The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-05-31
The Permanent Pasture.


be no permanent pastures except on
lands that are untitled for cultivation,
says Farm and Dairy. In the more
densely populated parts of Belgium
where agriculture has attained its
higest development, there are no pas
lures except on such lands, and fields
OF this character are called "prairies."
With pastures, fences disappear, both
the pasture and the fence belonging to
the transition state of agriculture. We
are far from being ready to tear down
our fences and throw our fields into
one, feeding green forage in stables
or yards only, nor are we ready to
Danish the permanent pasture to lands
untitled for rotating crops. 1t were
better however, that this were done
than to waste land in growing such
permanent pastures as are found on
many farms.
No permanent pasture should be sat
isfactory to it's owner unless it will
support in an average year one cow
per acre for seven months in the sea-
son. This, of course, implies first
class land. This is nearly, if not alto
gether, twice the usual yield. If, there
fore, the yield Of permanent pasture
can be doubled it is evident that the
profits will be more than doubled. The
fencing is the same, the taxes the
same, the interest on the value of the
land the same, and any increase in
yield, less the expense involved in Sc
curing it, is clear profit.
One Of the main reasons why farm
ers do not have permanent pastures
such as we have described, is that they
do not have q clearly defined ideal in
their minds. The ideal permanent
pasture is one that furnishes a con-
slant succession of bloom from early
May until the frost nips the flowers.
This can be secured only by variety
of grasses, and as great q variety as
possible and blooming in as many diff
ferent months as possible.
Herein lies the difference between
the permanent and rotation pastures.
From the latter must be excluded the
grasses that require years to secure
good stand, as, for example, blue grass;
grasses of which the seed is costly,
as, for example, tall meadow oat
grasses; grasses that form tussocks, as,
for instance, orchard grass, and grass
es that bloom very early, such as red
top. Three varieties, or four at most,
are about all we can grow in a pas
ture under rotation. The permanent
pasture should have orchard grass, as
far north as it will succeed, because 1t
gives the earliest bite and stands
drouth better than any other except
alfalfa; blue grass, because it gives
the latest as well as the earliest bite,
and while a drouth will give it a long
sleep through the scent of water 1t
will bud" as the old prophet said. The
permanent pasture should have tim
othy, because of it's value as forage,
and its capacity for storing up susten-
ance in dry time in bulbs on it's roots,
while clover and alsike should have
their places and red and mammoth
should always occupy prominent posi-
tions. To these may be added red top,
but only in northern sections, mea-
dow fescue when it succeeds well, and
tall meadow oat grass if seed can be
obtained at a reasonable price.
One can readily see that with this
variety OF grasses an almost constant
succession of bloom can be obtained,
each plant being at its best at the
blooming period and occupying more
than its share of the soil. For exam
pie, the other grasses give way to blue
grass in the fall, while it finishes it's
spring work in June and rests until the
fall rains.
Not the least advantage of such a
pasture is the fact that it furnishes the
variety which is the spice of food as
well as the spice of life.
To no man is such a pasture so val
liable as to the dairy farmer-variety
gives richness to the milk and flavor
to the butter. 1t gives luxuriance to
the pasture during the entire season
and enables the cow to fill herself at
an early hour and lie down in peace
and quietness to chew her cud and fill
the pail to overlooking both night and
morning.
Warm and Contented.-"I am not
rich enough to furnish feed to warm up
my cows out Of doors, SO l prefer to
keep them in the barns where they will
be warm and contented.". That is the
watchword of successful dairying,
warm and contented.". No man can
fail to follow this injunction. Now
take the manure out of the barn at
least once a day, and twice would be
better. 1t costs no more labor to re-
move it twice day than twice month
WnllC InC putty VI OH III IhO otboiO VIII
lift you long way toward becoming a
first-class dairyman. The dirty man
who does not object to rank smells can
never hope to succeed. Manure Is bet
ter for the land If hauled out and
spread every day than If allowed to lie
and rot and become a nuisance around
the barn.. s. Woodward.
Butter by the TOn--Thirty cents a
pound for first class butter, does not
sound high, but it means $50 a hundred
weight, and $500 ton. Some private
dairymen are selling their butter for
that price in the Chicago market, and
some have got as high as 80 cents per
pound But this requires the produc-
ton of a uniformly good article and
the use Of a personal brand to insure
it's recognition on the market. The
farmer that makes dairying an import.
ant part of his farm economy, lays the |
for permanent prosperity |
Colored to Defraud.-In as natural
,olor, "oleo"is white, but by little |
,utter color 1t is made so nearly like
rood butter in looks that it is difficult
n detect IL Now the matter resolves