CORNELL READING-COURSE 

 FOR FARMERS. 



Issued by the College of Agriculture, Cornell University, 

 Ithaca, N. Y., in the months of November, December, 

 January, February and Maich. 



Entered at the post-office at Ithaca, N. Y., as second class 

 matter under act of July, 189U, 



RE ADING-LESSO N 



NO. 10. 



MARCH, 1901. 



BY .JOHN CRAIG. 



SOILING CROPS AND SILAGE. 



Fodders wJiich are grown to he fed to domestic animals in a 

 green uncured condition are called soiling crops. — The growing of 

 soiling crops is a fairly well established practice in the principal 

 dairying sections of the State. It might be greatly extended with 

 profit to all farmers who follow dairying or mixed husbandry. A 

 soiling crop is another name for a green food ; complete soiling is 

 practiced when cattle are housed or coniined in yards and fed on 

 green feed raised for this purpose ; these crops are also used to sup- 

 plement the pasture forage which usually becomes limited in 

 quantity and tough in quality on the advent of hot dry midsummer 

 weather; in this case the system is called "half soiling." 



JSy soiling^ more cattle may he hept on a farm than if the land 

 is kept in pasture and mead oio. — Experiments have demonstrated 

 that by the judicious use of soiling crops twice and perhaps three 

 times as many cattle can be kept on a given piece of land as the 

 same piece will support when soiling methods are not employed. 

 Under the most intensive soiling systems the cattle are housed and 

 the food cut and carried to them ; another plan is to feed them in a 

 yard or lot ; a third allows them to graze on a part of the field till 

 the available food is consumed, when another area is thrown open. 

 The method a farmer should choose will depend on tlie kind of 

 crops and the class of animal. The chief thing is to economize food 

 and labor. It is probable that the owner will administer the food 

 supply more economically than the animal. It would obviously be 

 bad management and poor economy to turn a herd of steers into an 

 acre of growing corn — probably more corn fodder would be 



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