16 MISC. PUBLICATION 7 02, IT. S. DEPT. .OF AGRICULTURE 



within the area, no one species is universally adapted. Of the grasses, 

 Kentucky blue grass, Canada blue grass, timothy, smooth brome grass, 

 orchard grass, red top, Keed canary grass, meadow fescue, and Sudan 

 grass are most important. Outstanding among the legumes are alfalfa, 

 medium red clover, mammoth red clover, biennial sweetclovers, white 

 clover, Ladino clover, Korean lespedeza, and common lespedeza. 

 Other grasses and legumes are often valuable as forage crops, partic- 

 ularly when some of the more important ones fail temporarily or when 

 special pasturage is wanted (36, pp. 391-434). 



Although high-producing species of grasses and legumes have been 

 introduced into the Northern States in late years this has not prevented 

 progress in development of better adapted and higher-yielding for- 

 ages. Plant breeders have perfected new strains of both grasses and 

 legumes. Much has been accomplished in obtaining inherently heavier 

 producing strains and strains that are resistant to disease, heat, and 

 drought. 



Progress in obtaining increased production from forage crops has 

 not been limited to plant breeding. A great deal has been learned in 

 recent years about mixing grasses and legumes in seedings. Both ex- 

 perimental and farm results indicate that mixtures usually produce 

 more heavily than do grasses and legumes when seeded alone. A com- 

 plex mixture of sweetclover, red clover, alsike, and timothy, for ex- 

 ample, produced more pounds of beef an acre than any single grass 

 or legume checked in a study at the Illinois Experiment Station (29, 

 p. 38) . Some Illinois farmers find this mixture superior to more sim- 

 ple combinations of seeds. A mixture of alfalfa, red clover, Ladino 

 clover, and either timothy or smooth bromegrass, for example, is used 

 to advantage on some dairy farms in northeastern Ohio. But many 

 other Corn Belt farmers believe that they get better results from sim- 

 pler mixtures, such as smooth bromegrass and alfalfa. Orchard grass 

 and alfalfa are used on some dairy farms in the southern part of the 

 Northeastern States. 



The wide variety of mixtures in use is an indication of the lack of 

 uniformity in soils and climate, the need for different kinds of forage, 

 and the diversity of farmer interest in production of high-producing, 

 high-quality forage. Hand in hand with fuller understanding of the 

 advantages of seeding mixtures of grasses and legumes instead of 

 single plantings of either has come a better knowledge of the im- 

 portance of lime, phosphate and potash, and of good seedbed prepara- 

 tion in establishing and maintaining high-yielding stands of forages. 

 Methods for renovating permanent pastures without plowing also have 

 been worked out. 



Production of large quantities of forage an acre seldom is an end 

 in itself. Rather, it is a means to greater production of livestock and 

 of livestock products. This being true, need arises for preservation of 

 forage for utilization in winter feeding operations. In recent years 

 agricultural engineers have done much to develop machines that make 

 the harvest of forage crops easier. These machines may aid, too, in 

 production of better-quality hays and silages. But these achievements 

 have not benefited all farms alike. Because of the high cost of the 

 new machines, field choppers and pick-up balers for example, farmers 

 and dairymen who harvest large tonnages of forages have gained most. 



