Photograph of pasture development and improvement. Beef cattle are grazing on Bermuda pasture overseeded to Dallis grass, yellow hop, black medic and white Dutch clovers. 15 acres cleared and sodded this year. Mr. J. L. Jeffus, the district supervisor in the picture, says “In 1937 I started clearing and retiring 216 acres for pasture. With the assistance of CCC [the Civilian Conservation Corps] we cleared 40 acres of small trees and heavy undergrowth and retired 176 acres of cultivated land that in 1936 had overflowed 13 times before I made a crop. This is rich bottomland that is capable of producing a bale of cotton or 40 bushels of corn per acre but wet seasons made yields uncertain. I’ve moved the pasture every year and it carries 108 head of cattle the year round with only a little hay to help through the winter. The land is worth more in pasture than it be in cultivation even if I made a maximum crop every year. I believe regular mowing has increased the carrying capacity of this pasture four times.” TX-41, 227.

Photograph of beef cattle grazing 20 acres of improved Bermuda grass pasture. Mr. Gunn, in the picture, developed the pasture several years ago from an old cultivated field and said, “I have mowed the weeds twice a year for three years and I’ve about exterminated a heavy growth of broomweed that hampered the Bermuda’s growth. In 3 years of regular mowing my grazing capacity has increased from one animal unit [for every] 3 acres to one animal unit per acre, 8 months out of the year.” Each year he harrows in and spreads the manure dropped by grazing stock and said that the grass cover is still improving. TX-41, 230.

Photograph of pasture development and improvement. Beef cattle grazing Bermuda pastures overseeded to Dallis grass, yellow hop, black medic and white Dutch clovers. 15 acres cleared and sodded this year. Mr. Jeffus, the district supervisor in the picture says, “In 1937, I started clearing and retiring 216 acres for pasture. With assistance of CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps} we cleared 40 acres of small trees and heavy undergrowth and retired 176 acres of cultivated land that in 1936 had overflowed 13 times before I made a crop. This is rich bottomland that is capable of producing a bale of cotton or 40 bushels of corn per acre but wet seasons made yields uncertain. I’ve moved the pasture every year and it carries 108 head of cattle the year round with only a little hay to help through the winter. The land is worth more in pasture than it would be in cultivation even if I made a maximum crop every year. I believe regular moving has increased the carrying capacity of this pasture four times.” TX-41, 227.