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Show Expect Pasture Programs to Solve Many Problems pasturccnl 'I he expanse of In the feeding economy of pastures. Pasture programs advance In nearly every Mat( In sections where the word pasture was seldom heard a few years ago, grasslands are recognized as of first importance, not only in acreage, but for contributions to the right side of the ledger In the farm account book. Successes credited to tho pasture programs have established Improved pastures as a permanent institution on modern livestock farms. Neither hybrid corn, hardy alfalfa nor any other farm innovation ha3 exceeded the popularity of the "pasture movement." Pastures ore labor-savers, money savers, time savers and savers of our soil fertility. They not only utilize those portions of the farm that arc not tillable and which can be made most productive by the use of improved seeds and quantities of fertilizer, but also the most fertile fields that can return more profit. The Idea of using good seed and lots of fertilizer to improve a rundown pasture was at first regarded as a Joke. Pastures were those parts of the farm either untiilaHe or too poor to grow crops. Of course pastures arc possible where tilled crops cannot be grown and with proper seeding, fertilization and management can make the best possible use of such locations. Such lands properly renovated can become trofitable by seeding, fer-, tilizing and such cultivating as is feasible so that they return a profit instead of being a fa rm liability. But, tbs rerl'y modern pasture thut can -u handled as an iirprrtnnt c-o;i in the roiatirn or as a erai-r?'.- "nt pasture U the one lr v;n tho best land location and the ir "st fertile soil I on the farm. Given all these it will usually be the most prof.t- ' able crop grown and the one that will save the soil for posterity. When a bromcgrass-Ladlno pasture In Missouri produces 500 pounds of beef per acre In 259 days, on Alta fescue-Ladlno pasture 333 pounds In 172 days, and a bluegrass-lespedeza-La-dino pasture 323 pounds in 120 days, it Is not surprising that pastures have become an essential feature of every livestock farm program. A pasture program does not aim to take row crops out of the farming system. Farmers will continue to use row-crops and to develop a program to use their land more wisely and to fit pastures and row-crops into a money-making combination placing more emphasis on the greatest possible use of pastures because of their unbounded potentialities. The basic features of a long-range pasture program are (1) Year-round pasture in the South and 7 to 8 months of good pasture In the North 2) A permanent pasture seeded with improved varieties of grasses and legumes. This is the backbone of a pasture system but It must be recognized that a permanent pasture will not meet grazing needs every month of the year. (3) Supplementary summer grazing through use of Sudangrass, millet, lope-deza and sweetclover. (4) Supplementary fall, winter and spring grazing thro'igh use of winter grains in the north and crimson cloer. ryegi ass, caley peas, grrnis an.1 other crops In the South. |