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East? The Annual Rainfall Is From 12 To 15 Inches

Categories: Grains and Forage Crops

The perennial grasses which they rely upon for pasturage in the East and

which will maintain themselves from year to year, will not live at all

on the dry lands of California, nor has investigation of the last

twenty-five or thirty years found anything better for these California

uplands than the winter growth of plants which are native to them. Such

lands should be better treated, first by not being overstocked; second,

> by taking off cattle at the time the native plant needs to make seed,

because, as they are not perennial, they are dependent upon each year's

seed. After the plants have seeded, the land can be pastured for dry

feed without losing the seed.



Of course, if one has land capable of irrigation he can grow forage

plants, even the grasses which grow in moist climates, like the rye

grasses, the brome grasses and the oat grasses, etc., which will do well

if given a little moisture, but it will be a loss of money to break up

the dryer lands with the idea of establishing perennial grasses upon

them without irrigation. California pastures are naturally good. In

early days they were wonderful, but they are restricted to growth during

the rainy season, or for a little time after that, and are therefore

suited for winter and spring pasturage, while the summer feeding of

stock, aside from dry feed, should be provided from other lands where

water can be used. The improvement of these wild pastures consists in a

more intelligent policy for their production and preservation rather

than an effort to improve them by the introduction of new plants.

Pastures may, however, be often improved by clearing off the brush and

harrowing in seed of burr clover, alfilaria, etc., at the beginning of

the rainy season.



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