The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1916-10-20
CARRYING CAPACITY
IRRIGATED PASTURE

The following report of test of
the carrying capacity of irrigated
pastures on the Huntley montana
Farms taken from the farm superin-
teDdent's report of work for 1915, re-
Gently published by the U. S. Depart
n.ent of Agriculture:
The test in which two cows were
pastured during the season of 1914 on
three quarter acre plats of mixed
grasses was continued during 1915.
Two of these plats were seeded in
1913, one to mixture of awnless
brome-grass, orchard grass, perennial
rye-grass, meadow fescue tall fescue
Italian rye-grass Kentucky bluegrass
and tall oat-grass and the other to
the same mixture of grasses with the
addition of alsike clover and white
clover. The third plat IN the test
was seeded in 1911 to mixture of
awnless brome-grass, orchard grass,
rectop, and timothy. In this test the
two plats seeded in 1913 were placed
in one inclosure and pastured alter
nately with the one plat seeded 1911
The COWS were on the pasture contain
ine- the two plats for periods of from
10 days to two weeks and on the sim
gle plat for periods Of five to seven
days. Irrigation was applied When
ever necessary to each part of the
pasture as soon as the cows were re-
moved. In 1915 each part was irrigat
ed seven times. One-half Of each
part of the pasture was top-dressed
with stable manure at the rate OF lO
tors per acre in the fall of 1914. Ihe
The pasture period extended from
Auxil % to October 8. During this
tir,e two grade jersey cows We're used
They were kept off pasture daring
stormy weather Col an aggregate OF
beneficial effect of this treatment on
the growth Of the pasture was very
apuas cent o., ing the pasturing season.
ii Jays, so that they were actually
on the pasture $50 days. On the
DAYS that they were off pasture each
COW was fed 25 pounds of alfalfa hay
cay. The pasture furnished ample
feed for the cows until September l.
From that date to the end of the pas
turing period each cow was fed 10
pounds of alfalfa hay a day in adj
dition to the pasture.
One of the cows freshered IN octo-
ber, 1914, so she was milking at the
beginning of the test. She became
dry by September Is and calved a.
gain on October Is. The other COW
freshened on June 25, so she was dry
during the first part of the test. The
COW that was giving milk at the begin
ming of the test was given supple
mental feed of pounds of chopped
corr a day from the beginning of the
pasture period to June Is, and the
either cow received no grain until July
/. From July l to October IA, during
the first half of each month, each
cow was fed daily 6 pounds of a grain
mixture consisting of equal parts of
chopped corn, wheat, and oats. No
grain was fed during the second half
of each month. The increase in milk
flow during the period when grain
was fed was in no case sufficient to
pay for the grain.
The COWS produced during the sea-
son OIL days total of 5,247 pounds
Of butter fat At the local market
prices, the value of the butter fat
produced was S52.O7. During the en-
tire period total of SS2 pounds of
grain and $3.50 pounds of hay was fed
If the hay be valued at S6 ton and
the grain at S1.25 per hundredweight,
the total cost of the supplemental
feed was 1882. This amount, de-
Quoted from $52.07, the value of the
butter fat, leaves return of $36.15
for the pasturage produced on three
fourths of an acre. This is at the
rate of $48.2O per acre.
The carrying capacity of these
three quarter-acre plats in 1914 was
the same as in 1915. Two cows were
carried through the pasturage season
each year on the three fourths of an
acre. This is at the rate of eight
cows on three acres. The results in
1915 indicate that the pastures are
improving with age. These facts, as
we'll as the return of $48.2O per acre
secured in 1915, show clearly that ir-
rigated pastures can be made success
full on the Huntley project.
Getting Some Return From Irrigat
ed Pastures The First Year.
In the same report the writer dis