52 FORAGE CROPS 



has resumed its vegetative functions. If applied 

 earlier than this, the rate of absorption will be 

 slower, and the danger of loss from leaching will 

 be greater. The application may be made broadcast 

 by hand, or with a good fertilizer distributer. As 

 the nitrate is a heavy salt, and it is difficult evenly 

 to distribute the small quantities usually recom- 

 mended, it should preferably be mixed with some 

 other substance, as plaster, bran, sawdust, or dry 

 earth. 



Seeding and harvesting 



The quantity of seed will vary according to the 

 character of the soil. Ordinarily, when rye is 

 seeded for forage, it is desirable that it should be 

 thick, even though under good appropriation of 

 food the plants will stool largely. If the seeding 

 is thick, the great number of shoots will thicken 

 the forage and make it useful for a soiling crop 

 for a longer period, because the finer the stem the 

 longer will the plant remain palatable. 



When grown primarily for forage, the quantity 

 of seed should be greater than when the crop is 

 grown for grain, — usually two bushels per acre. 



The yield per acre, even under good methods of 

 management, will vary widely, according to char- 

 acter of soil and season. The range is from four 

 to twelve tons per acre. In experiments at the 

 New Jersey Station, the average yield for seven 



