THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART II. 75 



solve one of the most difficult problems that is now presented to the 

 Iowa farmer, namely, that of getting a stand of clover. There is need 

 for some plant of this character in our rotations in order to make addi- 

 tions to the nitrogen supply in the soil. Red clover frequently fails 

 because the nurse crop smothers it out, while it is not sufficiently strong 

 to resist weed growth when it is sown without a nurse crop. Even 

 when it comes through the first summer there is considerable danger 

 that it will be winter killed. Alfalfa, on the other hand, is a much 

 deeper rooting plant and when once established sends its roots beyond 

 the region where frost can do harm. The ordinary drouth such as we are 

 apt to have in Iowa has little or no injurious effect on the alfalfa plant, 

 owing to the fact that it obtains its moisture supply from the lower soil 

 and subsoil. 



The last plant about which I wish to speak is very different in its 

 characteristics from any of those that have been mentioned, it being im- 

 possible to cure it in any way so as to make hay. I refer to rape. An 

 exceedingly small area of the state is devoted to this crop at the present 

 time, but where it is grown there are few crops that are more highly 

 spoken of. Rape must be used primarily for pasture. It may be sown 

 almost any time after spring opens until the middle of August. Bare 

 feed lots may be made to produce enormous crops of rape, it being only 

 necessary to scatter over the surface four or five pounds of rape seed 

 per acre early in the spring and run a disc over the surface. Where 

 whole fields are devoted to this crop the soil is generally well worked 

 down and the rape sown either in rows or broadcast. If sown in rows 

 these should be placed from twenty-six to thirty inches apart, and two 

 or three pounds of seed should be sown per acre. When the crop is put 

 in in this manner it affords an opportunity for cleaning the land by the 

 use of the one-horse cultivator. It is also practicable to sow one or two 

 pounds of rape seed per acre along with cereals. In this case the crop 

 comes on and furnishes fall pasture after the cereal crop is removed. In 

 South Dakota and Minnesota thousands of sheep are annually fed off of 

 rape when put in after this manner. Rape makes almost a perfect food 

 for sheep, lambs or hogs, and hogs indeed may be used to advantage as a 

 fall pasture for steers. There is just a little danger that bloating will be 

 induced when animals are first turned on, but if a little care is exercised 

 this may be prevented. It has been ascertained that animals pasturing 

 on rape will make better gains if they have access to a pasture. It cannot 

 be fed with impunity to milk cows, owing to the fact that it is apt to 

 taint the dairy products. Rape may be pastured at almost any period 

 of its growth, although it is generally advisable to allow it to make con- 

 siderable top before pasturing it extensively. We have many times seen 

 instances where this crop proved very disappointing, owing to the fact 

 that it was too heavily pastured during the early part of its growth. If 

 it is left alone for six or seven weeks after germination there will in all 

 probability be considerable top, and this means that there will be a strong 

 root growth. After this period the crop will generally grow fast enough 

 to keep pace with the pasturing, providing of course that the number 



