14 
BULLETIN 397. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Grazing is not sufficiently remuneratiTe to justify the liberal use of 
commercial fertilizers, and verv little is ever used in the blueoTass 
region on the pasture lands. In England it is not unco mm on to 
apply basic slag at the rate of 1.000 pounds per acre to permanent 
grassland. Some farmers in the blue-grass region of Virginia are 
beginning to use lime and some form of phosphate on their pastures. 
This improves the stand of grass, but there are no data available to 
show whether the increase will cover the expense. In the absence of 
any experimental data, every farmer should experiment on his own 
fields in a small way. An application of 500 pounds of acid phosphate 
or bone meal to a half acre in an old pasture will soon show whether it 
is advisable to use fertilizers. If this quantity makes a marked im- 
provement in the stand of grass, less would probably be beneficial. 
Fig. 12.— A bluegrass pasture closely grazed. 
THE PROPER RATE TO GRAZE. 
Xext in importance to maintaining the fertility of the soil in keep- 
ing a stand of grass is to stock a pasture properly. A field that is 
neither mown nor grazed will never form a desirable turf. On the 
other hand, overgrazing may destroy the plants. There is, however, 
very little overgrazing in the bluegrass region. If the fields are 
stocked too heavily, the animals make such poor gains that they are 
unsalable in the fall. There is greater danger of not keeping suffi- 
cient stock. Many of the fields have an appearance similar to neg- 
lected lawns. Closely clipped bluegrass on a fertile soil makes such 
a dense turf that most weeds have difficulty in invading it. but when 
it is allowed to go to seed the turf is weakened and more open places 
occur in it. It is impossible to lay down an absolute rule as to the 
number of animals to allow to the acre. What would be light grazing 
on one pasture may be overgrazing on another. The fields should be 
