting or in pro- 

 tecting the fall sown grasses in the winter. 



Grazing Permanent Pastures. — Uniformity in the 

 method of grazing permanent pastures and in the man- 

 agement of the same cannot be practiced. Where the 

 conditions are not the same, the general treatment of 

 pastures will not be the same. Wherever they are, 

 the aim should be to keep them clean and productive and 

 so to manage them that the survival of all the plants 

 sown shall be encouraged. 



Usually, it is not considered good practice to graze 

 permanent pastures the same year that they are sown 

 but to this there may be some exceptions, as on soils 

 lacking in firmness and where the rainfall is not plenti- 

 ful. Close grazing, especially the first season, has the 

 effect of hindering development in root growth the 

 vigor of which is encouraged by growth in the top. 

 The plan of mowing and leaving what is cut to mulch 

 the soil is much better. When the seed is sown in 

 the spring, the pasture should be ready for grazing the 

 next season, but when it is sown in the fall it should 

 furnish moderate grazing the following year; care 

 should be taken not to graze it off too early in the 

 spring. The second year these pastures should not be 

 cut for hay as the development of the crop would tend 

 to smother the weaker grasses. 



The closeness of the grazing, that may be allowed 



