The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-12-04
TUSCALOOSA GETS A TREAT

the eight or nine months of grass is less
than the winteriHg cost OF three or four
months.
The ease with which good permanent
pastures may De established is not usually
known, it beias thought that it calls Tor
breaking, see Ing or cuitivaung, whereas
all th<t is reauy necessary is to fence in
the land. put cattle on it and give the
grass ! chance to grow. The last is che
secret of having a good pasture-sivns'
the grass a chance 20 grow But grass
cannot grow in brush nor where the sun
light is excluded by sedgegrass, bitter
wood and other vinimous and sundry
weeds that are Of no value as cattle feed.
IAN Illustration of how this may be
practically accomplished may be igven
from our own experience on a 405-acre
run down cotton farm which hardly SUP
ported 50 head of native cattle. averaging
400 per head when it was put in pasture
six years ago. The land was badly worn
and grown up in pine, gum and sassafras
thickets and the open portions grew sedse-
grass and bitterweed in prcfusion. The
first step was 10 run the mower over the
open places and at odd times cut out the
brush 50 it could be moved the follow
ing year. without any breaking or seed
ing # grasses, two-thirds OF the original
pasture in good flesh $50 head of regis
tered cattle averaging over 500 pounds
per head, merely by cutting out the
brush, running the moving machine, and
/ in fact giving the grass a chance TO
grow.
IN prairie type of soil we would recom-
mend Paspalum as the basis of the
| pasture, as it makes good heavy SOD,
which prevents erosin of the soil and
comes with the first touch of sprins'
stands either wet weather or draught bet
, ter Than BumuGa, and is not killed eX-
! cept by a freeze. It is an exceptionally
hardy plant and grows out rapidly whom
grazed. For early spring we would recon-
mend BLACK Medic, which is very siInllaf
! to Burr clover, ewing good, early sprins
! pasture, but is better for pasture thah
Burr clover because Of the fact that cat
tie Ike it better and It cannot be grazed
| so closely that it viii not reseed itself
Lespedeza will. not grow well on very
! limy land but on most prairie soil WIZ
do well after il has become enocutatcd
/ and furnishes excellent summer and IAN
grazing. On sand and clay land soil there
| is nothing THAI will take the place OF
| bermuda and Il should be the basis Of
| the pasture Burr clover takes the same
place on sandy land as Black Medic, the
prairie type fc, early spring, though II
should not be grazed too closely at seed
/ ing tine. Lespadaza is almost indigious TO
/ the soil on all sand clay lands, and is un-
edualed for late summer and fall graz
| ing. It would be well to apply both Pas-
nahum and Blasl Medic on loan bottoms,
as they will do well on bottom lands as a
rule and make valuable additions to the
pasture.
while the pasture is the place from
which YOU could expect your profits, SUI
: fcient feed should always be provided 10
carry the breeding and young stock Two,
three % four months of winter For this
purpose sorghum silage will be found TO
be the safest and cheapest feed possible
1t beii,g. however, a little inferior to
corn rs silage. but makes over twice the
yield per acre. end will stand both the
i rain and draughr better. Give the breed
ing COW about enc to two pounds Of cot
tonseed meal Ter head each day and all
the silage they win eat and they VIII go
through the winter in good condition
''In short just clean the pastures So
the grass will have a chance and the cat
tie will do the rest. There is nothing more
important in economical production oil
feed and milk than good permanent pas
ture''