Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Jones" <billj AT harborside.com>

> It's a fascinating notion, that agriculture carries on just as well
> without water as with.

***No, Bill, it isn't a "notion" that "agriculture" carries on as well 
without water as with.  That is called reframing and even grammar school 
debate club kids know better than to try that tactic.  It is a *fact* that 
if you plant the right PASTURE grasses you will have good pasture with 
little water to no water for two to three months of the summer.

> My buddy has a book on Coos County soils.

***Again with the books.  Try real life.

As I
> recall it has fascinating tables indicating the number of "animal units"
> that can be produced on pasture from each soil type, in both irrigated
> and unirrigated conditions.  I remember a factor of 3 difference between
> the irrigated and unirrigated, in general.  Would you like more specific
> numbers?  I can look it up if you like.
***You weren't talking about artificial means such as irrigation.  And it 
isn't soil type, it is a combination of soil (type, quality, quantity) to 
rainfall (annual, seasonal) to climate (humidity, fog, degree and intensity 
of heat) with the RIGHT type of pasture mix grasses plus the animal(s) 
(type, age, number) to be grazed.  Any first year aggie student knows that!

> So what you're talking about is just a matter of degrees.  On my very
> tiny place, the same productivity would not be possible if the same
> conditions prevailed as at the neighbors' higher, drier places.
***It is still about type of grasses and ROTATION of pasture!

> Yes, that land in the photo warehouses steers, but it fascinates me to
> think you know what they're all fed.  And of course, it's all
> meaningless without some number of animal units per acre specified.
***Ah, what photo?  The only link I sent was of alpine lakes.  AND, having 
known most of the ranchers in four counties, I know what they fed.  As to 
the number of "animal units," refer to the paragraph above.

> The grass on the higher spots simply hasn't grown any since July here.
***Then you've got the wrong grasses planted for your soil type and annual 
rainfall!

> I've never seen grass grow without water.  We could have had that for a
> lawn in S. California?
***Geez Louise, make up your mind.  Now you're talking apples and oranges. 
Hell, you aren't even talking apples and oranges, you're talking apples and 
sausages!

Plus, again, you seem to forget to whom you type!  Lawns, unlike "dry" 
pastures are generally watered.  It is the nature of the beast.  HOWEVER, 
any first year hortoculture or landscaping student knows that there are 
grasses for lawns that do quite nicely on as little as 1/2" of water a week 
which is something that is quite possible in So. Cal!  So, unlike the 
pasture mix of perrenial rye/orchard grass/wild oat, one would plant one of 
the buffalo grasses or Blue Grama.

Just a hint, anyone with a tiny little itty bitty molecule of sense who 
lives in So. Cal and who wants to have a nice yard would be well versed in 
xeroscaping AND then they wouldn't be so inclined to piss and moan and whine 
about their grass!

Lynda