Oxford Democrat., 1913-11-18
Fall Pasturing of Meadows.
OPPOSED ON PRINCIPLE, BUT IN PRAc-
TICE DOES IT.

TICE DOES IT.
think there is no one theOrem OF
agriculture to which farmers 30 general.
ought not To be pasiured in the fall.
don't mean that men generally live up TO
the doctrine, but they will tell you they
believe in it just the same. OF course,
IL goes without chance for debate that
the best good of the meadow demands
that it go into winter carrying the mat
of vegetation that has grown during the
late summer. This is beneficial for at
least three distinct reasons. One is that
no plant can establish root system be-
low ground unless it has an opportunity
to uphold its green leaves in the sun
light, aud closely pastured plant has
scant chance to do this. Another rea-
son is that, il the aftermath can be left
where it grew, it is really equivalent to a
considerable direct application of plant
food. Then, tbird-outside Of its ma
purial value-it has the very important
office of furnishing protective mulch
against the cold winter and more trying
spring. Then, beyond these, is the fur
Their fact that grazing meadows is much
worse than cutting them, because a hun
cry COW clips far closer than any ma
chine, and because the tramping Of ami
mails, especially in moist weather, is
hard on timothy and clover, although
blue grass seems to be created to be
walked upon without injury. These
facts are all self-evidenr, and none of us
need to be converted 10 the belief that il
would be better for our meadows il all
stock could be kept of them.
But it is the time honored prerogative
Of philosophers to ask foolish questions
and wish to inquire II sound agricul-
rural practice demands that we live up
to the principles which we know are
correct. e., correct from the point OF
view of the best good of our grass lands.
Pasturing is bad for the meadows, but 1t
Is often mighty good for the kline. The
temptation 10 take some feed from the
meadows is often almost irresistible-sO
much so that ON this farm we frequently
Weld to it. / do not feel particularly
guilty either. In fact, | wish to defend
the practice.
Old pastures are done for, 80 far as
real milk making is concerned, by Au-
gust /, and often earlier, aud from then
on it is a question of scant, unpro fitable
milk flow or substantially winter rations.
Along in August or early September,
W hen the pastures are brown and the
price of milk is being marked up and
the fall cows are coming fresh, then 1t is
that we feel the call TO follow the natur-
al, easy plan OF pasturing off the after
math. Now 1 freely admit all the evils
Of grazing meadows. Doubtless 1t does
diminish the yield the following year
and hasten the time when reseed ing will
be necessary. Let US all grant this.
But, after all, the question is not merely
il grazing Injuries meadows. The ques-
ton rather is if such injury exceeds any
advantage or gain to be derived. Per
sonally am very willing to diminish
the hay crop Of next summer, say, $50 II
[ can take S75 worth of milk out of 1t
this fall.
One thing am more and more coming
to be sure of. 1t is bit Of farm philos-
ophy, if you will, that il worth remem-
bering:
The best use that can be made of any
palatable, nutritious crop is to feed it to
some profitable animal. Granting all
that may be said as TO the advantage of
cover crops aud the need of increasing
the humus supply, yet the statement
stands that a crop is worth more TO feed
a good animal than IL can possibly be
worth for mulch or manure.
Grand old Professor Roberts, of Cor
nell, was q real agricultural philosopher.
Dean Bailey once said Of him: "He is
the wisest farmer that / ever knew.
Roberts used to lecture his young men
ON the use of cover crops and advise how
they should be grown to secure a maxi
mum growth 50 that when they went
back to the land they should carry plen-
ty of humus, and then advise how when
they were ready to plough under they
Just change their plans little and feed
them TO an animal instead. l believe
that was real wisdom.
To come down to this years condi-
tions. Old pastures pretty nearly ceas-
ed 10 be factor by August /. Without
our meadows winter feeding would have
begun by that date. AS il is We have
reached October "a with only moderate
consumption of silage, although we have
fed grain rather freely for several weeks
There is one small field still untouched
which will carry us pretty near to No.
vember before we shall really strike the
winter ration. 1t would have taken a
good deal of high priced grain and have
made serious inroads upon our roughage
10 have taken the place of what feed the
fak naadnwa
How big the saving has been. II is hard
to say, but We may guess at least S2OO or
$500. For the present at least it has
helped out wonderfully. expect our
hay crop will be smaller next year than
if we had left every thing on the fields,
but do not believe the loss will be as
great as our gain now. Furthermore, it
is nv belief that If man should take
one half of the money gained by this
fall pasturing and spend II for nitrate of
soda, phosphorus and grass seed, and on
some soils lime, and use these on the
meadows he would have more hay than
if be had kept every hoof from his fields
but withheld all fertility. This Is only
another way of saying that fertility costs
more in tender young grass than in fer
tillZ6r OAS.
OF course there are exceptions to these
| rules and il 10 never wise to make too
sweeping statements. For example, the
pasturiug of new seeding 10 often-per-
haps alwsys-to be condemned. Take a
season like this when the young clover
plants are small at the best. Their
chance of going through the winter will
be greatly diminished if they are robbed
of their little crown Of leaves by hun
gry COW or are crushed In the mud by
her heavy foot. The amount Of feed to
be secured from new seeding is generally
small and the damage may be great. II
pas,u ured at all 1t must be only lightly
and when the ground is dry enough to
be firm. We have now ten acres OF
wheat stubble which was very stout and
| in parts badly lodged. 1t was very ripe
and some heads were shattered In har.
yesting, 90 that the fall rains germinated
this and the young wheat Was green
among the stubble and higher than the
seeding. We have given thirty-ive cows
lust three days run on this, but think
thsy will not 90 back there again. Yet
those three days showed decided results
In the milk can.
Then there are few acres OF oat stub
~A..As not