Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-07-06
Exp.rImental ra.ture.


To every farmer the pasture is Inn
portant and the science of keeping
pastures in good condition is one of
the most necessary branches of ex-
perimentation. Pastures are neglected
to most surprising degree. At every
experiment station should be at least
one pasture kept in an ideal manner.
1t is perfectly proper for a station to
handle some of its ground on wrong
principles, to show the effects of
wrong methods. But there should be
a correct standard. During the last
few days the writer has visited two
southern stations, at each of which
the pasture was an important part of
the farm. But the contrast was very
marked. At one station the pasture
would not be a credit to any farmer
in the northwest. 1t was worn down
to the ground, and the growth of for
age was meagre in the extreme. The
writer marveled at finding so poor a
pasture at a United States Experiment
Station. There was some good stock
feeding upon it, but the area to be fed
over was necessarily great.
At the other station the pasture was
a credit to the station and could be
used as a pattern by any farmer to
advantage. 1t was small in area, but
the forage was dense. During all last
year it pastured a good deal more
than one cow per acre. The sod was
thick and was made up of the matted
roots of several varieties of grasses.
The varieties of grass had been chosen
to give continuous feed throughout
the year. One variety natures at one
time and another at another time.
When one kind is eaten off and no
longer sends up new growth, another
is just giving it's greatest volume of
leaf and stalk. Summer and winter that
pasture is good. The cattle are not
kept On one pasture all of the time,
but are put on another pasture when
ever the first pasture shows a sign of
getting weak. One of the professors
said to the writer: I'VE could not pos
sibly put that land into any grain
crop that would yield profit equal to
that we receive from pasturing it,
That tells the story of the whole situa-
ton as it exists north and south, SO
far as pastures are concerned.
The good pasture mentioned is
watched as carefully as any part of the
farm and is given treatment of manures
whenever it needs it. The cattle on
it receive a daily feed of bran and oil
meal, and thus the ground daily re-
ceives droppings rich in nitrogen. If it
ever does become thin it will be put
into some other crop for awhile. Thus
will be brought in the question of ro-
tation of pastures, one of the greatest
of Importance on thin or sandy lands.
In the south especially this work with
the pastures is one that should not be
neglected. If ever the southern farm
is to be made a general farm it must
have a good pasture, and on some
lands, especially those that leak bad
ly, that means rotation of the pastures
with something else.
The writer does not wish to cricti-
else the work of any experiment sta
ton, but he cannot help feeling that
the subject under discussion is of
primo Importance. Said one station
director, Come and see our expert
mental grass plats; 1 notice you north
ern men that come down here always
inquire about them, and I reckon you
will be interested" Yes, the northern
farmer is interested in the grasses for
he knows that they are, in his section.
the basis of all general farming. He
cannot help wondering how the south
ern farmer can do anything without
them, at least for pasturage. We do
not believe that any obstacle exists In
the way of good pastures in the south,
and we hope they will receive full con-
| sideration by all the stations.