GRASS CULTURE AND RANGE IMPROVEMENT 4^ 



PASTURE FURROWING 



In connection with resocl cling studies at Hays, Kans., alternate 

 strips of buffalo grass sod, 4 inches deep and 12 to 17 inches wide, 

 were removed from native pastures for use on cultivated land. This 

 was not done with the object of improving the pasture. However, 

 to prevent erosion, the furrowed strips were removed on the contour 

 as nearly as it was possible to do so without surveying instruments. 

 A limited amount of this work was done from 1910 to 1928 and an 

 extensive amount from 1929 to 1936. The furrows left in the pas- 

 tures usually were reoccupied with buffalo grass stolons by the end 

 of the first season. However, red three-awn (triple-awn), a com- 

 paratively unpalatable, deep-rooted species, also invaded the furrows 

 and persisted for many years. The undercover of buffalo grass in 

 the furrows and immediately adjacent thereto produced slightly more 

 growth and remained green longer than unfurrowed areas. It was 

 not determined if these advantages compensated for the persistence 

 of the weedy red three-awn and the temporary loss of grass during 

 the brief recovery period. 



In recent years the Texas Substation No. 7 at Spur reported out- 

 standing improvement of a pasture by contour furrowing. Casual 

 observation indicated that buffalo grass represented nearly 90 per- 

 cent of the total vegetation on this pasture, which, because of its 

 vigorous spreading habit, may have been partly responsible for the 

 advantages noted. It is reasonable to suppose that results of equal 

 significance may be expected under similar conditions elsewhere in 

 the Plains. However, few pastures in the region, except abandoned 

 fields on heavy soils, possess a vegetative cover composed of such a 

 high percentage of buffalo grass or other species capable of spreading 

 rapidly by vegetative means. 



Many types of pasture furrows have been demonstrated for several 

 years by the Soil Conservation Service. Varying degrees of im- 

 provement have been indicated by this work, particularly at Cheyenne 

 Wells, Colo., and Mankato, Kans. More extensive research on this 

 problem is needed before final recommendations can be offered. 



According to actual measurements made by F. G. Ackerman, of 

 the Soil Conservation Service, and his predecessors at Hays, Kans., 

 soil and water losses are negligible on native pasture land having a 

 slope of 5 percent and a dense, thrifty cover of blue grama and 

 buffalo grass. Under such conditions or when depleted pastures are 

 fully recovered and properly managed, pasture furrowing may not be 

 necessary. 



SHRUB ERADICATION 



Native pastures on sandy soils in the southern Plains have become 

 thickly infested with a rank growth of sand sagebrush. Although 

 this shrub is slightly palatable as a browse plant during the winter 

 and has kept many grasses from being wholly destroyed by prolonged 

 overgrazing, it is a strong competitor for moisture and, if possible, 

 should be replaced with good grasses. For several years the Division 

 of Dry Land Agriculture conducted mowing, burning, and grubbing 

 experiments for its control at Woodward, Okla. 



Preliminary results of this work, supported by chartograph studies 

 of the vegetation on treated and untreated areas, indicated that the 

 shrub could be mowed satisfactorily with an ordinary mowing ma- 



