OCR Text |
Show Turn Grass To Seed, Have Better Pastures Bertoch Douglas Bertoch, chairman of the County PMA committee, points out that often the most effective and most economical means of improving the stand of grass on an area of depleted range (pasture) is to allow the grass already growing on it to go to seed. This not only produces pro-duces more plants, but the plants already growing are allowed al-lowed to become more vigorous. While deferred grazing may result in an immediate loss to the stockman, the resulting improved im-proved condition more than makes up for the temporary loss. When palatable grasses are sparse and stunted, the less pal atable growth takes over and noxious weeds increase. He urged stockmen to check each range (or pasture) frequently frequent-ly to make sure there are enough grass roots to hold the soil; that there is enough top growth to feed the grass roots; that grazing graz-ing is not too heavy or too early; and that the range (or pasture) has a chance to reseed itself. The Agricultural Conservation Program, he explains, provide:, assistance for natural reseeding of range (pasture) as well as foi artificial reseeding. If there is a good stand of grass, the protection pro-tection against erosion is just as effective, whether the good stand results from seeding with a planter or if the grass is allowed al-lowed to go to seed. The important im-portant thing, as far as conservation' conser-vation' is concerned, is a good protective cover, regardless of how it is accomplished. And a good protective cover means good grazing." |