Sf LETIN 893 MARCH ‘I958 ontuw snenum nmsrono "me: llPscoufl umnev moona nurcmu- noaenrs roncu. son our-um POTTER mason can vmeeLen oear smm nmoau. “m” ooueev °°L'~"'°5' smouo woam venuefl CASTRO swsnen _ amsooel HALL IWW‘ Pasture, Hay and Silage: Crops for East Texas u A ommi 0 q ..‘q L THE EAST; d Apfggfmgeili; TIMBERLANDQ A!!! ness _ i] oe wtev LAMB HALE nova uonev camel \-J “Lgm- w _ i ‘scum GER VIICNITA CLAY comm uocxtev tuaaocx cnosar omens mus mox amrwa Anouea L _ ~ I ,.? - sroue- mum '""'°°" room “on vase oevnou . cotuu ' mm vomun ream: mm cum. xevn "LL “on” l t | l 54-- ' -'.' ' " mmes omsou sonoen scunav nsnea JONES ‘5":g"EL‘_srePuevcsi 2*‘ nmzen “manner - onus - o _ _ i . m” , JOHNSON ELLIS Anonews umtm uovuno mrcnetu. noun futon cutumo eustuao "m. X" , 4 ' . l _/ - ' vuvmno ° . , | | ' | \ \,\/\ m . -- - , T a u o mo °‘~‘55‘ 5'5"‘ - WK! ‘ ‘ ooumcne - . . ' , I QM“ wmnu EC o ' | L m“ "° mmueLs-coteum. aaowu / 905M ‘A’ . . _ - | I -- umuou ' _ uu ‘ _ L.‘_. - . - uceemwo ,° cunenson wmo . ~==- _ mus X c°R,Eu_\_ _ z . _ . _ came heron neacm ‘mu To“ 4 GONG“ - . _ M _ . REIVES . oneen ~- , .\ . . / ' ' . aeu. . . caocw" soutencuea "gum ' I ' ouauer 0 ' P5008 msou . ‘m, w,“ . - . . I mumson . ‘in ‘A, I sutvon nmote " - \/"" ~' _ o moo ’ fluvns . i ___, ouesme - '- /\ \. r VAL VEHOE PRESIOIO I BREWSTER xena . ‘. “'3 mm; k _, ' _\ 1/, ‘ KEY TO LOCATIONS Mt. Pleasant Tyler Nacogdoches Lufkin Kirbyville College Station 99"???“ *5" . omoelu ' . coul- - | - . oexm _ A, mmev uvuoe ueowu ‘ . ZAVALA rmo ATASOOSA ‘éwmes ' ‘ " é I. 5° . , ' i - ‘ see ‘ ~ oaurr u sau.e was" m¢\ _ neruoo . 08x4} / p. SAN . _l PATRICIO / veoa ouvnt _ g _ uueces 5 neeeno ' “ J mun xeueov w‘ éoaooxs noes STARR TEXAS AGRICULTURAL l R. D. LEWIS. DIRECTOR. f wuttncv a _ HIOALGO _ . CAMERON EXPERIMENT STATION COLLEGE STATION. TEXAS DIGEST The East Texas Timberlands area has a warm, temperate and humid climate with an average . annual rainfall 0f 35 t0 50 inches and‘ 234 to 266 days of growing weather. From the standpoint . of productivity and the need for conservation practices, the area is well suited to pasture and live- 1 stock production. The rapid increase in cattle population and the decrease in cultivated crops in A the area during the past 2 decades indicate a trend toward better pastures and greater livestock a production. A wide range of annual and perennial crops are adapted to the area. Winter pastulre crops pri- 'i marily are annuals, with the small grains, particularly oats and rye, being the best producers. Mus- a tang and Alamo oats and Abruzzi rye are among the best small grain varieties. Goliad barley is a good, early producer in the southern part of the area. A rotation grazing system whereby parts 3, of the pasture are rested 3 to 4 weeks between grazings increases total production and lengthens the period of producton. Annual grasses, such as rescue and ryegrass, make good winter pasture, producing 2,000 t0 5,000 pounds of forage per acre, and have the advantage of reseeding themselves. Crimson clover, a vetch and winter peas grown in combination with these annual grasses increase total production i, and the protein content of the forage. Perennial winter grasses, such as fescue, brome and Hardinggrass, have not been successful ' in the area. Pearl millet as a summer annual produced more forage in Southeast Texas than Sudangrass. ' It is suggested as a replacement where Sudan has not been successful, especially on the light, shal- '4 low soils low in fertility. Sudan yields generally are about the same whether planted in rows 0r ‘ broadcast, but the growth is better distributed throughout the season from row plantings. Row ~ plantings are suggested where the crop is to be grazed, while broadcast or close-drill plantings are A satisfactory if the crop is to be used primarly for hay. Several Sudan varieties give satisfactory performance, including the non-sweet types, Common, Tift and Piper, and the sweet types, Sweet, . Lahoma and Greenleaf. Bermuda and Dallis are the most important perennial grasses in the area. Coastal is superior A to Common Bermuda in yield, drouth tolerance and growth type. The longer internode length and more upright growth of Coastal make it ideally suited for hay production. Dallis is an important c; grass, especially on heavier soils and in the lower sites and usually grows in association with Com- i mon Bermuda. Annual legumes in combination with permanent grasses, especially Bermuda, I lengthen the season and increase total production. White clover is one of the best legumes for » pastures because it will reseed under grazing, has a long growing season and has less smothering effect on the permanent grass than many of the legumes. Narrowleaf vetch, a native legume, 1 shows promise for use with permanent grasses for the same reasons as outlined for white clover. "'1 Perennial summer grasses respond to fertilizer applications. Increased yields are obtained _. with 90 to 120 pounds of nitrogen, the amount depending on the availability of soil moisture. Phos- g phorus and potassium are necessary for good pasture production and applications should be based on results of soil tests. Cultivation of permanent grasses has not been beneficial. Annual grasses, Coastal Bermuda, improved pastures and native meadows can be used for hay. Annual grasses produce high yields, but the hay generally is coarse and tends toward stem- ’ miness. Coastal Bermuda makes good quality hay, and yields are high under proper fertilization.” ‘ Yields of 7 to 12 tons per acre are reported with 400 to 800 pounds of-nitrogen and adequate moisture. Hay or silage should be harvested from improved pastures in periods of excess growth. i Deferring grazing in some pastures increases the harvested hay yields per acre. Harvested hay . yields averaged almost 1 ton per acre in the improved pastures at the East Texas Pasture Inves- ». tigation Laboratory at Lufkin for a 3-year period. Native meadow hay yields of 2 to 2V2 tons per acre are reported from Tyler with good fertilization. Where fertilized and harvested in the proper stage, native meadows produce good quality hay. Many crops and varieties have been tested for silage production. Corn produces good yields A of high quality silage in most years. The higher-yielding sorghum varieties generally produce more ' ‘ than corn. The choice of a sorghum variety should be determined by the length of growing sea- ' son or planting date and harvesting equipment. Varieties such as Red Top, Sumac and Hegari will mature in 70 to 75 days, Atlas in 80 to 90 days, Honey and Tracy in 100 to 120 days and Sart and i, Hodo in 130 to 150 days. Honey, Tracy, Sart and Hodo may reach a height of 10 to 12 feet and E. require auxiliary powered equipment for harvesting. Yields vary widely, depending on climatic _ conditions, soil fertility and variety. Row seedings for silage produce as much as broadcast seed- I ings and are easier to harvest. IIHE EAST TEXAS TIMBERLANDS comprise an area bordered by the Red River 0n the north, isiana on the east, the Coast Prairie on the _ h and the Blackland and Grand Prairies on the i. . Pastures and the need for pasture research increased in importance in this area in re- _? years. As land has been taken out of culti- '0n, much of it has been put into pastures. v ch of that not actually improved for pastures been subject to grazing. This is reflected in Fincrease in cattle population of more than 70 . ent since 1940. " The climate is Warm, temperate and humid, h an average rainfall of from 35 inches in the thwestern portion to more than 50 inches in southeastern portion. Average length of the wing season ranges from 234 days in the north- g portion to 266 days in the southern portion. y mer temperatures often exceed 100° F with a ximum of 115° and a July average of 84°. The l’; warm, humid season is ideal for rapid de- _' position of organic matter. This condition, the types of soils common in the area, have _ to eroded soils low in organic matter. Thus, h from a conservation and a productivity indpoint, the area is Well suited to pasture and v tock production. 1 The soils are mostly fine sands and fine sandy a _. s, light colored and low in organic matter “tent and inherent fertility. The soils generally i deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potas- A and are slightly to strongly acid in reaction. a is required in many instances for the best Wth of the better legumes and grasses. The land soils in the central section are not as de- ent in potassium and calcium as the more acid i; Likewise, some of the soils along the West- 1 edge of the area are less deficient in potas- j and calcium. Crops growing on most of 1.- soils show good response to fertilizers. p The monthly rainfall distribution pattern for ‘t of the area shows a decrease in July, Au- t and September. While average rainfall for E of the area may exceed 2.5 inches monthly, , distribution may be irregular, resulting in l‘ th periods of 1 to 3 months or longer. Thus, e is need for a forage and feed reserve pro- along with a grazing program. This report production both for grazing and for hay “silage. ' ‘i lpectively, professor, Department of Agronomy, Col- " Station, Texas; superintendent, Substation No. 2, er, Texas; formerly, in charge Dairy Investigations ratory, Mt. Pleasant, Texas; superintendent, Sub- ftion No. 11, Nacogdo-ches,Texas; in charge East Texas tm-e investigations Laboratory, Lufkin. Texas; and rintendent, Substation No. 22, Kirbyville, Texas. asture, Hay and Silage Crops for East Texas E. C. Holt, P. R. Johnson, Mark Buckingham, H. C. Hutson, J. K. Crouch and J. R. Wood* This report is concerned mainly with research conducted at six locations in East Texas. These locations, shown on the cover map, are College Station, Kirbyville, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Tyler and Mt. Pleasant. The research locations at CONTENTS DIGEST ______________________________________________________ __ 2 INTRODUCTION _____________________________________ __ 3 WINTER PASTURE CROPS _________________ __ 4 Small Grains .......... _____________________________ __ 4 Rate of Seeding ________________________________ __ 4 Fertilization _______________________________________ __ 4 Varieties _____________________________________________ __ 4 Management ______________________________________ __ 5 Other Annual Winter Grasses ____________ __ 6 Ryegrass ............................................. __ 6 Rescuegrass _______________________________________ __ Phalaris minor __________________________________ __ 6 Perennial Winter Grasses ___________________ __ 6 Winter Legumes ___________________________________ __ 7 Red Clover _________________________________________ __ 7 Crimson Clover _________________________________ __ 8 White Clover _____________________________________ __ 9 Subterranean Clover ________________________ __ 9 Miscellaneous Legumes ___________________ __ 9 Grass-Legume Mixtures ______________________ __10 SUMMER PASTURE CROPS _________________ __11 Pearl Millet ____________________________________________ __11 Sudangrass ............................................. __1 1 Varieties _____________________________________________ __11 Method and Rate of Seeding ____________ __13 Perennial Sorghums _____________________________ __14 Perennial Summer Grasses ________________ __14 Grass-Legume Mixtures ______________________ __16 Permanent Pasture Fertilization ...... -.18 Cultivation ______________________________________________ __19 Establishment ....................................... __20 HAY CROPS ............................................. __20 I Annual Crops ........................................ __20 Perennial Crops ..................................... __20 Coastal Bermuda. _____________________________ __20 Pastures ............................................. __21 Native Meadows ............................... __21 SILAGE CROPS ....................................... _-23 Cultural and Management Practices....23 Planting Dates .................................. _.23 Planting Rates and Methods .......... _-23 Corn Hybrids and Plant Spacing-.--23 Fertilization ....................................... -.24 Mixtures Including Cowpeas ........... --24 Crop Varieties and Yields ................... -.25 TABLE 1. FORAGE YIELD OF CAMELLIA OATS AS INFLUENCED BY RATE OF SEEDING AT KIRBY- VILLE, 1953-54 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Seeding rate, _ bushels _ _ _ Late winter per acre Early winter Mid-winter and early Total spring 1.0 610 1610 2730 4950 1.5 1020 1440 2520 4980 2.0 1090 1610 2440 5140 2.5 910 1630 2650 5190 3.0 1090 1750 2520 5360 3.5 1340 1760 2330 5430 4.0 1160 1710 2470 5340 Kirbyville, Lufkin and Mt. Pleasant are concern- ed primarily with forage and pasture research. The other locations, including some not listed, have interests in other agricultural problems of the area. Most of the work reported was done between 1948 and 1956. WINTER PASTURE CROPS Small Grains Small grains are the most important crops for late fall, winter and early spring grazing in East Texas. Generally they are seeded in Oc- tober. When moisture is available for early ger- mination, they furnish some grazing by late No- vember or early December. Small grains seeded on unprepared seedbeds produce less than seedings on prepared seedbeds. No actual research has been done on the degree of seedbed preparation necessary. A firm seed- bed is preferable with the seed placed 1 to 2 inches deep in the soil. If soil moisture is likely tobe limited following seeding, rolling or culti- packing is desirable. Rate of Seeding Rate of seeding small grains may vary over a wide range. Table 1 indicates that seeding rates Figure 1. Type and amount of growth of small grain varieties at College Station, January 1957. 4 of 1 to 4 bushels per acre had no significant fluence on total yield of Camellia oats. There a significant difference in early forage producti‘ l in favor of the higher seeding rates. The high seeding rates have some value since the need f, forage is greater in late fall and early winter thl in the spring. These results suggest the use t; 11/2 to 21/2 bushels of oats per acre and not mo. than 3 bushels. Similar results have been ~ii tained in other areas of Texas.” ' Fertilization Fertilizer requirements of small grains t grazing depend on the soil type and fertility lev_ Fertilizer tests were conducted in 1950-51 I Kirbyville on Bowie fine sandy loam and at Clev land on Hockley fine sandy loam. Maximum f0 age yields were obtained at Kirbyville with ' pounds of nitrogen and 30 pounds of phosphori acid. At Cleveland, maximum production was o. tained with 60 pounds of nitrogen and 60 poun, of phosphoric acid. Phosphorus and potassium requirements var ' with soil type. The amount applied should b based on the results of soil tests. The amount nitrogen to be used depends on availability of so , moisture and the grazing practice. Where a r, " tation grazing practice is being followed, a 3. pound nitrogen application following each gra ing is suggested. Sixty to 90 pounds of nitroge, can be used effectively in this way. Varieties Varieties differ not only in total production, but also in distribution of production during thej growing season. Oats have been classified as?‘ spring, winter and intermediate types. All oats are fall-seeded in this area except in the northern‘ . part where spring oats, if used, are spring-seede_d.a The spring-types are upright in growth habit" usually earlier in forage production and more sus-l ceptible to cold damage. Winter-type oats have‘ a decumbent growth habit in the fall and winter TABLE 2. FORAGE YIELD OF SMALL GRAIN VARIE-i; TIES AT MT. P L E A S A N T, NACOGDOCHES AND KIRBYVILLE, 1952-57‘ .- Variety Mt. Pleasant Nacogdoches Kirbyville Mustang oats 3740 4210 4330 Alamo oats 3670 3450 4040 Atlas 66 wheat 3210 3070 3950 Abruzzi rye 3790 ‘ 3110 3390 Goliad barley 2310 - 2740 2940 New Nortex oats 3700 3910 Bronco oats 3570 4450 Cordova barley 3160 3700 Quanah wheat 2470 3700 Travis wheat A 2990 3120 Bowie wheat 2420 3100 Camellia oats 4470 Victorgrain oats 4300 Ranger oats 3920 Southland oats . 3500 ‘Comparable yields in pounds of air-dry forage per acre are based on results for 2 or more years. 7 s. SEASONAL PRODUCTION OF FORAGE OF AL SMALL GRAIN VARIETIES AT MT. PLEAS- , < . ANT, 1954-55 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre L te ll- . . earlly wlillnter Mtdwvmter wlilraitfir Total f4 rye 1390 2740 1050 5180 ‘W oats 1130 2470 1300 4900 p“ g oats 1370 2600A 900 4870 wheat 1950 2130 520 _ 4600 Q oats 1920 1900 640 4460 ,_ ‘a barley 1660 2190 540 4390 "barley 1e90, 1520 000 3810 v are late in forage production, but are cold 1 . The intermediate types are intermediate ‘en spring and winter types in these char- 3;. 7stics. Figure 1 shows the type and amount owth of a number of small grain varieties. lResults of performance tests at three loca- ,1: in East Texas, Table 2, show that several p ies make good total yields. For the central fnorthern part of the area, the following va- es appear to be satisfactory in total produc- . Mustang, New Nortex and Bronco oats and yzzi rye. For the central and southern part, "ng, New Nortex, Alamo, Camellia and Vic- "ain oats, Goliad barley and Atlas 66 wheat. ng, New Nortex and Bronco are winter- s; Victorgrain is an intermediate type; and l1 o and Camellia are spring-type varieties. ‘ang is resistant to leaf rust, which is one of ;more serious forage disease problems on oats. ng also shows moderate tolerance to Hel- yhosporium blight. Alamo is resistant to leaf jand stem rust, but is susceptible to Helmin- ‘rium blight. Recommended practices of treatment and crop rotation should be fol- 7': in reducing the damage by this disease. Table 3 shows differences among varieties in onal production. Alamo, a spring oat, Atlas ,1 t and the two barley varieties give good ear- T oduction, but are lower in winter and spring production. Mustang and Bronco are lower in early production but higher in total production. An oat variety combining both early and sustain- ed production would make a valuable contribution to winter forage production in East Texas. Ex- perimental varieties are being developed and test- ed continually for this purpose. Management Management is important if high production is to be obtained. A greenhouse study at the Winter Garden station showed that oat yields are reduced 83 percent by clipping every time the plants reach a height of 3 to 4 inches. The prac- tice of starting grazing as soon as the plants emerge also retards production even if better management practices are followed later. In the study referred to above, yields were retarded 20 percent by a single early clipping when plants were 3 to 4 inches high followed by subsequent clipping when the plants were 10 to 12 inches high. Table 4 shows that frequent close clipping reduces the yield to about half that obtained when the plants are allowed to reach a height of 10 to 12 inches before clipping. These data show the need for a rotation grazing system in which" the plants are allowed to rest at least 3 to 4 weeks between grazings. Other work shows that rela- tively little regrowth occurs during the first 2 weeks after removal of the top growth. However, there are important considerations in determining the time to start grazing other than the agronomic advantage of deferring it un- til the plants reach a height of 10 to 12 inches. Grazing during the 6-week period from the time the plants reached a height of 4 to 6 inches until they are 10 to 12 inches high might be more im- portant than the increased production resulting from delayed utilization. Therefore, a manage- ment system might be devised in which parts of the planting are grazed earlier and some of the production sacrificed, with grazing of the remain- der of the planting being deferred until more growth and root development are attained. This LE 4. FORAGE YIELD OF TWO OAT VARIETIES SEEDED ALONE AND TOGETHER AND CLIPPED AT 7' TWO FREQUENCIES, COLLEGE ‘STATION, 1954-55 l Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Vty and Fcross-seedeal gmethod Early winter‘ Mid-winter‘ Early spring‘ Total 4 to 62 10 to 12’ 4 t0 6 10 to 12 4 t0 6 _ 10 t0 12 4 t0 6 10 t0 12 i o 540 1200 350 850 i 430 ' 910 1320 2960 h- ng 430 770 550 1160 800 1450 1780 3380 _0 50%, Mustang 50% 410 1170 520 1040 610 1220 1540 3430 :1 50%, Mustang 50%, 590 900 480 810 460 1190 1530 2900 A esents clippings as follows: qrly winter: 4 to 6 inches—Nov. 18. Dec. 1, Dec. 17, Jan. 3: 10 to 12 inches—Jan. 3 d-winter: 4 to 6 inches-Jan. 20, Feb. 9, Feb. 24: 10 to 12 inches-Feb. 24 p ly spring: 4 to 6 inches——March 7, April 15: 10 to 12 inches-Apr, 15 t’ ed, when forage reached height of 4 to 6 and 10 to 12 inches, respectively. would be done in a grazing system in which there was a rest period of at least 4 weeks. Frequent early clipping reduced the early production of Alamo. Under a system of fre- quent early use, Alamo would have no advantage in early production over Mustang. Table 4 indicates that mechanical seed mix- tures of winter and spring-type oats may have an advantage under certain management systems. Cross-seeding seem to have no advantage over single variety seedings. When Mustang and Al- amo seed were mixed mechanically in a 1 to 1 ratio and the resulting stands deferred until the plants were 10 to 12 inches high, early winter production was equal to Alamo and early spring production was similar to Mustang. Total pro- duction was not increased. When the mixture was clipped earlier and more frequently, the stands behaved like Mustang and resulted in no advantage in early production. In other studies where the first clipping was delayed, some ad- vantage in early production resulted. It is ap- parent that no marked advantage results from seed mixtures, but no serious disadvantages have been encountered. These studies have involved varieties of the same species. No information is available on mixtures of species that might dif- fer in palatability and, therefore, result in differ- ential grazing. Other Annual Winter Grasses Annual grasses tested in East Texas include strains of ryegrass and rescue and Phalaris mi- nor. Results of some of these tests are presented in Table 5. Yields of 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of forage per acre are common. In most cases, the improved varieties produced higher yields than COITIIIIOII SOLIFCGS. Annual winter grassesgenerally produce less forage than the better yielding small grain va- TABLE 5. FORAGE YIELD ANNUAL WINTER GRASSES AT COLLEGElgglgAglON AND KIRBYVILLE, Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Variety College Station Kirbyville 1954-55 1955-56 1955-56 1956-57 Ryegrass Common 2290 3400 3670 . 5580 Gulf 3840 5000 6700 Mississippi Rust Resistant 4150 4480 Florida Rust Resistant 2940 3260 4520 6810 Rescue Common 3600 3110 Texas Rescue 46 3870 3370 3940 5260 Chapel Hill 4240 3540 3880 6620 Prairie brome 3470 3560 3780 5990 Lamont 3070 6680 Phalaris minor 1950 3300 2890 6 rieties. Generally, they also are later in prod tion ‘than the spring and intermediate-type s , grains. Forage quality of the annual win grasses is similar to that of small grains. nual grasses are better suited than small gra for growing in association with annual legum as will be shown in a section on grass-legume I sociations. Another advantage of these gras is their ability to reseed themselves if they =, allowed to mature a seed cropzeach spring. Ryegrass Common ryegrass seed usually are a mixt ' of Italian and perennial ryegrass. Perennial grass acts as an annual in East Texas. Ryegr is adapted on sandy loam to clay soils and hasj rather high fertility requirement; it will not j well on sandy soil low in organic matter and pl nutrients. Ryegrass is subject to attacks of a rust in the spring. The disease reduces for yields and quality and, in severe cases, may a the plants before a seed crop is matured. If ‘ seeding is desired, it is necessary to reduce stop grazing for a few days during the period ' seed production. The ryegrass strains listed in Table 5 are = perimental strains which possess some rust f sistance. They show promise for increasing ea forage production of ryegrass and assuring t, production of a seed crop. Gulf Ryegrass was 5 leased by the Rice-Pasture Experiment Station Beaumont in 1957 and seedshould be availa in 1958. Rescuegrass Rescue is a weak perennial which acts a cool-season, reseeding annual under most Te * climatic conditions. Rescue is adapted tot more fertile soils and will not do well on u sandy soils low in organic matter and plant , trients. Common rescue is subject to severe 1; tacks of mildew which reduce forage yields a quality. Most of the strains listed in Table 5 n sess some degree of mildew resistance. They a, are more upright in growth habit, have be r seedling vigor and produce seed later in the sp" than Common. ‘ Phalaris minor i. Phalaris minor is an annual canarygrass t has shown promise for early forage production other states. It is subject to frost damage e most of Texas, except possibly the Gulf Co and this may be the reason it has not been ticularly promising in Texas. It apparently no advantage over ryegrass and rescue under H conditions. * Perennial Winter Grasses Work was conducted during 1948-53 with: number of perennial cool-season grasses. E phasis was placed on tall fescue, but a large n = ber of other species also were tested. A summ’ he results of these tests is given in Table 6. »:'de range in yields was obtained from year to ‘ . Good yields were obtained some years from p, perennial grasses, but in general the per- f‘ ance of annuals was as good or better. Yields of orchardgrass and Hardinggrass in -= tests were about as good as tall fecue, but erally survival was not as good. Smooth imegrass yields were low in all tests. Other species tested at one or more locations Qluded tall oatgrass, Reed canarygrass, tall eatgrass, intermediate Wheatgrass, perennial ass, Texas wintergrass and other strains of T! fescue and bromegrass. The performance of species and strains generally was less de- gable than those shown in Table 6. f» Tall fescue is a hardy, bunch-type, deep-root- ‘persistent grass in other areas of the United tes. Its forage quality is less desirable than ‘i: of most other perennial grasses, but, if it _uld persist, tall fescue would fill a need for a ennial cool-season grass. Other tests were f, ducted to determine the influence of rate and thod of seeding on establishment, production survival. Seeding in rows tends to increase p. ival, but even then performance is not satis- tory. Row seedings reduced total production Mt. Pleasant in 1955. Because of poor summer survival, poor fall “very and growth of surviving plants, limita- ‘r- on use of stands during the summer and low uction on an annual basis, perennial cool-sea- i grasses are of limited value and importance jgEast Texas. Work is being conducted with ‘oothbrome, tall fescue and Harding toward provement in one or more of these characteris- Better producing and surviving types even- ylly may be obtained. . Winter Legumes Winter legumes generally are not grown in pure stands for pasture because of their short season of production and the bloat hazard. How- ever, legumes are important because of their abil- ity to fix nitrogen from the air and the high feed- ing value of their forage. It was necessary to de- termine the potential yielding ability of a large number of legume varieties and strains in pure stands. Selected varieties were tested in combi- nation with grasses, assuming that other varie- ties of the same species would react similarly. The mixture studies are reported in the follow- ing. section. Results of a number of the pure stand tests are presented in Tables 7, 8 and 9. Red Clover Red clover is a non-reseeding, cool-season le- gume. In the Central and Northern States, it is a biennial, but in Texas it performs as an annual species. It has about the same climatic adapta- tion as crimson clover. It comes into production in East Texas about 2 weeks later than crimson and usually remains productive 2 to 4 weeks long- er. This may make it useful as a hay crop. Red clover is best adapted to the heavier soils. It will not produce well on strongly acid, poorly drained or very light sandy soils. Results of tests with red clover in Southeast Texas are presented in Table 7. Louisiana S-1, also known as Louisiana Station-1, Kenland and Louisiana Red generally produced the highest yields of forage. Louisiana Red, the earliest va- riety tested, usually comes into production about 1 week earlier than Louisana S-1 and 2 weeks ear- lier than Kenland. Port Gibson looked good in 1955 and 1956 at Orange, but further tests are needed to determine its value. With ample mois- ture, the production of red clover is fairly well TABLE 6. FORAGE YIELD OF COOL-SEASON GRASSES IN EAST TEXAS Pounds of air-dry forage per acre l Qty Mt. Pleasant Nacogdoches Lufkin Kirbyville Cleveland l 1951 1952 1953 1952 1953 1949 1950 1950 1951 1952 1953 1951 1952 p. Tescue entucky 31 640 280 480 3840 1340 1500 2380 590 2120 2320 2410 1130 3890 i‘ ta 740 510 760 4220 1890 1520 790 2630 3410 2410 1080 3060 a ta 144 720 660 830 4280 1640 1390 1090 2550 2120 3060 1130 2780 égoth brome . chenbach 500 s30 280 so i coln 460 100 9-10 uthland 4240 1030 430 140 ‘ ard g 5560 1070 1140 940 2510 1330 k ing f‘.- l” 4340 2000 1190 840 1800 160 _ ual grasses exas Rescue 46 2540 10060 2120 1420 2550 3270 1670 L lian ryegrass 2240 , 2430 2660 2620 3080 yustang oats 1290 3300 2960 4540 distributed from early April to the middle of June. Red clover is not drouth resistant and pro- duction is reduced severely in dry years. It is not recommended that red clover re- place crimson clover in the forage program where crimson is well adapted. Red clover generally must be re-established each year. The longer growing season, adaptation to heavier soils and high forage production of red clover make it wor- thy of consideration as an additional cool-season legume for areas of Central and East Texas. Crimson Clover Considerable interest in reseeding crimson clovers has been shown during the past few years in Texas and the Southeastern States. Seed of several strains and varieties are on the market. Interest has increased because of a high percent- age of “hard seed” among certain selections of this clover. The coats of these “hard seeds” are impervious to water for a period of time and the seed will go through the summer without germi- nation. As fall rains begin and temperatures be- come lower, these seed coats soften, water enters, the. seed germinate and a volunteer crop is estab- lished. This phenomenon eliminates the necessity TABLE 7. YIELDS IN POUNDS OF AIR-DRY FORAGE PER ACRE OF RED CLOVER VARIETIES IN SOUT‘ of planting each year. Volunteer stands ha been‘ maintained on some fields for more than 1 years. Common crimson clover does not poss sufficient hard seed to delay germination un favorable conditions occur in the fall for esta lishment. Farmers interested in reseeding cr’ son clover should, therefore, purchase seed o ‘ from those fields that have maintained succe ful volunteer stands for 3 year's» or longer. I i. When crimson clover seed are harvested wi a combine, the seed coats may be so scratched v “scarified” that many of them are no longer if pervious to water. Hand-picked samples of -; may contain 85 to 90 percent hard seed, Wher seed from the same field harvested by machine may contain only 10 to 15 percent. ' Annual forage yields for a number of cri son clover varieties are given in Table 8. No co v sistent differences existed among the varieti in their yield performance. Apparently the r seeding varieties are about equally well adapt Common fails to reseed itself and was nev among the highest yielding varieties. Thus, yie - and reseeding ability emphasize the importan of using one of the named varieties. Autauga EAST TEXAS Variety Date of . . T g harvest Louisiana S-1 Kenland Lolllglgaana Midland ‘laglllirslseee (l-ggggn seeded KIRBYVILLE - 4-25-51 520 000 1430 420 340 5-14-51 1400 1300 1290 1290 1140 = 0-0-51 s70 930 970 s70 320 , Total 2790 2330 3740 2530 2300 A 3-17-52 120 340 440 140 300 4-3-52 470 ~ 590 330 010 410 5-5-52 2940 2770 3100 2010 2730 5-30-52 570 900 340 330 740 Total 4100 4000 4700 4240 4240 3-14-50 000 s00 570 020 070 ’ 4-27-50 2040 3050 2520 2020 2090 T0051 3300 3350 3090 3240 3300 ORANGE 3-4-55 470 210 -. 390 140 400 250 4-1-55 1300 1390 2140 1200 1320 1390 -‘ 4-27-55 1920 1050 1930 1500 2000 1300 ,- 0-3-55 1450 2000 1720 1550 . 1700 1430 l T0451 5200 5750 0130 4390 0040 4920 i 4-9-50 1040 2950 1030 2440 1020 0-4-50 4090 2730 4330 - 4520 3300 Total 5730 5030 0000 0900 5420 i ISLE 8. FORAGE YIELD OF CRIMSON, WHITE AND YTERRANEAN CLOVER VARIETIES IN SOUTH- EAST TEXAS Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Cleveland Orange 'ety Kirbyville 1951 1952 1956 1952 1956 xi“ son clover uburn 3300 4530 4050 4040 2300 utauga 2740 4500 a 5020 4150 2030 ixie 3300 4750 4250 3590 1000 ief 3300 4740 4930 2330 2090 5 alladega 3390 5470 4840 2000 1880 r mmon 2730 4940 4720 2400 1010 'te clover . dino w (certified) 880 3400 1760 3520 uisiana S-1 1300 3640 2220 3730 . uislana 1460 2540 2190 2840 cw Zealand 350 1150 1640 2220 gterranean clover f allarook 2440 4530 4280 4690 2360 cchus Marsh 2350 3630 4080 4380 2530 ount Barker 2140 3220 3640 4200 2300 angeela 2400 3450 3960 3960 2330 ‘he first to mature, followed in 7 to 10 days by burn, then Dixie and Talladega. . ite Clover White is the most desirable clover in im- loved permanent pastures in East Texas. Its ility to furnish grazing from late fall to early mer, the relative ease with which it can be blished in a pasture and its efficiency at re- iiding under heavy grazing more than compen- te for its inability to survive the summer ouths and high temperatures common to most , Texas. The reseeding ability of Louisiana ite and Louisiana S-1 white make them pref- to Ladino and northern sources of white ver. p Average yields of four varieties of white clo- r at Kirbyville, Cleveland and Orange are pre- lnted in Table 8. Louisiana S-1 produced as ch or more forage than Louisiana white. When iinditions favor survival, Louisiana S-1 shows .ater survival than the other sources and also Educes enough seed for reseeding purposes. Un- r such conditions, Louisiana S-1 shows greater ‘periority in the second than in the first year a owing establishment. . bterranean Clover Subterranean clover, with its fine-stemmed, fy, prostrate growth, furnishes grazing from winter to late spring. Its habit of forming d at or just below the soil surface makes seed ivest difficult. Its seeding habit should en- ce its ability to reseed under grazing. Sub- _ anean clover often is subject to severe attacks mildew in East Texas. g Forage yields of four varieties of subterra- clover are shown in Table 8. Yields Were TABLE 9. YIELDS IN POUNDS OF AIR-DRY FORAGE PER ACRE “OF MISCELLANEOUS LEGUMES AT KIRBYVILLE, CLEVELAND AND NACOGDOCHES Variety nKirbuille_ _C_l_eyela_n_<_l Nacogdoches 1950 1951 1950 1951 1953 1954 Singletary peas 4440 990 3080 Persian clover 1930 1660 3590 Madrid sweet- clover 1930 900 2100 220 Alsike clover 1360 California burclover 440 Hubam sweet- clover 3860 I 970 2260 1310 Vetch 4420 2280 2270 similar in most years. Tallarook was the highest yielding all 3 years at Kirbyville. Yields were about the same as with the reseeding crimson clover varieties. The period of production of sub- terranean also corresponded closely with crimson clover. Subterranean usually continued produc- tion 1 to 2 weeks later than crimson. Subterra- nean and crimson are similar in yield and season of production, but crimson is more easily estab- lished, therefore, subterranean has not been used extensively in the area. The dense growth pro- duced by subterranean also is not desirable be- cause of its smothering effects on permanent grasses. Miscellaneous Legumes A large number of other legumes have been tested. Results with a few of them are presented in Table 9. Except for vetch and Singletary peas, yields are lower than with crimson, red and white clover. Vetch and Singletary peas require al- most complete grazing deferment during the seed- producing period to reseed themselves. Hop clover has not been outstanding in East Texas in yielding ability- On a comparative yield basis at Tyler in 1939, ratings were: white clo- ver, 100; low hop, 85; Persian, 77; subterranean, 70; and least hop, 49. Only the hop clovers have g" .44.. 3 ‘“ 4.~43°°*’*3’ Figure 2. A stand of hop clover on Substation No. 2 at Tyler. ' 9 persisted in the test area. Hop clover is out- standing in its ability to reseed and maintain it- self in sod under most fertility conditions and soil types in improved pastures in East Texas. Its fertility requirements are higher than Caro- lina clover, but lower than for white, red, crim- son, subterranean and the Medicago species. Sweetclover (M elilotus sp.) is not adapted to East Texas generally because of soil acidity (low pH), poor internal drainage in the soil and a de- ficiency of phosphorus and potassium. Sweet- clover will grow on some soils in this area if lime and proper fertilizers are applied. This is demon- strated by the presence of sweetclover along the roadsides in some areas. Generally, however, other legumes are better adapted. Burclover succeeds best on soils high in lime. Its quick growth and short season offer less graz- ing than from white clover and its overgrowth sometimes smothers grass. Because of these fac- tors, burclovers are not generally recommended for East Texas and for areas where not already established. Where burclover is established, it should be managed to minimize the bloat problem and the effects on the permanent grass sod. Spot- ted burclover can be seen in East Texas in the more fertile areas around barnyards. Black medic is adapted to the redlands of the area, but not on other soil types unless limed. Grass-Legume Mixtures Mixtures of grasses and legumes often are suggested as a means of increasing yields, im- proving forage quality and extending the produc- tion period or increasing the uniformity of pro- duction. Three main annual grasses or types of plants are used in East Texas—ryegress, rescue- grass and small grains. The latter includes oats, wheat, barley, and rye. Among the legumes used are vetch, crimson, burclover and red clover. An- nual sweetclover is used to some extent on heavier soils. Table 10 shows the production of oats, rye- grass and rescue when grown in pure stands and with each of five legumes at Nacogdoches during 1953-55. Oats were the highest producing of the three grasses and vetch made the greatest contri- bution of the five legumes. Oats alone produced TABLE 1o. FORAGE YIELD 0F. ANNUAL WINTER GRASS-LEGUME MIXTURES, NACOGDOCHES, 1953-55 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre for grass alone and grass-legume combinations Legume Oats Ryegrass Rescue Average None _ 4370 3480 2180 3340 California burclover 4550 2690 1720 2990 Hairy vetch 4510 3950 3570 4010 Louisiana red clover 4690 3350 2650 3560 Cogwheel 4090 3390 1950 3140 Dixie crimson 4270 3160 1860 3100 Average of each grass with all legumes 4410 3340 2320 1U TABLE 11. PROTEIN CONTENT OF OAT AND R, GRASS FORAGE AS INFLUENCED BY A LEGUME ' THE MIXTURE, LUFKIN FINE SANDY LOAM SO l. COLLEGE STATION, 1955 ’ Percentage crude protein March 25 April 26 Grass Legume Mixture Grass Legume Mixt, Mixture Oats alone 14.2 14.2 13.3 18f gats-peas‘ 19.4 33.1 25.1 "2341 35,5 23' ats- ‘ burclover 16.0 16.0 20.3 20 A Ryegrass - alone 15.4 15.4 17.7 17. Ryegrass- Pefls‘ 19.0 19.0 22.2 37.7 22 Ryegrass- burclover 16.1 16.1 19.4 19 i ‘Austrian winter peas. about as much forage as when grown with n. one of the legumes. Vetch_ with ryegress and r" cue produced more than either grass alone. _ Similar results were obtained at College S if tion, the main difference being that rescue-us ally produced more forage than ryegrass at C, lege Station. In addition to influencing yiel legumes also may influence quality. In the C‘ lege Station study, forage samples were separa into grass and legume components and the yie and crude protein content of each were determ' . ed. The legume component contributed up to i percent or more of the total production, but us ally a very small percentage. Crude protein centage of selected treatments in 1955 are sho in Table 11. Crude protein content was increas 2 to 5 percent in the grass component of the m" ture by the presence of the legume. Increases protein content of the total forage depended l; the amount of legume growth represented in i? mixture. Oat-burclover forage contained 2 cent more protein than oats alone, while oat- forage contained 11 percent more protein ‘ March and 5 percent more protein in April oats alone. , Grasses grown alone averaged 14 to 18 pe cent crude protein in the forage. The value relatively small increases in crude protein at t ‘A level may be of questionable significance, espi ially where yields also are not increased. Whe sizable increases in both yield and protein conte can be obtained, such as on vetch with ryegr and rescue, the practice of planting mixtures F valuable. = Results of these tests indicate that relative f" little is gained from planting the annual legum used in these studies with an oat variety for f0; age production. Adapted legumes grown in co i" bination with ryegrass or rescue may increase i‘ tal yields of both forage and protein. The f0 ‘ going results are presented from the standpo‘, of forage yield and quality. The possible soil if proving benefits of annual winter legumes in n1 bination with grasses are not considered. ‘ i E 12. FORAGE YIELDS OF PEARL MILLET ,VARIETIES AND COMMON SUDAN, 1954-56 Pounds_ of air-dry forage per acre ty Kirbyville College Station 1954 1955 1956 Av. 1955 1956 Av. T a 1 6420 5580 3960 5320 3480 1250 2365 f‘ 6620 3230 3950 4600 3180 1370 2275 i on 6440 4570 4190 5070 3190 1270 2230 _No.7 6410 3930 4560 4970 2830 1430 2130 on W 2210 1100 1655 2740 990 1865 SUMMER PASTURE CROPS i Pearl Millet 7 Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an an- l summer grass adapted to uses similar to Su- i: ass. It produces forage with a larger stalk p» broader leaves than Sudan. Its performance ‘he Southeastern States in recent years has ‘i ted interest in its adaptation to Texas condi- 1s; Starr millet is a synthetic variety develop- and released by the Georgia Coastal Plain Ex- _ment Station and the Agricultural Research Yice, USDA. Its primary advantages in the theast are a higher percentage of leaves and pnger season of production than Common pearl et. Hybrid No. 1 was developed at the Geor- i‘. location from four inbred lines, but has been vased only for testing purposes. Texas No. 7, ner-stemmed but less leafy variety than Starr Hybrid No. 1, was developed by the J . R. Mc- i‘ Seed Company at Spur. i Pearl millet should be planted in 36 to 42- h rows on a prepared seedbed and cultivated. - ~ plantings should be expected to produce long- han broadcast or drill plantings. Seeding rates 5 to 7 pounds per acre in rows and 15 to 20 nds for close drill or broadcast plantings. Pearl millet has been tested at a number of tions in Texas, including Kirbyville and Col- - Station. Common ‘Sudan was included in the is at College Station while the yields for Com- 3 Sudan at Kirbyville were taken from near-by “LE 1a. SEASONAL PRODUCTION OF PEARL a ET AND SUDAN vligglllsrllas AT KIRBYVILLE, Pounds of air-dry forage per acre June 16 July 18 Aug. 22 Total i. ‘d No. 1 millet 770 3710 1100 5580 p millet __ : 050 1720 s00 3230 f on milleil 1000 2710 s00 4570 .\- : No. 7 Illillet 1500 1710 720 3930 ' t Sudan 180 980 1160 i on Sudan 180 920 1100 ll and millet were not planted in the same test. areas for comparison. The tests were planted in rows, cultivated and harvested at or prior to head- ing and as frequently as regrowth permitted. Total annual yields of the varieties are given in Table 12. Hybrid No. 1 had the highest aver- age yield at Kirbyville primarily because of its performance in 1955. It was no better than the other varieties in 1954 and 1956. No yield differ- ences were apparent at College Station. Pearl millet produced about three times as much forage as Sudan at Kirbyville in 1954-55. Because of its poor performance. Sudan was not grown in 1956 at Kirbyville. Millet yields were slightly, but not significantly better than Sudan at College Station. In general, millet appears to be better adapted than Sudan in areas receiving relatively good rainfall and on soils low in fertil- ity. Disease ratings are not shown, but appar- ently millet is less susceptible to leaf diseases than are most of the Sudan varieties. This would be an advantage particularly in East Texas and in other areas in severe disease years. Millet is not suggested as a replacement for Sudan where the performance of Sudan has been satisfactory. Seasonal distribution of production of millet and Sudan varieties in 1955 at Kirbyville is shown in Table 13. Under Southeast Texas conditions, pearl millet starts off faster and grows longer into the summer than Sudan. Starr and Hybrid No. 1 start slower than Common millet. Hybrid No. 1 gives more production later in the season. Sudangrass Varieties Sudangrass is the most commonly used an- nual crop for summer grazing in Texas. A large number of named varieties have been developed in breeding programs in various states and tested and grown in Texas. Since the varieties differ in leaf disease resistance, sweetness and other characteristics, a brief description of a number of the varieties follows. Sweet Sudan (Texas S. A. 372) is a synthetic variety which originated at Substation No. 12 at Chillicothe. It has juicy stems; some resistance to foliage diseases, charcoal rot and chinch bugs; sienna glume color which makes the seed easily distinguishable from J ohnsongrass seed; and shat- ters less than Common Sudan. It starts off more slowly than Common Sudan in the spring, but stays green later in the summer. S-1 Sweet Sudan is a single plant selection out of Sweet Sudan by the J . R. McNeill Seed Com- pany. It is a fine-stemmed, freely tillering sweet type. Lahoma was released by the Oklahoma Agri- cultural Experiment Station as a juicy stemmed type with more disease and chinch bug resistance than most sweet types. The variety is leafy, late- maturing and has yellow to reddish-brown seed. 11 TABLE 14. FORAGE YIiELDS OF SUDAN VARIETIES AT KIRBYVILLE AND COLLEGE STATION, 1952- J Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Variety Kirbyville C bl College Station‘ C b] o-mpara e ompara 1 1953 1954 1955 average 1952 1954 1955 1956 average Wheeler 2480 2290 1720 2160 7090 7250 5540 6280 Piper 2420 2210 2350 2330 7390 6950 5400 4760 6120 Tift 2580 1640 1350 1860 6990 6670 4580 5730 Common 2560 2210 1100 196-0 8010 5740 4120 ~=x4fZ70 5660 Sweet (372) 1780 1960 1960 1900 6910 5600 4840 4500 5460 Lahoma 2300 1700 2170 6840 5160 4830 3590 5100 Greenleaf 1820 840 1500 4770 4750 3750 4960 Sweet (S-1) 2120 1740 1160 1670 6210 3920 5060 4460 4910 Georgia 337 2080 2620 2160 6960 4200 3920 4820 No. of cuttings 2 2 2 4 5 3 3 water Greenleaf Sudan was released by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. It has juicy stalks, leaf disease resistance and lOW hydrocyanic or prussic acid potential. The seed are brownish- red in color. Wheeler Sudan was a selection of Common Sudan made on the Wheeler farm near Bridge- port, Kansas, in 1912 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Wheeler is a vigorous, early type, but does not have leaf disease resistance nor the juicy stem characteristic. Piper Sudan is primarily more vigorous than Common, has a significantly lower hydrocyanic acid potential and has increased resistance to leaf blight and anthracnose. It is an early type, with mostly non-juicy stalks, that was released by the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. Tift Sudan was developed at the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station. It is disease resistant, later maturing than most other Sudan varieties and starts off slower than Common Sué dan. It has a mixture of chocolate and tan color-A ed seed and a non-juicy stalk. Georgia 337 Sudan has excellent disease re- sistance, broad leaves, low hydrocyanic acid po- tential and is late-maturing. Results of Sudan variety yield tests at Kirby- ville and College Station are presented in Table 14. Generally, these results show that the dry-l stemmed varieties, such as Wheeler, Piper, Tift p and Common, are higher yielding that the juicy; However, there is not a wide range in total yields. The varieties differ in dis-f ease resistance which might affect quality in se- vere disease years. Of the dry-stemmed types, Tift and Piper might be preferred because of stemmed types. greater disease resistance. Among the juicy-stemmed types, Sweet, La-l homa and Greenleaf gave good performance. These varieties have some disease resistance, with. ‘All tests were conducted on Brazos River bottom Miller clay soil and the 1952 test receive-d 10 inches of irrigatio Figure 3. A row planting of Sudan, left, compared with a drill planting, right, showing growth prior to first har- vest at College Station on May 26, 1955. 12 LE 15. FORAGE YIELDS OF SUDAN AS IN- i ENCED BY VARIOUS RATES AND METHODS OF on ON LUFKIN FINE SANDY LOAM AT COL- ' LEGE STATION, 1953 Total yield in pounds of ‘sdg gfilelgdgegf air-dry forage per acre .' acre Sudan alone cilvlviaéz; Average * cast 20 3550 3530 3540 30 4320 4110 4215 i; 40 3560 3150 3355 .» age 3810 3600 3700 . drill 20 4050 4110 4080 _ 30 4200 4130 4195 40 4170 4010 4090 rage 4160 4080 4120 l ch row 7 4170 4600 4385 14 3840 4330 4085 ' 7 21 4240 4680 4460 7 rage 4080 4540 4310 , age for Sudan alone Q with cowpeas 4020 4070 4040 x’ enleaf and Lahoma possibly being more re- tant than Sweet. Observations indicate that enleaf is affected more by drouth than Sweet 1 Common. .3 fthod and Rate of Seeding Results of seeding Sudan alone and with cow- s at three different rates and by three differ- methods are given in Tables 15 and 16. No l ificant differences occurred in total yield for " season among rates or methods of seeding. peas had no significant influence on the total j of forage. There was a significant differ- one in yield among methods of seeding at each p est date (Table 16). The broadcast and drill ts produced three times as much forage at the H: harvest as the 40-inch row plots. The 40- fh row plots produced almost twice as much ‘ge as the broadcast and drill plots at each sequent harvest. The total seasonal yields for planting methods amounted to about the same, h the 40-inch plots being slightly higher. Fig- 3 shows the growth in drill and row planting 1955 prior to first harvest in May. -’ The study was altered in 1954 by eliminating g eas and cultivating the 40-inch row. Seasonal l,» ibution of yield was similar to that obtained ” 953 with close-drill plantings (8-inch rows) ving like broadcast. Cultivation increased ‘ids in the 40-inch rows. Results of a similar study conducted in 1955- 56 on Lufkin fine sandy soil with irrigation are shown in Table 17. A better distribution of pro- duction was obtained with both row and broadcast seedings. Good production was maintained into September, indicating that the main factor caus- ing reduced summer production of Sudan is limi- ted moisture. Total production was greater from row than from broadcast plantings and the late summer production held up better in row plant- ings. The best yield was obtained with 14 pounds of seed in rows. No difference in yield due to seeding rate was obtained on dryland. Yields in broadcast stands were increased up to the max- imum seeding rate of 5O pounds per acre. Yield increases were small, but were significant statis- tically. These results indicate that more plants are needed for maximum production when mois- ture conditions are good. A study conducted at Mt. Pleasant (Table 18) in 1954-55 indicates a slight advantage in total yield for broadcast seeding of Sudan. There was no yield difference attributable to cowpeas in the mixture. These plantings were made in late May or early June, which resulted in lower yields than might be expected from earlier plantings. Nitro- gen was included as another variable, but -.there was little opportunity for response because of late planting and shortage of moisture. Nitrogen ‘us- age and response depend largely on the amount of available moisture. Broadcast plots not only yielded somewhat more than row seedings, but the seasonal distri- bution also was about the same. This is in con- trast with results at College Station where the main difference in the two seeding methods is in the distribution of forage production. The ad- vantage in row seedings probably is great enough to more than offset the small yield difference. Row seedings result in less trampling by grazing animals and facilitate cultivation for weed con- trol, irrigation and sidedressing with fertilizer. Crude protein and phosphoric acid content of the forage for the first three harvest dates in 1953 at College Station are given in Table 19. High quality forage was produced throughout the growing season. There was very little influence of treatments on forage quality. The average crude protein content of the Sudan-cowpea mix- ture was significantly higher than that of Sudan alone at the first harvest. Forage from row seed- ings contained significantly more protein and ALE 16. SEASONAL YIELDS OF SUDAN AS INFLUENCED BY METHOD OF SEEDING ON LUFKIN FINE SANDY LOAM AT COLLEGE STATION, 1953 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre = gmethod MaLZB June 24 11113.11; ..__ _-v Sep.¢.-_11___ J i. '2 Sudan Sudan- Sudan Sudan- Sudan Sudan- Sudan Sudan- alone cowpeas alone cowpeas alone cowpeas alone cowpeas cast 2480 2420 480 380 320 290 530 510 l ll drill 2660 2730 510 500 420 350 560 500 l ch row 860 760 1420 1760 890 910 910 1100 g age 2000 1970 800 880 ‘ 540 520 670 700 13 TABLE 17. FORAGE YIELDS OF IRRIGATED SUDANGRASS GROWN ON LUFKIN FINE SANDY LOAM l‘ WITH VARIOUS SEEDING RATES AND METHODS, 1955-56 Seeding method Seeding rate, Pounds of air-dry forage per acre pounds per acre May June July Aug. Sept. To 40-inch cultivated row 7 925 1445 1190 1190 800 5 ‘ 14 1240 1515 1260 1810 1015 6 - 21 1240 1395 1320 1620 1000 657 28 1255 1405 1120 1250 $990 60 Average 1165 1440 1220 1470 k ‘ ‘950 6 -- Broadcast 20 1015 1390 830 1015 750 50 30 , 1035 1530 760 930 695 49 a 40 1345 1505 790 1060 820 55' 50 1425 1695 775 1195 685 57 ‘a Average 1205 1530 790 1050 740 531 phosphoric acid than did broadcast seedings at the first harvest and significantly less at the sec- 0nd harvest. These results are related directly with yield since row seedings were lower in yield at the first harvest and higher in yield at the sec- ond harvest. The direct influence of treatments on chemical composition is not sufficient to in- fluence the selection of a method or rate of seed- mg. Results of the seeding studies suggest that broadcast and drill plantings are satisfactory for hay production. For grazing purposes, where dis- tribution of production throughout the growing season is important, row seedings are the most de- pendable. This is true Whether the plantings are on irrigated or dryland. Row seeding rates of 7 to 10 and 10 to 15 pounds per acre on dryland and with irrigation, respectively, give the best results. Twenty pounds per acre broadcast are satisfac- tory on dryland, with possibly more seed being needed with irrigation. The use of cowpeas with Sudan does not improve yield or quality appre- ciably. Perennial Sorghums Sorghum almum and Perennial Sweet Sudan should be planted in rows, cultivated and man- aged as Sudan. These crops have not been tested extensively, but apparently they perform about the same as annual Sudan. Yields are reported 1n Table 20 for Sorghum almum, Perennial Sweet Sudan, Sweet Sudan and Common Sudan. Yields TABLE 18. FORAGE YIELD OF SUDANGRASS WITH VARIOUS SEEDING METHODS AND MIXTURES, MT. PLEASANT, 1954-55 Seeding Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Mixture method 1954 1955 Average Sudan alone Row 1200 2450 1825 Broadcast 1670 3460 2565 Average 1435 2955 2195 Sudan with Row 1390 2910 2150 cowpeas Broadcast 1560 3540 2550 Average 1475 3225 2350 14 were slightly, but not significantly higher for t perennial types. Some plants of Sorghum alm t and Perennial Sweet Sudan survived to the seco and succeeding years. In an area near this te second-year Sorghum almum produced 880 pounp of forage in May before the spring-planted -.., had started producing. The second-year test pr duced an average of 5,780 pounds of forage l: acre, Which is about the same as the first-y material produced. However, this test had be managed for hay in 1956 and seed had been pr duced in the fall of 1956. Thus, much of the pr duction in 1957 was from volunteer plants. The studies were conducted on Brazos River bottof Miller clay soil. Previous observations indica that on shallow soils and under grazing, surviv of the perennial types is likely to be poor. In a study at Tyler in 1957, Sorghum almuf produced 2,780 pounds of air-dry forage per ac =1 Perennial Sweet Sudan, 2,860; Common Sud 2,340; and Sweet Sudan, 3,410. Yearling Jers heifers, grazing a part of the test area, showed: preference for the sweet types with no discri r nation between Common Sudan and Sorghum : mum. Perennial Summer Grasses The two main perennial pasture grasses '_ East Texas are Bermuda and Dallisgrass. Oth grasses, such as carpet and Bahia, are adap _ and will grow in this area, but are less desirab than Bermuda and Dallis. a Bermudagrass is native to the Mediterranea region and Southern Asia, but is now comm throughout the Cotton Belt where it is consider as native by stockmen and farmers. Bermuda 1 a long-lived perennial with spreading habit ~ growth, reproducing by runners, rootstocks an seed. The runners vary in length from a fe inches to 3 or 4. feet, and the seed stalks usua attain a height of 6 to 12 inches or more, depen ing on soil productivity. Bermuda will grow on : most any soil type, but does the best on We drained, fertile loam and sandy loam soils. " Many varieties and strains of Bermudagral have been developed and introduced. The mos important of these is Coastal which is a hybrid _ ' 19. CRUDE PROTEIN AND PHOSPHORIC ACID CONTENTS OF RATES AND METHODS OF SEEDING ON LUFKIN FINE SANDY LOAM AT COLLEGE STATION, 1953 May 28 June 24 July 16 Season average Sudan Sudan- Sudan- Sudan Sudan Sudan- Sudan Sudan- Aver- alone cowpeas alone cowpeas alone cowpeas alone cowpeas age Percent crude protein 14.1 15.2 14.6 14.2 13 6 14 3 14.1 14 6 14 3 17.6 17.7 11.9 11.9 14 6 14 6 14.7 14 8 14 8 15.9 16.5 13.3 13.1 14 1 14 4 14.4 14 7 14 6 é 4 Percent phosphoric acid ast .57 .66 .32 .42 .43 .44 .47 .46 h row .72 .72 .28 .44 .46 .48 .50 .49 ge .64 .69 .30 .43 .44 .46 .49 .48 _%__ced at the Georgia Coastal Plain Experi- f Station from a cross between Tift Bermuda j a strain introduced from South Africa. ‘tal differs from Common in that it produces I‘ , stolons and rhizomes which are larger and longer internodes than Common. It is char- J 'stically light green in color and, in contrast Common, produces very few seed heads (h contain few, if any, viable seed. Its taller h makes Coastal much better adapted to making than Common. jOther strains of Bermuda include Suwannee, tion No. 3 and Midland. Suwannee and Se- on N0. 3 were developed in Georgia at the time as Coastal. Suwannee was released in rgia for use on deep sands where its efficiency 'trogen recovery is greater than Coastal. It -n0t been tested adequately in Texas to de- ine its value. Selection No. 3 has finer stems, _ r internodes and produces a denser ground ‘r, but it was found to be less palatable than ‘tal in Georgia. Its yield at Mt. Pleasant was ter than Coastal, but this may not be as im- nt as growth habit and palatability. Mid- v is a cold-hardy strain developed in Georgia z. a cross between Coastal and a hardy variety Indiana. It was released in Oklahoma for use F e Coastal is not winter-hardy. It has no ad- tages over Coastal where Coastal is winter- y, * Dallisgrass is a perennial, warm-season grass ‘a grows in clumps. Most of the leaves are pro- _' d near the base of the plants on shoots that e from the knotty base of extremely short pmes. The seedstalks are 2 to 4 feet high and oping to nearly prostrate except when support- 1 other plants. _ Dallisgrass is one of the first ts to begin growth in the spring and one of last to cease growth in the fall. It is adapted :1 range of soils from clay to sandy loam, but best onflmoist clay and loam soils high in or- fc matter. It does not do well on sandy or line soils, or on soils low in organic matter I fertility. Dallisgrass 430 from Louisiana is only named strain available in the United tes. Forage yields for four grasses at Kirbyville are given in Table 21. Coastal Bermuda produced the highest yields during the 2 years of this test. Rhodesgrass produced as much as Coastal the first year and was second in production the sec- ond year. Rhodes is relatively short-lived in con- trast with the other species and tends to decrease in production each year. Dallisgrass produced more than Common Bermuda, however, Dallis- grass is seldom found growing in pure stands. Results of a Bermudagrass strain test'"at Mt. Pleasant are presented in Table 22. Other exper- imental strains were grown in the test but none produced as much as those shown. Coastal pro- duced 50 percent more forage than Common in this test and 32 percent more than Common at Kirbyville. Results elsewhere in the State have ranged from 20 percent upward in favor of Coastal. Selection No. 3 produced 25 percent more than Coastal at Mt. Pleasant. As pointed out earlier, it has a shorter internode length and denser growth, making it less desirable for hay production. Most of the extra production comes in late April, May and early June, which is not as important as production in July and August. Because of the less desirable growth habit and lower palatability of Selection No. 3, it has not been increased for use in Georgia where it was developed. A Bahiagrass strain test was conducted at Kirbyville in 1955. Pensacola and Argentine were the highest producing strains, averaging 16,590 and 5,750 pounds of air-dry forage per acre, re- spectively. Bahia strains have not been tested TABLE 20. FORAGE YIELD OF SORGHUM SPECIES AT THE A&M PLANTATION, 1957‘ __.1?.'_1’212gq1_>eri¢re June 12 July8 Aug. 8 Oct. 28 Total Variety Perennial Sweet Sudan 2570 1030 1080 810 5490 Sorghum almum 2920 900 1040 640 5500 Sorghum almum (Australia) 2610 1020 990 480 5100 Sweet Sudan 2450 1180 1040 420 5090 Common Sudan 2550 1300 1000 490 5340 ‘Plots established April 11, 1957 15 SUDAN FORAGE WITH VARIOUS TABLE 21. FORAGE YIELD OF PERENNIAL GRAS- SES AT KIRBYVILLE, 1953-54 _ Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Spemes *1953“*_'I1954“I I‘ “I”. Average Common Bermuda 4240 4220 4230 Dallis 6740 4460 5600 Rhodes 7200 4790 5995 Coastal Bermuda 7210 5520 6365 elsewhere in East Texas. Bahia has survived in the grass nursery at College Station for several years, but it is one of the first species to be af- fected by drouth. In general, Bahia is not con- sidered a desirable grass for this area. Bermuda, Dallis, carpet and Bahia predomi- nate on the improved pastures at the Lufkin pas- ture laboratory. The laboratory includes 143 acres of improved pastures and 68 acres of wood- land and unimproved pastures. Average acre pro- duction on this land for a 6-year period is shown in Table 23. Total carrying capacity in 1954 was 911 pounds of live Weight per acre of improved pasture, or 627 pounds of live Weight per acre on the entire laboratory. The carrying capacity in 1957 was 1,014 pounds of liveweight per acre of improved pasture, or 705 pounds per acre on the entire laboratory. The improved pasture acreage produces most of the forage. The pasture im- provement program consisted of overseeding such legumes as white, hop and crimson clover in the permanent grasses along with an annual fertiliza- tion program. Figure 4 shows the types of vege- tative cover obtained with this program. On up- land pasture, the fertilization program consisted of 60 pounds of phosphoric acid and potash and 20 to 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre annually. The creek bottom pastures received 70 pounds of phos- phoric acid, 35 pounds of potash and 50 to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre annually. Since 1954, the fertilization program has been based on soil test analysis and has been less in some years than that indicated. Figure 4. Plant growth and ground cover on pas- tures at the Lufkin Pasture Laboratory, May 1946. 16 TABLE 22. FORAGE YIELD OF THREE BERMUD GRASS STRAINS AT MT. PLEASANT ON DE SANDY SOIL, 1952-55 1 St . Polunds_<>.f..air-dry_.fmss_.nosu¢re ‘am 1952 1953 1954 1955 Avera Common 300 9020 3000 4540 4000i Coastal 1330 13390 0330., 0340 0930 Selection No. 3 2050 17150 3000i, 7270 3770‘ Grass-Legume Mixtures The use of perennial grasses and annual w’, ter legumes shows promise of increasing total f0 age production and lengthening the season of p a duction. Results of a grass-legume mixture stu, at Kirbyville are presented in Table 24. Coas‘ Bermuda produced the most forage and Comm, Bermuda the least of the grasses in the test. tal yields were increased to some extent wi. each legume. The use of crimson clover, red clov and a mixture of all legumes with the grasses _ sulted in the greatest total production. The p10 were clipped 10 times in 1953, beginning Mar 12, and seven times in 1954, beginning Febru 28. With this clipping procedure, only white a.’ subterranean clover reseeded satisfactorily. Sin none of the legumes survived through the sup mer, most of them would have to be establish annually either through natural reseeding f planting. White and subterranean normally W0 a . produce enough seed under grazing to insure r establishment. Crimson clover should be def; red from grazing a few weeks during the producing season to insure reseeding. Alfa i, and red clover are not considered natural rese ing types. An example of the plant associati, for Dallisgrass and white clover is shown in Fi ure 5. l? Individual clipping data for Coastal-legu 7. mixtures in 1954 are shown in Table 25 to def onstrate the effect of legumes on season of p duction. February production was best with falfa, while March production was better wi crimson and red clovers. All legumes increas total production in April, while the effects r crimson and red clover carried over into TABLE 23. PRODUCTION OF IMPROVED PASTURI; ON THE EAST TEXAS PASTURE. INVESTIGATIO LABORATORY AT LUFKIN, 1951-50 a Annu A Average pounds Average bales Year of calves weaned of hay saved rainf~_ per acre per acre inch 1951 106 7 35. 1952 170 15 43. 1953 185 52 55. l 1954 244* 0 23. 1 1955 221 20 42. 1956 203 _ 8 31.7 . ‘Average rainfall 48.67 inches. _ ' ”Includes 33 pounds of net gain on steer yearling purchased for spring grazing. KIRBYVILLE, 1953-54 BLE 24. FORAGE YIELDS OF GRASS-LEGUME yXTURES ON BOWIE FINE SANDY LOAM AT Pounds of air-dry forage per acre‘ Coastal Common Dallis- Rhodes-Legume Bermuda Bermuda grass grass average e 6360 4230 5600 6000 5550 clover 9020 6760 6350 7340 7370 clover 9540 6520 * 6140 7210 7350 ifte clover l 7910 6020 6000 7220 6790 i: ~ terranean over 9290 6320 5940 6000 7010 alfa 3300 5630 5990 6390 6590 at. ture’ 9640 6640 6160 6340 7320 gr s average 8580 6100 6020 6710 rvested March 12, March 24, April 13, May 7, May 26, une 11, July 1, July 16, Aug. 7 and Sept. 1, 1953; Feb. March 29, April 26, May 28, June 22, July 22 and Oct. 3 , 1954. ture of all six legumes. ggne of the legumes gave any further increase in duction after May. The increased production February, March and early April should be val- ble in a pasture production program since it a es at a time when green forage is likely to be lited. A study was started early in 1955 to deter- ' e the influence of various legumes in con- 7,»: st with applied nitrogen on total and seasonal Eduction of Coastal Bermuda. The legumes 4 are overseeded on Coastal each fall. Split ap- ‘cations of nitrogen were started on the nitro- plots in early spring. The results, Table 26, onstrate the value of growing winter legumes th Coastal, which does not begin growth until 'd-April in this area. Total production was in- Qased remarkably by most of the legumes. The of 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre gave more tal production in 1956 than most of the legume- astal combinations. Several of the legume- astal combinations produced more in 1955 than astal with nitrogen. Early production was in- ased most by crimson clover and narrowleaf itch. Total production was increased most by irrowleaf vetch and nitrogen. I TABLE 26. lFORAGE YIELD OF COASTAL WITH ‘VARIOUS ANNUAL WINTER L-EGUMES AT MT. PLEASANT, 1955-56 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Average % Legume 0r of total treatment produced by 1955 1956 Average April 20 None 1150 900 1025 6 Nitrogen‘ 4090 3720 3905 2 Crimson clover 4390 1390 2890 46 Hop clover 3760 2340 3050 22 Singletary peas 4760 1720 3240 30 Narrowleaf vetch 4970 3270 4120 38 ‘Sixty pounds per acre. Narrowleaf vetch (Vicia augusifoiia) is a native plant in East Texas and has been tried earlier under cultivation without success. It shows some‘ promise when used on permanent sod. Deferred grazing during the seed-producing sea- son is not necessary to insure reseeding since other plants are more palatable at that season. Commercial seed supplies are not available at this time, but seed in small quantities may be obtain- ed from native stands. A mixture of Dallisgrass and White clover in plots at Kirbyville on Bowie fine sandy loam soil. _ Figure 5. CBLE 25. FORAGE YIELD OF COASTAL BERMUDA-CLOVER MIXTURES AT KIRBYVILLE ON BOWIE FINE SANDY LOAM, 1954 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Feb. 25 Mar. 29 Apr. 26 May 28 June 22 July 22 Oct. 14 Total e 6:: 90 230 960 660 1560 i 790 1130 5520 ‘moon clover 220 1430 1730 530 1710 390 1410 7970 clover ,_ _ 130 1400 1510 1730 1430 940 1610 3350 lite clover 130 550 1490 1160 1310 930 1710 7330 yalfa i 460 620 1130 920 1630 900 1420 7130 fterranean clover 320 370 1660 490 1990 1060 1730 3120 4 ture‘ 300 370 1560 370 1690 960 1730 3030 i. ture 0f all five legumes. l7 TABLE 27. EFFECT OFFERTILIZER ON THE FORAGE YIELD OF A PASTURE MIXTURE ON AN UP "'1 SOIL, LUFKIN, 1949-53‘ » Treatment, pounds per acre per year Pounds of hay (14% moisture) per acre N P103 K,o 1940-50 oflirgfljgk 1951-53 0i 0 0 0 2430 2060 _ 0 00 0 3270 340 4490 »= 1330 ; 0 30 00 3550 1120 5330 3220 _ s0 0 0 3150 720 3090 430 1 00 00 ~ 0 4370 2440 4940 2230 . 00 00 s0 5150 2720 5370 3010 90 0 0 4010 1530 4070 1410 ‘ 90 30 0 5270 2340 5430 2770 90 00 30 5390 3460 5730 3070 - -_ ‘The pasture mixture consisted of Bermuda, Dallis and carpet grasses and white clover. Permanent Pasture Fertilization Fertilizer studies have been conducted at a number of locations in East Texas, including Kirbyville, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Tyler and Mt. Pleasant. A significant response to fertilizer ap- plications generally is obtained. The type of re- sponse may vary with locations and species or species combinations and may change with time. A study was conducted on upland soil at Luf- kin during 1949-53 using Bermuda, Dallis and car- petgrass and white clover. Results of the study are summarized in Table 27 . During the first 2 years of the study, the yield response was to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while during the final 3 years the yields with phosphorus and potassium were as good as when nitrogen, phos- phorus and potassium were applied. These re- sults suggest that a sound fertilization program for a permanent grass-annual legume combina- tion would be a complete fertilizer for the first 2 years. In succeeding years, a basic application of phosphorus and potassium should be made, fol- lowed by the use of summer nitrogen applications when moisture is adequate. »During the first 2 years, while the fertility level is being built up, the nitrogen applications should be timed to al- low the legume to become established and to pro- duce a seed crop. It may be desirable to reduce TABLE 28. FORAGE YIELD OF COASTAL AND SELECTION NO. 3 BERMUDA AT DIFFERENT NITRO- GEN LEVELS, MT. PLEASANT, 1955-56 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Pounds of Nitrogen, forage per pounds 1 Nitrogen 23:11:29‘: er acre _ N _ 3 P Coastal Sel o average applied 0 - 1580 1430 1500 30 2470 2830 2650 38 60 3950 4520 4240 46 90’ 5250 5990 5620 46 120 6120 6390 6260 40 ‘All plots received 0-60-60 annually. “These plots received 8 tons of manure per acre December 14, 1954. 18 the amount of nitrogen in the second year to courage the legume. -" Work at both Lufkin and Nacogdoches sh the greatest net profit from the use of 90-6 fertilizer the first 2 years. The greatest net" turn after the first 2 years at Lufkin was wit, 0-60-60 fertilizer. As the fertility level imp _ ed, legumes, which required no fertilizer nitro and which supplied some nitrogen to the ass ated grass, increased in the mixture. These tr ments were on different plots. If the nitro applications were not timed, especially after ~ first year, the desired legume growth might p be obtained. . A study was conducted on Caddo fine L loam soil at Kirbyville in 1950-51 to dete the influence of seedbed preparation and fert' ” on establishment and production of a num of introduced grasses and legumes on a na sod. The grasses included Bermuda, Dallis Th carpet, seeded in a mixture of pure grasses = with a mixture of legumes. The legumes incl ed white, hop and Persian which were seeded " ‘i the grasses and also in a pure stand of legum Seedbed preparation influenced the stand. the introduced grasses, but not the legumes. H ” ever, seedbed preparation had relatively little fluence on yields since the native sod, where TABLE 29. FORAGE YIELD OF SELECTION N“. BERMUDA WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NI it GEN AND POTASH, MT. PLEASANT, 1953-55 ,_ Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Pounds Nitrogen, Pounds of potash f M pounds per acre - orage ~ per acre 11:2}? agg: pound p - mtrog 0 2340 2440 2040 i 30 3950 5340 4645 66 ~~ 60 5950 6150 6050 57 i" Potash average 4250 4640 LE 30. FORAGE YIELD OF COASTAL BERMUDA WN ALONE AND WITH NARROWLEAF VETCH - '. AT MT. PLEASANT, 1956 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre March- _May- July- Sept.. April June August October Total 60 1440 1540 870 3910 1560 900 l 920 740 4120 "l: not destroyed, produced about as much as the oduced grasses. In pure grass stands, the ‘ ‘mum yield was 4,220 pounds per acre of air- .~ forage with a 60-120-60 fertilizer, as com- '0 with 1,400 pounds with no fertilizer. Le- _- yields were increased from 1,360 to 5,380 nds per acre with a 0-120-60 fertilizer. Where _ grasses and legumes were overseeded, yields 5,450 pounds per acre with a 60-120-60 fer- 'r, as compared with 4,590 pounds with a 00-60 fertilizer. These data indicate that good as can be obtained through the use of legumes ‘phosphorus and potassium. Had this study n continued for as long a period as the _Lufkin y, yields of the mixture without nitrogen 1 ld no doubt have compared more favorably Q ' the complete fertilizer plots. The response of two Bermudagrass varieties wn in pure stands to fertilizer treatments has l studied at Mt. Pleasant. Tables 28 and 29 p. te a significant response to nitrogen appli- ons and a smaller response to potash. Each ‘tional 30 pound increment of nitrogen further Qased yields. The response per pound of ‘gen was not as great at the upper as at the r limits. The amount of nitrogen to which ' ponse can be obtained with Bermuda depends ‘ely on available moisture. The difference in time of forage production *7 grass-legume mixture and a grass receiving ‘ . F RAGE YIELDS OF LEGUMES AS 11w- - Ec3ili) B? FERTILIZERS AND LIME AT NACOG- DOCHES, 1951-64 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre j ecies Lime Fertilizer treatment 0-0-0 0-42-21 30-90-120 Average .1 Lime 3170 4060 4040 3760 .' No lime 2610 3590 4690 3630 ' »| Lime 2830 3640 3930 3470 l} a No lime 2680 3210 4070 3320 g 1. Lime 1210 1510 2110 1610 tclover Nolime 910 1100 1890 1300 . ‘an Iiime 1440 1800 2410 1880 A erpeas No lime 1370 1700 2160 1740 j Lime 1450 2260 2660 2120 er No lime 1310 1810 2460 1860 * ge 1900 2470 9040 TABLE 32. INFLUENCE OF CULTIVATION AND RENOVATION ON BERMUDAGRASS AT MT. PLEAS- ANT, 1956 Pounds of air-dry forage per acre Treatment May 22 July 12 Total No treatment 260 80 340 Cultivated 280 9 90 370 Fertilized‘ 1120 620 1740 Cultivated and fertilized‘ 1120 i460 1580 ‘Fertilizer was 90-60-60, with nitrogen applied in 30- pound increments, April 5, May 22, July 12. Only 1 inch of rain after May 2. nitrogen is demonstrated in Table 30. Yields of the two treatments are essentially the same, yet the time of production is vastly different. The legume increased production in early spring, while nitrogen increased production in mid-summer. The extent of response of either of these treatments is influenced by moisture and availability of other nutrients. treatmentcombining a legume with summer nitrogen applications was not tested, but theoretically should produce more than either of these treatments. Through the use of ample phosphoruswand potash, annual legumes can be encouraged to grow with perennial grasses. However, as the nitrogen level is increased, the percentage of le- gume in the mixture will, in general, be decreas- ed. On soils low in fertility, some nitrogen on le- gumes may be worthwhile to support plant growth until nodulating bacteria have started functioning. Results of a fertilizer test at Nacogdoches involving pure stands of legumes are presented in Table 31. While it is not possible in this test to attribute increased growth to any particular element in the fertilizer, it is apparent that ferti- lizer did increase growth. Vetch and crimson clover were the highest yielding. Huban sweet- clover and red clover showed the greatest percent- age increase in yield due to lime, amounting to 24 and 14 percent, respectively. The highest per- centage increase with 0-42-21 fertilizer treatment was 56 percent with red clover. Vetch and crim- son clover showed 28 and 29 percent increases, re- spectively, with the same treatment. I Cultivation Cultivation of perennial pastures has been practiced as a means of aeration, improving water penetration and placing fertilizer in the soil in permanent sod. Studies in East Texas and other parts of the State indicate that this is not neces- sarily a beneficial practice. Results of a study at Mt. Pleasant (Table 32) show that production was no higher with cultivation than with no cul- tivation, and that cultivation with fertilization was no better than fertilization alone. Fertiliza- tion did increase production. A similar type of response was obtained in a study conducted at 19 the Blackland Experiment Station at Temple, Sta- tion Progress Report 1777. Renovation of bot- tomland pastures at the Lufkin Pasture Labora- tory resulted in slightly decreased yields for 3 years following renovation. Renovation was by means of chisels spaced 19 inches apart and run about 8 inches deep. In all of these studies, renovation was done by means of chisels with the fertilizer broadcast on the surface following cultivation. No results are reported of fertilizer being placed in the soil at the time of cultivation. Establishment General procedures for establishing pastures in East Texas are given in Extension Bulletin 197, “Building Pastures.” On cultivated loamy and sandy soils, the planting of Bermudagrass seed normally is not necessary. As soon as the soil is conditioned or improved with organic mat- ter and plant food, a good stand of Bermuda will develop naturally. The ouickest method of de- veloping a good stand of Bermuda is through the growing of annual legumes, fertilized according to soil test recommendations. The legumes should be allowed to grow to maturity. Results of Dallisgrass etsablishment studies are reported in Station Bulletin 829, “Dallis- grass.” Seed quality in Dallisgrass is a major problem and often is the cause of stand failure. To establish Dallisgrass on cultivated land, good quality seed should be planted on a well-prepared seedbed in late winter or early spring. On ex- tremely weedy soils, weed competition is reduced by fall seeding oats in 18 to 21-inch rows and in- troducing Dallisgrass seed between the rows dur- ing late Winter. Results of an establishment study at Kirby- ville involving both grasses and legumes are re- ported in Station Progress Report 1918. This study involved the amount of seedbed prepara- tion necessary to establish introduced plants in native sod. It was found that Bermuda, Dallis and carpetgrass require good seedbed preparation for satisfactory establishment, and that added fertilizer is not a substitute for seedbed prepara- tion. Legume establishment was satisfactory on all plots, but growth was best on plots receiving liberal amounts of phosphorus and potassium. HAY CROPS Annual Crops Annual crops have been used to some extent for hay in East Texas. Summer legumes, such as cowpeas, alyceclover and lespedeza, make good quality hay, but yields are low. The highest yields at Kirbyville in 1950 were produced by Iron cow- peas and alyceclover and amounted to about 3,200 pounds of hay per acre (Table 33). Cowpeas pro- duced about 1,000 pounds of hay per acre at Mt. Pleasant in 1955. 20 Annual grass crops, such as Sudan and P millet," produce more total forage than annual gumes, but the grass forage is of a lower qual Results of yield studies with the annual gra are presented in Tables 12, 14 and 16. Data ~ lected at the A&M Plantation near College Sta v and at Prairie View in 1953 show that Sudan the hay stage contains 10 to 13 percent c i protein and Chinese Red cowpeas Tcontain 14 to. percent. Phosphoric acid content "also was hig, in cowpea forage than in Sudan forage. G i protein percentages reported in Table 19 Sudan range from 11.9 to 17.7, but the forage Y; in a younger stage than normally would be for hay. Perennial Crops Yield results have been presented for per nial grasses managed as pasture plants. Coa Bermuda produced an average of 6,980 and 6,_ pounds of air-dry forage per acre at Mt. Pleas and Kirbyville, respectively. These yields w produced with no irrigation and fertilizer appli tions of 110-40-40 annually at Mt. Pleasant =f 120-60-30 annually at Kirbyville. Much higi vields have been obtained at other locations heavy fertilizer applications and irrigation. Coastal Bermuda Results of a fertilizer study on Coastal i muda at College Station are reported in Sta Progress Report 1837. Nitrogen treatments y, to 1,350 pounds per acre were used. Each ni gen level was split into five applications with r maximum amount per application being i- pounds at the 1,350-pound per acre level. Yi, in 1954 ranged from 3 tons per acre of hay no nitrogen to 12.7 tons with 800 pounds of ni», gen, which was the top rate in 1954. Yields 1955 ranged from 2.4 tons per acre of hay no nitrogen to 14.5 tons with 1,350 pounds nitrogen. A yield of 13 tons of hay was prod ed with 750 pounds of nitrogen in 1955. F0 a four inches of irrigation water were applied- 1954 and 27 inches in 1955. Rainfall during >< growing season brought the totals up to 58 inc p in 1954 and 42 inches in 1955. Thus, 3 to 5 ac inches of water were used to produce a ton of i at the higher nitrogen levels. A 3-year study with Coastal was conducted: Homer, Louisiana, on Lakeland sand without TABLE 33. YIELD OF OVEN-DRY FORAGE OF S l MER LEGUMES AT KIRBYVILLE, 1950 Yi Variety or species - Date of harvest po per Iron cowpeas 9-5-50 ~?‘_i Alyceclover 9-18-50 32 _ Guar 9-‘5-50 .2 _ Chinese Red cowpeas 7 8-14-50 2 '; Korean lespedeza 9-5-50 19 tion.1 Nitrogen rates of 0, 200, 400 and 600 funds per acre were used in split applications ‘ith a maximum of 200 pounds in one application. linear yield response was reported from appli- ions of nitrogen up to 400 pounds per acre. forage yields ranged from 1,400 pounds with Qnitrogen to 13,500 ‘pounds per acre with 400 fds of nitrogen. The 600-pound nitrogen ap- "ation produced 14,000 pounds of forage per 7 e, which was not significantly different from yield obtained from the 400-pound applica- n. [tures p These data indicate the potential production fa perennial grass such as Coastal when man- for hay. The yields are totals resulting three to five cuttings. Some indication of y possibilities of hay production from improv- jtpastures is shown in Table 23. An average of ‘bales of hay per acre was produced on the Luf- 1 Pasture Laboratory during 1951-53. This lounts to slightly less than 1 ton of hay per ns, Dawson M., Wilcox, G. E., Russel, D. A., and Ha- l, A. Coastal Bermuda response to nitrogen fertiliza- An in North Louisiana. Proceedings of the 54th annual uthern Agricultural Workers, 04-05, 1957. "LE 34. THE INFLUENCE OF FERTILIZER ON LD AND QUALITY OF LITTLE BLUESTEM HAY AT TYLER, 1952-55 Average hay yields, t pounds per acre Average percen age ‘ltment a Crude Phosphoric 1952'“ 19551 protein acid 2150 2950 5.27 .20 3400 2500 5.44 .22 5230 3020 0.23 .10 5010 5700 7.44 .19 4150 3710 0.09 .21 2910 3000 5.54 .35 4100 3100 5.29 .34 0100 ~ 3590 0.35 .27 7410 4900 0.04 .29 5140 3020 0.01 .31 2430 3110 5.40 .20 3070 3090 5.33 .22 5210 3700 0.40 .19 5020 5050 7.17 .19 4230 3740 0.11 .22 2240 3310 5.30 .33 4400 3390 5.04 .31 0 5010 3730 0.02 .31 40 0710 3040 7.44 .30 age 4790 3520 0.10 .31 .4040 3201i‘.- 5030 . 040-40 5730 _ 5010 )-40-40 0230 4030 e 5070 4900 rtilizer was applied in 1955. Figure 6. Ilarvesting Bermudagrass hay from a pas- ture on Substation No. 2 at Tyler. acre harvested from pastures which were sup- porting as much as 911 pounds of cattle weight per_ acre. In a permanent pasture system, it is desirable during a period of flush growth that a part of the pasture be deferred from grazing to make hay or silage. This plan was followed at Lufkin. Figure 6 shows a Bermudagrass pasture being harvested for hay. Native Meadows Native meadows also may be used for hay. Through fertilization, they can be made very pro- ductive. Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) occupies considerable acreage in the northern part of East Texas as well as in the Blacklands and on the Grand Prairie. A little bluestem mea- dow, typical of those in this area, is shown in Fig- ure 7. Most of the hay sold as “prairie hay” in this area consists of little bluestem, with some mixtures of other bluestems and native grasses. The forage quality of these bluestems is deter- mined by available plant nutrients and harvest management. Even well-fertilized crops will de- teriorate“ rapidly in quality as seed formation pro- gresses. Figure 7. A little bluestem hay meadow on Substa- tion N o. 2 at Tyler. ' ' .21 A fertilizer experiment with little bluestem show a significant increase over the other tr was conducted at Tyler during 1952-54, the last ments. r year being very dry. Yields also were taken from . . . . i these plots in 1955 without any applied fertilizers Yleld Increases fr“? the use of fertlh to measure the residual effects of previous treat- are necessary for e°9n°m1° reaama yet a fur? ments. Results of this test are given in Tables adfantigfihwis Obtamfid 1n8he,1tng€ea;£fd$gr1- 34 and 35. Comparable results may be expected Va ue 0 e ay’ as S 9W“ m . a e ' e ~- centage of crude protem was increased from 5 Wlth other grass Specles‘ Where no nitrogen was used 390 7.22 with i. Little bluestem was established in a solid pounds of nitrogen. The use"of.é.nitrogen with’ stand on cultivated land during the summer of phosphorus decreased the percentage of phi 1945. The soil was sandy loam and had been cul- phorus in the hay, while phosphorus in all v tivated for many years. binations increased its percentage in the Table 34 shows that nitrogen increased yields Saicsélilléoglflséhishigcfl’ did not affect the pro _; more than either phosphorus or potash. Phos- phorus increased yields somewhat, and potash not Chemical analyses of the soil were made - at all. However, Table 35, showing soil analyses, fore the test was started in 1951, and from indicates that potash may become a limiting factor plot after completion of the test in 1955. Ta "since the available potash in the soil decreased 35 reveals that several changes occurred in r during the test. The yield data obtained show soil, which will influence future productivity : very good increases in yield from all increments of fertilizer requirements. ' nitrogen, particularly from the 40 and 80-pound _ _ _ _ ,7 applications. The 120-pound application showed S011 aCIdIlQY Was Increased a]? all Sampl a further increase in hay yield, but not as much depths. The higher rates of fertilization resul, in lower pH readings (increased acidity). '-= odic use of lime to correct the acidity is indica The 1955 yields show no residual effect of On the other hand, the calcium (lime) content phosphorus nor of the 40-pound nitrogen appli- the end of the test was found to be highert I cation. The apparent increase from the 80-pound at the start. This apparently was due to say nitrogen application was not significant statisti- ling variability since the only calcium added " cally; however, the 120-pound application did that contained in the superphosphate. Orgai as the lower increments. TABLE 35. SUMMARY OF SOIL ANALYSES OF LITTLE BLUESTEM FERTILIZER TEST AREA PRECED AND FOLLOWING THE TEST, SANDY LOAM SOIL, TYLER 1 .M. P.o. K20 CaO pH o. M. mo. K20 CaO H o. M. mo. K20 c’, %) (ppmHppmHppm) (%) (ppmXppmXppm) p (%) (ppmXppmXp. pH (2 Treatment A 0 to 3-inch depth 3 to 6-inch depth 6 to 12-inch ~* Results before treatment‘ 6.0 59 Tr. 76 Tr. 6.1 39 Tr. 71 -' 0-0-0 5.9 .81 3 84 96 6.1 .53 3 73 100 6.1 .61 2 72 40-0-0 5.3 .71 1 75 78 5.8 .40 2 47 104 5.8 .45 1 53 80-0-0 5-1 _-71 2 65 32 5-3 .46 1 39 47 5.6 .40 2 45 a _ 120-0-0 5.0 .81 1 51 17 5.0 ,49 1 34 33 5,4 _41 1 47 1 0-40-0 5.8 .76 6 81 115 5.9 .44 2 61 116 5.9 .46 1 50 1 40-40-0 5.4 .78 3 77 86 5.7 .40 » 1 50 82 5.7 .44 Tr. 58 . _ 80-40-0 5.1 .70 6 57 46 5.4 .37 2 41 92 5.7 .43 1 42 1 120-40-0 5.0 .72 5 54 30 5.1 .42 2 40 82 5.4 .39 1 50 y 0-0-40 5.9 .75 3 113 103 6.0 .42 2 91 76 6.1 .41 2 81 1 , 40-0-40 5.2 .80 1 100 45 5.6 .42 1 87 90 5.7 .44 1 79 1- 80-0-40 5.2 .75 3 85 27 5.4 .44 2 '68 64 6.0 .49 2 62 1 , 120-0-40 4.9 .69 2 71 3 5.2 .39 Tr 53 21 5.4 .44 Tr. 73 1 0-40-40 5.8 .69 3 88 97 6.0 .42 2 77 84 5.9 .40 2 60 1 40-40-40 5.4 .84 5 104 83 5.7 .45 1 77 114 5.8 .48 1 62 ~ at 80-40-40 5.3 .59 6 88 34 5.4 .41 3 61 82 6.0 .74 5 77 » 120-40-40 5.0 .7 0 7 84 - 12 5.0 .39 2 54 39 5.3 .48 1 68 AVERAGES Nitrogen: 0 5.8 .75 4 91 103 6.0 .45 2 75 94 6.0 .47 2 66 40 5.3 .78 2 89 73 5.7 .42 1 65 97 5.8 .45 1 63 80 5.2 .69 4 73 35 5.4 .42 2 52 , 71 5.8 .61 2 56 120 5.0 .73 4 65 15 5.1 .42 1 45 44 5.4 .43 1 59 Phosphorus: 0 5.3 .7 5 2 80 50 5.5 .44 1 61 67 5.8 .46 1 64 40 5.3 .7 2 5 79 63 5.5 .41 2 58 86 5.7 .48 1 58 Potash: 0 5.3 .75 3 68 62 5.5 .44 2 48 82 5.7 .45 1 52 _ 40 5.3 .73 4 92 50 5.5 .42 2 71 71 5.8 .48 2 70 2 s ‘Samples were divided into 0 to 6 and 6 to 12 inches. The analyses were made by the Department of Agronomy, C0 Sation, and those after treatment by -the Soil Testing Laboratory, College Station. 22 A was increased slightly, as might be ex- ;» under undisturbed sod crops. Phosphoric as increased at all levels, particularly in the p sampling layer. Since all fertilizers were _l on the surface and phosphate ordinarily ot move about in the soil, it was to be ex- h) that the accumulation, if any, would be he surface. There was some accumulation of iium on plots where this element was used, ', decrease occurred where it was not used. t isevident that a fertilizer program that _ aintain or increase soil productivity over years must be based on soil analyses to ,all plant food elements in balance. SILAGE CROPS fultural and Management Practices ing Dates ;Dates for planting silage crops are subject ional, seasonal and crop variations. Corn 'ng normally begins near the average date je last frost, which results in most of the corn '3: planted during March. Sorghum planting I vary from early April to mid-June, depend- on location, cropping system and variety. e the sorghum crop follows a winter crop in system, planting usually is in late May or . Possible conflicting labor demands for a farm operations at harvest time also in- ce the choice of planting dates. Where late [a ing is followed, a variety should be used that mature before frost or before other hazards, i as winds or drouth, normally are expected. eties, such as Sumac and Hegari, may reach ilage stage in 70 to 75 days, while varieties, as Honey and Sart, require 100 to 150 days. _. planting date should be determined on the a. of the variety to be used and the most favor- ‘growing season. i‘ ing Rates and Methods lPresumably each crop and variety has its um planting rate for each set of soil and climatic conditions. This has not been studied in most cases. Limited results indicated that ex- cessive amounts of seed do not reduce sorghum yields. Results at Prairie View, Station Progress Report 1858, indicate that seeding rates mate- rially influence forage quality, as shown in Table 36. Under conditions at Prairie View in 1953-54 and with two different varieties, forage yields were not significantly influenced by seeding rate or method. Stalk diameter decreased with in- creased seeding rate. Stalk size also was less in broadcast stands than in rows, regardless of the planting rate. The percentage of the forage made up of leaves was essentially the same with both planting methods and all rates, but head produc- tion was 7 percent greater in row than in broad- cast plantings. Increased planting rates reduced head production in broadcast plots. Figure 8 shows regular Hegari in 1954 in 40-inch rows and broadcast stands. The smaller stalk size in the broadcast plot is apparent. Varieties having large stalks and requiring a longer growing season apparently require about the same seeding rate as Hegari and Sumac. Yields of Sart and Tracy (Table 37)‘were better with 8 pounds of seed per acre in 40-inch rows than with 4 pounds of seed. The test was on a fertile soil, but in a relatively dry season without irrigation. These data indicate that 6 to 8 pounds of seed per acre in rows are adequate for most sorghum varieties. Corn Hybrids and Plant Spacing No significant differences in the yield of corn silage were obtained when 12, 18 or 24-inch spac- ing were used in tests conducted at Tyler during 1952-54. Table 38 also shows there was no sig- nificant difference in the yield of any of the four hybrids included in the test, although Texas 30 and 34 showed slightly heavier average yields. Part of the value of corn silage is attributed to - the grain content. Soil moisture during 1953 was very deficient at the critcial period. A compan- V E 36. INFLUENCE OF ‘SEEDING METHOD AND RATE ON FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY AT PRAIRIE = VIEW, 1953-54 Percentage of . 1953‘ 1954‘ Stalk total forage Pounds Green Dry Green Dry D' t ’ - of seed weight, weight, weight, weight, lax; er Iillfélgqgi’ Leaves Stalks Heads per acre tons tons tons tons 40 14.7 2.9 10.7 3.1 7.6 57 ‘ 25 46 29 60 13.8 3.3 12.5 3.9 6.7 54 25 51 24 80 14.7 3.4 12.0 3.8 6.4 5'6 31 49 20 _ , 100 15.2 3.5 12.6 4.1 6.2 58 29 52 19 verage 14.6 3.3 11.9 3.7 6.7 56 27 50 23 1i row i’ " 7 14.4 3.9 12.0 4.0 12.9 71 as 42 22 . 14 12.0 3.2 12.8 4.3 11.3 70 23 42 35 21 13.0 2.8 13.9 4.6 11.3 72 22 46 32 q 28 13.1 3.2 11.2 3.9 9.0 69 22 45 33 . verage ' 13.1 3.3 12.5 4.2 11.1 70 26 44 30 y, ‘was used in 1953 and regular Hegari in 1954. Treatments did not influence yield significantly in either year. 23 Figure 8. Growth and stalk size 0f row, left, and broadcast, right, plantings of Hegari sorghum for silage. ion study t0 the silage test showed grain yields 0f 0, 18.0 and 17.8 bushels per acre for the 12, 18 and 24-inch spacings, respectively. There was no significant difference between grain yields at the three spacings during 1952 and 1954. Spac- ings closer than 18 inches are of doubtful value unless sufficient moisture is assured. Fertilization The fertilizer requirements of silage crops have not been determined conclusively. It has been shown they will respond to applications of a TABLE 37. FORAGE YIELD OF SART AND TRACY SORGHUM AS INFLUENCED BY SEEDING RATE, A&M PLANTATION, 1955 complete fertilizer at planting plus a sidedres‘ ing of nitrogen. On upland sandy loam soil a Tyler, a 33-pound nitrogen sidedressing increa a . ed the per-acre yield of green silage 5.5 tons ove . l that receiving only the basic application of l, 40-20. An additional 33 pounds of nitrogen fur ther increased the yield by 2 tons. Soil analysi will serve as a guide to the proper fertilization :- any particular location. ' Mixtures Including Cowpeas The use of cowpeas or soybeans might be exi pected to increase the yield and protein conten TABLE 39. FORAGE YIELDS OF CROPS GROWN F0 SILAGE WITH LAND WITHOUT COWPEAS, TYLE 1950 ; S t T ar racy _ Tons of green matter per ac » Pounds Green Dry Green Dry Varlety _ 2 of seed weight, weight, ,7 dry_ weight, Weight, 7 dry Alone Wlth Peas Avera! per acre tons tons moatter tons tons matter Hi he . 11 2 , per per per per - garl . 10.4 10.8 a a acre acre acre acre Starr millet 11.7 11.2 11.5 Atlas 11.3 9.9 10.6 ] 4 14.1 4.6 32.6 10.0 3.3 33.6 Darso 51 45 43 3 17.3 5.3 32.6 12.3 4.2 32.5 Sweet Sudan 6;; H; m f 12 17.9 5.6 31.3 11.7 4.0 34.5 Pop corn 3.3 4.3 4.1 16 13.7 6.2 33.3 13.2 4.6 34.3 Sumac 9.9 7.5 3.7 TABLE 38. SILAGE YIELDS OF CORN VARIETIES AT DIFFERENT SPACINGS, TYLER Tons of forage per acre (70 percent moisture) Variety 12-inch spacing 18-inch spacing 24-inch spacing Avery; 1952. 1953 1954 Average 1952 1953 1954 Average 1952 1953 1954 Average a“ 1 Texas 26 3.2 3.7 6.2 6.0 3.3 3.1 5.3 5.7 9.1 3.6 4.5 5.7 5.3 Texas 28 9.5 4.8 5.9 6.7 7.7 3.5 6.7 6.0 7.9 3.8 5.3 5.7 6.1 Texas 30 7.8 4.4 6.3 6.2 9.7 3.6 8.0 7.1 8.2 3.6 7.0 6.3 6.5 1 Texas 34 10.4 3.7 6.2 6.3 9.3 2.9 6.7 6.3 3.3 3.7 5.4 6.0 6.4 Average 9.0 4.2 6.2 6.4 8.9 3.3 6.7 6.3 8.5 3.7 5.6 5.9 24 he silage. A test at Tyler in 1950 failed to any advantage of planting Chinese Red cow- with a number of crops grown for silage. 3 39 indicates yields tended t0 be decreased five of seven combinations. The planting and psibly the harvesting of the mixture is more ublesome than when only one kind of seed is ; thus, there is little or no advantage in us- cowpeas with the crops used in this test. Figure 9. Honey (left) and Sart (right) varieties of sweet sorghum being grown for silage. i Crop Varieties and Yields- A very important consideration in silage pro- duction is yield per acre. The yield is determined by a number of factors, among which are avail- able plant food, moisture, cultural practices and variety. Yields may be too low for economic re- turns, or may be too high for satisfactory harvest with the available machinery. Excessively tall TABLE 40. SILAGE YIELDS, TONS PER ACRE AT 70 PERCENT MOISTURE M Kirbyville Orange Nacogdoches Mt. Pleasant Tyler .- 1953 1954 1955 1955 1949 1950 1951 1953 1954 1955 1950 1951 1952 1953 1953 1954 'ety Cutting 1st 2nd get sorgos ‘jlas 8.8 20.3 13.0 8.8 11.3 _10.2 19.0 8.8 7.1 12.5 12.2 14.2 11.3 11.6 6.8 3.7 poney 13.1 a 28.0 20.7 14.1 27.0 4.5 21.5 12.2 15.3 32.6 10.8 3.7 Voney Drip 20.0 33.6 19.9 14.5 14.2 19.3 10.5 11.3 9.1 7.4 0mac (Red Top) 16.9 12.0 15.5 9.8 4.2 15.0 10.5 12.8 8.5 12.2 10.8 9.8 4.1 ange 7.6 12.5 8.5 11.0 12.5 7.9 3.3 -Hee * 12.5 14.2 10.8 13.0 6.9 4.2 1 eneck 11.6 8.4 7.4 11.6 3.7 7.6 10.8 ack Amber 8.0 4.8 8.2 1.7 5.7 18.0 5.9 , aight Neck 8.5 13.6 9.1 14.2 14.2 0:10 29.0 14.9 8.8 6.5 pti 14.9 8.8 0 acy 27.4 15.6 11.1 6.5 . rt 25.8 15.1 13,3 3,7 lis 7_1 rkan 7_1 'f"n sorghums Legari _ 20.8 11.5 8.8 12.2 3.7 11_0 1L0 91 rly hegarl 17.0 11.9 15.0 6.1 4.2 10.2 2.5 7_4 9 -he8ar1_ 11.4 8.5 19.1 8.7 15.0 8.5 20.1 7.9 3.7 ;xas M110 14.1 13_3 103 33 . ackhul Kafir 6.8 11.9 5.9 _gra1n (Schrock) 5.9 8.8 6.2 11_9 10_2 rso 5.1 11.9 9.1 9_3 10_5 32 ‘nita 3.7 8.2 5.7 5_9 9_6 7_1 xas 26 5 0 Ias 28 18.2 11.8 8.5 5.1 0.5 9.9 7.9 7.1 ' ‘as 3" 7-7 9.4 82 27 xas s4 24.5 13.9 5.9 7.7 1L9 6:4 3:3 mmon Sudan 8.8 12.1 v_eet Sudan 4.5 10.7 3.7 6.2 2.5 _ _arl millet 13.3 16.7 42 6'2 5'1 9.6 2.8 2,0 :rr millet TABLE 41. SILAGE YIELDS IN SMITH AND UPSHUR COUNTIES Tons of green weight per acre 1951 1952 1952 1952 1952 1953 1953 Variety Smith Smith Smith Upshur Upshur Smith Upshur Upland Upland Upland Bgltslm Upland Upland Sugar Drip 18.5 Honey Drip 17.9, 13.4 21.1 10.9 27.0 17.3 Jo-Hee 14.8 10 7 11.5 17.4 12.1 21.5 14.8 Sumac (Red Top) 9.6 9 3 11.0 13.9 Darso 8.8 g Sweet Sudan 7.6 5.7 ; Atlas 13.0 10.6 10.6 16.1 13.9 17 . Orange 12.1 i Hegari 9.0 11.4 8.2 14.1 12.0 18- Golden Rod 20.5 16.0 26 _ and heavy sorgos are difficult t0 harvest with field choppers and impractical with row binders and stationary cutters. The most desirable crop is the one which will produce the maximum yield that can be handled economically with the avail- able facilities. For instance, a crop of Honey or Honey Drip that is 12 or more feet tall and yield- ing in excess 0f 25 tons per acre would be im- practical t0 handle without a field chopper and adequate power. As mentioned previously, the choice of a late or early-maturing variety may fit better the other farming operations. No one variety will fit all conditions. Yields of several sweet and grain sorghums, corn and other crops are re- ported in Tables 40 and 41. In general, the best yields were obtained from the sweet sorghums. Honey, Atlas and Honey Drip, with its synonyms, usually were among the top yielding varieties. Hi- hegari, under favorable conditions, yields well, but lodges frequently. The newer varieties, Tracy and Sart, are promising where late-maturing va- rieties can be used. Local varieties have proved to be well adapted and satisfactory in some areas, as is Jo-Hee around Mt. Pleasant. 26 Corn usually is less productive than someli the sorghums, but at times it makes good yie of high quality silage. Its earliness, 80 to. days, often permits a fair crop before dama summer drouths. Under adverse moisture c0 tions, the yields of grain and silage will be l_ However, a corn crop planted for grain can i ' salvaged as silage if an unfavorable season li g grain production. '5 Sudangrass usually is considered a graz or hay crop, but good silage also may be my from it. Because of its ability to produce s cessive crops as long as conditions are favora it is possible to use one crop for silage and remainder for grazing. This double use is y‘ ticularly applicable where conditions are s: that the first Sudan crop is not needed for t ture, but the second may be. Because of its o1 er yields, Sudangrass is not recommended sol for silage. Pearl millett is adapted to uses similar- Sudan. It should fit into use situations as scribed for Sudan, especially in Southeast Te "v, [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] Location oi field research units oi the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and cooperating agencies ORGANIZATION OPERATION Research results are carried to Texas farmers, ranchmen and homema/cers by county agents and specialists of the Texas Agricultural Ex- tension Service fl0ddy ,5 Qedearcé ~95 jOITlOVFOl/U ,5 POQPQJJ administrative staff. Located out in the major agricultural areas of Texas: * ‘" The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station is the public agricultural research agency i‘ oi the State oi Texas. and is one oi ten l parts oi the Texas AGM College System'- IN THE MAIN STATION, with headquarters at College Station, are 16 subjl matter departments, 2 service departments, 3 regulatory services and, 21 substations and 9 field laboratories. In addition, there are 14 cooper stations owned by other agencies. Cooperating agencies include the Forest Service, Game and Fish Commission of Texas, Texas Prison Syi - U. S. Department of Agriculture, University of Texas, Texas Technolo College, Texas College of Arts and Industries and the King Ranch. y“ experiments are conducted on farms and ranches and in rural homes. i THE TEXAS STATION is conducting about 400 active research projects, gro I in 25 programs, which include all phases of agriculture in Texas. Am these are: Conservation and improvement of soil Beef cattle Conservation and use of water Dairy cattle Grasses and legumes Sheep and goats Grain crops Swine Cotton and other fiber crops Chickens and turkeys Vegetable crops Animal diseases and parasites Citrus and other subtropical fruits Fish and game Farm and ranch engineering Farm and ranch business 3 Marketing agricultural products Rural home economics Rural agricultural economics Plant diseases Fruits and nuts Oil seed crops Ornamental plants Brush and weeds Insects Two additional programs are maintenance and upkeep, and central servb AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH seeks the WHATS. the WHYS. the WHENS, the WHERES and the HOWS oi hundreds oi problems which confront operators oi iarms and ranches, and‘ the many industries depending on or serving agriculture. Workers oi the Main Station and the field units oi the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station seek diligently to iind solutions to these problems.