GRASS CULTURE AND RANGE IMPROVEMENT 1 3 



and 6 out of 10 sown on September 17 and again on September 18. 

 Several satisfactory initial stands of crested wheatgrass and smooth 

 brome (bromegrass) were obtained from fall seedings made in differ- 

 ent years at Hays, Kans. 



BKOADCASTING MATURED HAY 



Until native grass seeds become cheaper and more generally avail- 

 able, many farmers and ranchers will benefit by mowing mature 

 stands of native grass mixtures on meadows, roadsides, and deferred 

 pastures. This material may be cured in small ricks and the follow- 

 ing spring scattered unthreshed over thin pastures or cultivated 

 areas reserved for reseeding. Successful stands have been obtained 

 by this economical procedure, which may be adopted advantageously 

 throughout the region. 



TREATMENT AFTER SEEDING 

 COVEEING THE SEED 



Broadcast seedings may be covered by crisscrossing the land with 

 an empty drill set at shallow depths. A disk harrow, with the 

 disks set straight, may be used where the surface soil is firm enough 

 to avoid covering the seeds too deep. Packing the land with a close- 

 set surface packer is advisable where sufficient crop residue is pres- 

 ent to prevent soil blowing. A herd of sheep or cattle may be used 

 advantageously to cover broadcast seedings, especially on rough 

 range land infested with brush. 



EXCLUDE LIVESTOCK FROM NEWLY SEEDED AREAS 



All livestock should be excluded from areas reseeded with grass 

 during the entire growing season of the first year and during the 

 early part of the second growing season. This provides an oppor- 

 tunity for the young plants to become established, and enables addi- 

 tional plants to emerge later in the year or the following spring. 

 Grazing, if practiced at all on spring-sown grasses, should be mod- 

 erate and delayed until the latter part of the growing season. 

 Complete recovery on reseeded areas would be hastened by confining 

 the grazing to the winter season. Hanson (31) in 1928 suggested 

 that areas undergoing revegetation should be protected from grazing 

 at least 1 year, and that maximum forage yields and highest carry- 

 ing capacities could be secured on these areas after the first year by 

 using the deferred rotation system of grazing. 



CLIPPING WEEDS 



Weeds may be controlled more effectively and with less harm to 

 the young grasses by clipping with a mowing machine than by the 

 use of livestock. The mower should be equipped with raised shoe 

 bars so as to leave a stubble about 8 inches high. Closer clipping is 

 preferred for buffalo grass. 



ADAPTED GRASSES 



Many native and introduced grasses and browse plants are now 

 undergoing thorough trial at a few stations in the region. A total 

 of 521 species, many additional strains, and 75,775 isolated plants are 



