Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-08-15
GRASS FOR DAIRY
COWS PROFITABLE
BULLETIN ISSUED BY COLLEGE
EXPLAINS SUMNER SEEDING OF
PASTURE MIXTURES
By O. w. Monsoon

- ~
Irrigation and Drainage Engineer of
the Montana Experiment Station
Many stories have been told of the
farmer who stopped each morning at
the town pump and added a few pals
of water to the cans of milk he was
hauling to town. But this direct
method of filling his milk cans
brought him very little. if any, praise
and a coed deal of criticism.
1t remained for the enterprising west
ern irrigation farmer to discover a more
praiseworthy though somewhat in
direct, way of using water TO fill his
milk cans. In short. this farmer, I'M
der the ditch. uses the water from the
ditch to produce an abundance OF sue
culent grass for his COW and they re-
ciprocate by producing large quantities
of milk which spell dollars n cents
to their oWner
At this season of the year. pastures
i'll the unirrigated parts of the state
usually show the effects Of drouth with
a resulting reduction in the flow of
milk. but this is not the case where ir-
rigation makes it possible to extend the
growing season and keep the pastures
green and growing throughout the sum-
mer. Irrigation easily adds from two
to three months to the pasture season
above what could be expected If it were
dependent upon natural rainfall alone.
Besides extending the growing sea-
son, irrigation also increases the carry
ing capacity in animal units per acre.
Irrigated pastures may be found that,
with proper management, furnish iced
for more than two COWS per acre.
uD~o LAet x1x.- 1onl y,nCfDrnC rnHlJ1vQ
seven OF eight acres to feed a COW
through the summer in contrast to the
above, and most of the summe this
COW has to eat dry grass. At the Judith
Basin branch experiment station near
Mocassin, where the best cultural meth
DDS have been practiced, between seven
and eight acres of dry-land bronze and
crested wheat grass pasture were re-
quired per animal unit in 1884.
1t must not be inferred, however, that
water alone performs this miracle. To
make a good pasture requires good coil,
proper grass mixtures, and careful cul-
ture. as we'll as proper irrigation. A
combination of all of these always
will make a good pasture.
Several kinds of grass mixtures have
been tried by the Montana Agricultural
Experiment station and the results are
published so that farmers over the state
may profit by this experience. Bulletin
No. 166, which may be had upon APP
plication to the director Of the expert
ment station at BOzeman, contains
complete instructions for making good
pastures.
Irrigation of pastures differs slightly
from irrigation of other farm crops.
First, grasses being shallow-rooted re-
quire frequent irrigations since the root
zone is in a thin layer of top soil and
dries out quickly. Besides, the heavy
sod transpires water more rapidly than
a cultivated crop. Second, the pasture
is subject to tramping by livestock and
heavy irrigations will cause boys and
wallows in the field which will damage
the best pastures. The best practice
is to rotate pastures so that n field is
irrigated while the next is grazed. This
allows the soil to set and the grass to
recover. Frequent and light irrigations
are desirable for pastures where pos
sible.
1t will be noted in bulletin 166 that
summer seeding of pasture mixtures
will produce a good stand if irrigated
properly. This is an advantage over
dry land pasture where often several
seedlings are necessary before a stand
is obtained. With the many other ma
tural conditions %favoring dairying and
s~tockraising in Montana, an increase in
irrigated pastures should prove profit
able to dairymen and stockralsers IN
this state.