SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 681 



corn, but just before the harrowing referred to is given. The rape 

 plants will probably be much crowded by the corn but after the corn is 

 eaten they will probably provide considerable pasture. In the middle 

 and southern states it may be well to sow sand vetch seed with the corn, 

 at the rate of say one-half bushel of seed per acre. After the corn is 

 eaten the vetch should furnish autumn grazing and also the following 

 spring. The writer has tried sowing rape seed in corn for grazing, but 

 not the sand vetch. The latter, however, should succeed well under the 

 conditions named. 



The corn should be allowed to make considerable growth before the 

 grazing begins. When grazed down after the plants have formed a 

 joint they will not grow again like the sorghums, and if grazed before 

 they joint, subsequently growth is weakened. The stage of advancement 

 should depend somewhat on the area to be grazed and the relatives size 

 of the flock. If the desire is to consume all the pasture, then the grazing 

 should begin reasonably early, but if it is only intended to consume a 

 part and plough down the rest to bring humus to the land, then it 

 should begin later. Usually the corn may be considered ready for graz- 

 ing when it is as tall as a mature sheep. The sheep will break down not 

 a little of the corn but they will consume much of that broken down when 

 it cures. If the area is not too large they will in time practically clean up 

 the pasture. They should not be grazed on the pasture when it is wet 

 for reasons that will be obvious. 



I do not wish to be understood as advocating the sowing of such pas- 

 ture in preference to some other pastures that may be named, as for 

 instance rape. But corn may be grown under certain conditions where 

 rape would fail. Rape on good ground will make about as much grazing 

 as corn in a normal season and the quality will be better. The quality 

 of the grazing furnished by lequmes is also superior. Nevertheless, 

 corn may be grown to provide grazing for sheep with decided advantage 

 in certain instances, three of which will be discussed. 



First, it may furnish grazing when other plants would probably fail 

 to grow. For instance it may be possible to get a stand of corn when th« 

 surface soil is so dry that rape and sorghum would not start. Corn can 

 be buried more deeply than either and it is a much stronger plant when 

 it begins to grow. It will also make a reasonable growth in soils too 

 poor or too much worn to make even a reasonable growth of rape. 



Second, it may be grown with much profit when the object is to 

 improve land quickly and cheaplj^ that will not grow even red clover. 

 Poor sandy soils are of this class. Such improvement may be made most 

 readily in conjunction with rye pasture. Rye will grow more or less 

 on almost any sandy soil when moisture is present. The plan would be 

 to sow winter rye early in the autumn and graze it down with sheep the 

 following spring. Then drill in corn as outlined above and graze this 

 down. Follow the corn with winter rye again and in the next spring 

 sow clover on this rye. It would pretty certainly grow in a normal sea- 

 son, and when once clover grows on such land the victory is won. One 

 cannot well imagine a cheaper way of bringing up siich land, as the 



