The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-19
STATE LACKS
COODPASTURE
Land Must Be as Fertile
for This as for Any Crop
Says Bennett
BY d. w. BENNETT
Assistant County Agent

NI
The lack of good pasture is one
of the weak spots in livestock
feeding in North Carolina. Most
farmers have plenty of land fenc
ed in for pasture, but they fail tc
regard the pasture as being worth
very much. Many farmers have
been disappointed in their pas.
lures because they seeded lanC
that had been retired fro mcultiva'
ton. Fertile land is just as i'm,
portant for the success of a good
pasture as any crop grown on the
farm. Under our present method
of pasture management, 1T requir'
es four or five acres to maintain
an animal unit, but with improved
methods of management, one to
two acres will maintain an animal.
There are many advantages OF
good pasture, among which are
the following: Pasture controls
erosion. Many Of our steep hill
sides would be much more profit
able to the farmer if it were seed
cd down to permanent pasture.
Land properly seeded in pasture
loses less than one-half ton of soil
per year while the same land
planted in some of our row crops
will lose as high as 40 tons of SOIL
Pasture is economical. Accord
ING TO a recent survey made by the
u. S. department of agriculture,
it was found that nearly one-third
of all the feed consumed by cattle
came from pasture while the pas
ture cost was only one-seventh
of the total feed cost.
Pasture is rich in protein. One
hundred pounds of dry matter in
the form of immature pasture
grass is much higher in protein
than the same amount in the form
of mature hay. The protein is also
of an improved quality when COM
pared to mature hay.
The mineral content Of pasture
grass is high. Pastures constitute
the best source of minerals for
livestock. Immature grass con-
tains about twice as much phos-
phate as does mature hay. OF
course the amount of mineral mat
ter in the grass will be determin-
ed by the amount present in the
soil. This point should encourage
the application of more phosphate
and lime to the soil.
Pasture is also a good source OF
Vitamins that are so essential TO
animal life. Grasses are rich in
vitamin A, B and c, which are so
necessary to prevent disease and
promote growth.
How can we make a good pas
ture? Pastures are most success
full on heavy fertile soils. The
best dates. for sowing pastures IN
this county are August goth and
March 18th. One is more sure OF
receiving a good catch if the pas
ture is seeded the last of August,
but in case it was impossible to
seed on that date, the pasture
should be seeded around March
18th.
A general application of 200 tc
100 pounds Of 4-12-4 fertilizer
should be applied per acre. 1t Is
a good idea to apply about a tor
of limestone per acre for best re-
suits.
The ideal seed bed for pasture
is one that is thoroughly pulver'
lied to depth Of three inches
Lands that have been in row crops
may be thoroughly disced, but
land that has been idle may have
to be plowed shallow before disc
ing. Many pastures are otter
ruined by too early grazing, and
grazing too closely. New pasture
should not be grazed until tho
grass is five or six inches tall. II
is also a good practice to NOW the
weeds of the pasture two or three
times each year.
The following mixture is one Of
the best for this county: