One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
The plant is black medic. It has been very widely distributed over the
State during the last few years. It is sometimes called a new burr
clover, which it somewhat resembles. It is not very freely eaten by
stock and is apparently inferior to burr clover for forage purposes. It
is a good plant to plow under for green manure.
Crimson Clover.
About crimson clover in California. Has it proved satisfactory? If so,
can you give me data how to plant, etc.!
Crimson clover must be sown after frost, for it is tender. It will give
a great show in June and July on low moist land. It is not good against
either frost or drought. It has been amply tried in California and
proved on the whole of little account.
California Winter Pastures.
We have a great deal of pasture land on which the native grasses yield
less feed each year. A great part of this land can be cleared of brush
and stone, ready for the plow, but what can we sow to take the place of
the native pasture? The ground in many places is not level enough for
alfalfa and in some places water is not available. Can we break up the
land and sow pasture grasses as the farmers are exhorted to do at the
East? The annual rainfall is from 12 to 15 inches.
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.
Alfilaria and Winter Pasturage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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