Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


 All pasture legume seeds, such as clovers and lespedeza, re-
quire inoculation with the proper culture. Double, quadruple
and even higher rates of inoculation as recommended by com-
mercial companies may prove desirable.
 Pasture clovers should be seeded from October to January
at any time the soil moisture is favorable and preferably during
a rain. Favorable moisture conditions are conducive to rapid
germination and good nodulation. Prolonged droughts are in-
jurious to nodulation. Italian rye grass (3 to 8 pounds per
acre) or oats (2 to 1 bushel per acre), planted with clovers on
newly prepared seedbeds in the fall, increase the productivity
and earliness of pastures during the first year of establishment.
 Lespedeza should be planted from February to May. The
early plantings are generally more productive. The seed may
be surface-broadcast if planted during a rainy period, or covered
lightly if planted during a dry period. Lespedeza seeded in oats
and grazed by cattle does not require coverage. Loose soil
should be packed. The lime and fertilizers should be broadcast
before seeding. The fertilizers may be surface-applied or prefer-
ably incorporated into the soil. For seeding rates and dates
see Appendix Table 1.

 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
 Permanent pastures require certain definite practices to main-
 tain desirable species and a good quality of productive forage.
 The more important factors to consider in maintaining a good
 quality and productive herbage include fertilization, weed con-
 trol and grazing management.

 FERTILIZATION OF ESTABLISHED PASTURES
 Grasses.-Tests with fertilizers to measure the growth and
 composition of carpet grass on established sods were started in
 1937. These tests on soil types of the flat pine lands show that
 certain minerals or mixtures of lime and fertilizer increased the
 growth of established carpet grass pastures materially (Tables
 3 and 4 and Fig. 15). Nitrogen fertilizer was particularly effec-
 tive in stimulating growth. The spring growth and total seasonal
 yields of grass were greatly increased when nitrogen fertilizers
 were applied in March (Fig. 15). Pastures fertilized with potash
 and phosphorus yielded, during a 4-year period, slightly higher
 than unfertilized grasses but much lower than grasses treated
 with nitrogen alone (Table 3). Highest yields were obtained