FORAGE CROPS. 



There has within recent years been an increasing demand for 

 information concerning forage crops. With many, meadows and 

 pastures have proven insufiicient to meet the demands made upon 

 them and it has become a serious question as to the best manner 

 for supplying the deficiency. The causes of the deficiency are 

 various and far reaching but the resuUs are the same. Especially 

 in the dairy sections has the failure been most keenly felt and 

 there has arisen a demand for information concerning forage and 

 soiling crops. 



Many successful farmers of the state who have practiced 

 soiling, the growing of crops to be cut and fed green, have found 

 the plan more satisfactory than depending entirely upon pastures, 

 and the soiling system with them has become firmly established. 

 Much of the land which has for years been devoted to permanent 

 pasture or permanent meadow has ceased to be profitably pro- 

 ductive, and where the tillage of such lands is practicable, ordi- 

 narily better returns would be secured were they devoted to the 

 production of special forage crops. Short rotations and intensive 

 agriculture must largely take the place of the permanent meadows 

 and pastures where the land has been allowed to remain in sod 

 year after year until the moss and the daisies have so taken pos- 

 session that the fields looks more like huge flower beds than 

 grass plats. Hardly a summer passes during which droughts more 

 or less severe are not experienced. The effect of these droughts 

 is always seen most quickly on the meadows and pastures and 

 when this is observed there should be immediately available some 

 forage crop which can be drawn upon to tide the stock over the 

 dry time and give the pastures opportunity to recover. 

 This is especially important in the dairy sections of the 

 state where the milk supply should be kept up, no 

 matter what the conditions of the weather. For the past few 

 years the horn fly has been such a pest at times that some have 

 adopted the practice of blanketing their cow^s to protect them 



