WILL MURE FORAGE PAY? 41 



The 3} 2 acres of grazing crops per cow and the method of utilization 



is as follow- : 



(1) Permanent pasture — 1 acre. The pasture is composed of while 

 clover, hop clover, bluegrass. and Dallis grass. From about May 1 to 

 October 1. it supplied all of the grazing, except in drought periods. 

 In such periods the cows are grazed on alfalfa. The permanent pas- 

 ture is also used at times in March. April, and November. 



(2) Alfalfa — one-half acre. Alfalfa can be used wholly as a hay 

 crop or as a combination hay and temporary grazing crop. The first 

 two or three cuttings are usually baled for winter feeding. During dry 

 periods, it has provided emergency grazing for an average of 60 days 

 a year. Alfalfa hay is fed at the rate of about 30 pounds per cow per 

 day or three-fourths ton per winter season when pasture is not avail- 

 able because weather conditions do not permit grazing the temporary 

 crops. Kudzu or sericea lespedeza may be substituted for the alfalfa. 



( 3 ) Oats — 1 acre. Winter oats are used for fall and winter grazing, 

 October 15 to March 1, as weather and soil conditions permit. During 

 four seasons oats were grazed an average of 56 days. Oats produce 

 grain which is harvested about June 10. Then in late July or early 

 August this land is planted to crimson clover and rye grass. Grazing 

 begins again in early October and lasts until early May. as soil condi- 

 tions permit. An average of 140 days grazing was obtained for four 

 seasons. A crimson clover seed crop is harvested the latter part of 

 May. The land is next planted to grain sorghum in June or early July. 



(4) Crimson clover and ryegrass — 1 acre. This acre alternates 

 with the one above and follows the same rotation a year later. 



Grade Jersey cows in this experiment that were also fed concen- 

 trates averaged 6.953 pounds of milk a year for the 4-year period : cows 

 not getting concentrates produced 6,354 pounds. The concentrate- 

 fed group averaged 309 milking days per cow. and the group that 

 did not receive concentrates averaged 30-1 days. Concentrates fed 

 averaged 2.167 pounds per cow per year, resulting in an additional 

 599 pounds of milk per cow. 



After deducting expenses for land. rent, and all cash costs the net 

 annual farm income of the experimental dairy for the 4-year period 

 averaged $5,531 a year, or $64 an acre, including surplus seed and grains 

 produced and sold. These amounted to an average of $2.*21 per year, 

 or more than half the average income. It was profitable to operate 

 the dairy from 1942—16 with half of the cows receiving concentrates. 

 Indications are that the system would pay with less favorable prices 

 than prevailed in 1942-46, and that it would pay more without con- 

 centrates than if these feeds were purchased and fed. Except in 

 unusual circumstances a ton of concentrates would cost more than 6<>0 

 pounds of milk would bring to a farmer. 



An experiment in Tennessee (16) with all-year pasture and hay 

 ration produced 76 percent as much milk as pasture and hay plus 

 grain. The permanent pastures were mixtures: Alfalfa and lespe- 

 deza: white, red and hop clovers; and orchard, redtop. and Bermuda 

 grasses. Sudan grass was used for emergency summer pasture and 

 crimson clover and rye grass for winter grazing. In this case L,933 

 pounds of grain increased production of milk by 2,536 pounds. Fur- 

 thermore, hay. pasture, and silage requirements for the grain-fed cows 

 were reduced. An important difference in the two experiments was 



