Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1893-12-02
Maintaining the Pastures.

be supplemented by green material
from the fields or dry fodder from
the barn. One of these is obvious to
anyone who will give the subject a
moments thought. This is the ben
seftsthat the live stock will derive
from having both a variety and a
liberal quantity of food. The other
reason, though seldom enlarged up
on, is also of great Importance.
This is the prevention of great
deal of injury which will otherwise
be done to the pastures.
In some foreign lands the pastures
receive great deal Of care. The
work of preparing a field for a per-
manent pasture goes on for years
When it is completed there is a
splendid sod, which, with the care
that is sure to be given it, will ans
wer it's purpose we'll for genera
ton, and perhaps for a century
But in this country, where land is
abundant and is comparatively
cheap, the pasture usually receives
but little attention. Upon many
farms it is merely neglected field.
Not only is there no effort to i'm
prove it, but there is no attempt to
keep it up to its present condition.
There are other pastures upon
which the weeds and bushes that
spring up are cut once every year,
but there is probably a much great
er number in which even this is
omitted. To the pastures upon
thousands of farms, nothing is done
except to keep up the fences, and in
a good many cases this work re-
ceives but little attention.
There are not many sections in the
United States in which it would
pay to put as much labor upon the
pastures as the English farmers give
to theirs. Neither are there many
places in which the pastures do not
need a good deal more attention
than they receive. Because we can
not afford to do as much to them as
is proftaby done in other countries,
it does not follow that it is best for
us to utterly neglect them. The
pasture is an important part of the
farm, and it may, and ought to be
made to, yield good return from a
small outlay. This will be true I'M
til pastures are superseded by the
soiling system, which will not occur
for long period.
An efficient method of maintain
ing the pastures is to commence
giving the animals which are kept
thereon liberal quantity of food
from other sources as soon as there
is the least indication that the sup
ply of grass is becoming scanty.
Close cropping continued, as it is on
many farms, not only through the
hot and dry months of Summer, but
far into the Autumn, is very destruc-
tive to the finer qualities of grass,
and will strongly tend to turn the
pastures over to the production of
coarse grasses, weeds and bushes.
To prevent this evil, an evil which
can be great deal more easily pre-
vented than it can be remedied, the
grass furnished by the pastures
should be promptly supplemented
by an abundance of nutritious food
from other sources. Ifmeal or bran
is supplied, there will be a decided
increase in the value of the manure
of the animals. This will do con-
siderable toward paying for the
extra food. In the case of COWS
which are kept for dairy purposes,
there will be the additional benefit
of large increase in the value of
the milk which they produce. The
health and comfort of all the ami
mails thus treated will also be pro-
NOTED.
1t is probable that the incidental
benefits which have been noted
would pay the cost OF the feeding
which has been recommended, but