The Midland Journal

Seed for Pasture Hay Is Available

Supply Believed Sufficient for Planting More Than 30,000,000 Acres.

Supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture.-WNU Service.

Pasture and hay crop prospects for 1935 are brightened by reports received by the United States Department of Agriculture. Estimates indicate sufficient seed, especially of legumes, to plant more than 30,000,000 acres to grass and hay crops if the ground is properly prepared and seed used sparingly. Approximately 29,000,000 acres normally are sown. This extra 1,000,000 acres planted to emergency soil-building, erosion-resisting crops will make use of part of the land once planted to corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco, and other contracted crops. This extra acreage should also accumulate hay and forage reserves used up in recent months. Figures from the entire United States indicate enough seed on hand to increase normal plantings as follows: Sweet clover, 250,000 acres; alfalfa, 500,000 acres; lespedeza and red top, each 1,000,000 acres; and soy beans, at least 5,000,000 acres. It is believed there is enough seed on hand of Kentucky bluegrass and orchard grass to make the normal spring seeding. The greatest shortages exist in seed supplies of timothy, forage sorghums, millet, sudan grass, and red and alsike clover. There is enough timothy to seed about half the normal acreage. There is enough red clover to seed about 85 per cent of the normal acreage. There is enough sorgo seed on hand to take care of only one-third of the acreage usually sown. Current supplies of millet and sudan grass seed will sow only about one-half the usual acreage. It is reported, however, that importations are rapidly augmenting supplies of these seeds. Although shortages in adapted varieties of oats, barley, wheat and rye for grain purposes exist in many parts of the drouth area, there is probably an ample supply adapted for use as pastures and for grain hays.