32 CIRCULAR 863, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



year period, 1944-46. Regarding the palatability and grazing 

 management of sericea, Grimes and Sturkie, in the Auburn re- 

 port, state, 'The sericea was grazed from April 13 to November 

 16 (3-year average) except for temporary periods of drought. 

 The statement has frequently been made that cattle do not 

 relish sericea. While they evidently like some other crops better, 

 no difficulty was experienced in getting the animals to graze the 

 sericea in this experiment. It was found that it was important 

 to start cattle on the sericea early in the spring, when young 

 shoots are 3 to 4 inches high. Close grazing has been practiced 

 in order to prevent the plants from becoming coarse, woody and 

 bitter." 



One of the most promising land-use developments has been the 

 use of sericea to build up the fertility levels of poor upland fields 

 intended for pasture, "paying its own way" by supplying hay 

 and seed crops for the first 3 or 4 years. The sericea may then 

 be fenced for grazing. Workers at the Southern Piedmont Con- 

 servation Experiment Station, at Watkinsville, Ga., have success- 

 fully overseeded winter grains with sericea, grasses, and legumes 

 to provide winter grazing. These various species are seeded in the 

 fall following a light disking of the sericea. Crimson clover, 

 burclover, ryegrass, and fescue grass are among the preferred 

 volunteering winter grazing crops that have succeeded in this 

 practice. Mixtures of sericea with tall fescue and with orchard 

 grass are being tested. 



In tests at the Tennessee Valley Substation, at Belle Mina, 

 Ala. (2) y a combination of sericea and crimson clover has pro- 

 vided almost constant grazing with the exception of 39 days 

 in a 730-day period. Between October 1, 1945, and September 27, 

 1946, both crops were pastured for 322 days. For 15 days the 

 grazing rate was 2 animals on the area ; for 71 days, 6 animals ; 

 and for 101 days, 5 animals. To allow the crops to mature seed, 

 the animals were withheld 21 days in May for the crimson clover 

 and 18 days in September for the sericea crop. In the next 

 period the area was pastured continuously for 369 days. From 

 May 1, 1946, to October 1, 1946, six heifers gained 710 pounds 

 on sericea, or 417 pounds per acre. Heavy annual applications 

 of phosphate and potash are necessary to successfully utilize the 

 sericea-crimson clover combination for grazing in this area. 



Enough experience has been gained to warrant the statement 

 that for land of low fertility few, if any, plants will furnish as 

 good a cover and at the same time provide as much summer 

 grazing as sericea. Studies indicate that grazing is most suc- 

 cessful when the cattle are turned on when the sericea is about 

 4 to 6 inches high. At that stage of growth it appears to be 

 palatable. Growth is so rapid, however, that care must be taken 

 to graze heavily so that the sericea may not become too coarse. 

 If growth is too rapid, it should be clipped. Heavy early grazing 

 and removal of stock to annual lespedeza pasture in late June 

 appears to be a good plan. At this time the annual lespedeza 

 will be in excellent shape for grazing, and the sericea may be 

 allowed to produce a hay crop. 



