16 
BULLETIi^ 1337, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
and that on spring plowing is not 
usually produce higher yields during 
i n the yield of corn on fall 
great. Spring plowing 
seasons of drought. 
Gehu Fhnt, Dakota White Flint, Northwestern Dent, and Payne 
White Dent are good varieties of corn for this area. 
Alfalfa, millets, and sorgo produce fairly well in this area and are 
of much value for forage. 
GRAZING INVESTIGATIONS 
By J. T. Sarvis, Associate Agronomist 
The grazing experiments conducted in cooperation \^ith the North 
Dakota Agricultural College, represented by Prof. J. H. Shepperd, 
completed their ninth year in 1923. During the season of 1915 an 
area of 250 acres was grazed wdth 53 head of 2-year-old steers. In 
the fall of 1915 the 250 acres were divided into four pastures of 100, 
70, 50, and 30 acres, respectively. These four pastures are operated 
under a system of continuous grazing. In 1917 a pasture to be 
grazed under a deferred and rotation grazing S3'stem was added. 
This pasture of 70 acres was divided into three equal parts and 
f razed for the first time in 1918. In 1921 a cultivated pasture of 
romegrass was added. It was cut for hay in 1922 and grazed for 
the first time in 1923. 
The four continuously grazed pastures are each grazed with 10 
head of 2-year-old steers. The rotation pasture is now grazed with 
16 head of 2-year-old steers, but in 1918 and 1919 only 10 were used. 
The bromegrass pasture was grazed with 16 head of 2-year-old 
steers in 1923. The period of grazing for each season has been 150 
days, or five months. 
The four pastures under continuous grazing have been grazed for 
eight full seasons, the rotation pasture for six full seasons, and the 
bromegrass pasture for one. 
The season of 1923 was not entirely favorable to the production 
of native vegetation. The rainfall during April and May was below 
normal, and the vegetation did not get start enough to make a maxi- 
mum growth. 
Table 8. — Average gains per head and per acre made by 2-year-old steers in each 
pasture at Mandan, N. Dak., in 192S, and for the years they have been grazed 
during the period from 1916 to 1923, inclusive 
Pasture 
Kind of pasture 
System of 
grazing 
Number 
of years 
grazed 
Number 
of steers 
Days 
grazed 
Average gain for 
season (pounds) 
Per head 
Per acre 
In 1923: 
100 acres . . 
Native 
do 
do 
Continuous .. 
10 
10 
10 
10 
16 
16 
10 
10 
10 
10 
14 
150 
]50 
150 
115 
150 
140 
150 
150 
148 
1 113 
149 
281.0 
291.5 
212.5 
150.5 
250.6 
167.2 
293.2 
299.8 
248.4 
177.8 
272.6 
28.1 
70 acres 
50 acres 
do 
do 
41.6 
42.5 
30 acres 
70 acres 
do 
do 
do 
Rotation 
50.2 
57.3 
Bromegrass... 
Native 
do 
do 
do 
do 
76.4 
For period: 
100 acres 
70 acres 
50 acres 
30 acres 
70 acres ... 
do 
do 
do 
do 
Rotation 
8 
8 
8 
8 
6 
29.3 
42.8 
49.7 
59.3 
54.5 
Cattle are removed from their pasture when they become short of feed. 
