166 FARM ANIMALS 



ten to one hundred times as much material can 

 be obtained from the land by a suitable system 

 of rotation. Not only is the amount of forage 

 increased, but it is in better condition on account 

 of being in a more active stage of growth than 

 is the case with native grasses, which begin to 

 turn brown and dry up in late summer and, there- 

 fore, do not tend to keep up the milk flow. Suc- 

 cessful dairying, where suitable land is at hand 

 for pasturing, depends to a very large extent on 

 the proper management of such land for the pro- 

 duction of large amounts of succulent forage. As 

 already indicated, a great variety of forage plants 

 may be pastured, but the most nutritious of these 

 and the most effective in making milk are the 

 legumes. Some of the cereals like winter rye 

 and winter wheat may be depended upon to pro- 

 duce a very early growth of green forage and are, 

 therefore, of great value for that purpose. Pas- 

 ture, however, does not compare favorably in the 

 amount of forage produced with soiling since 

 the animals tramp down and soil or destroy a 

 certain amount of the forage in pasture, even 

 under the best possible conditions. In the south- 

 ern states the utilization of pasture may extend 

 over a much longer period than in the North, 

 where the growing season is relatively much 

 shorter. 



In the western states a large number of native 

 prairie grasses have been found very effective 

 in producing milk. Orchard grass, English blue 

 grass, red clover, and brome grass make a large 

 milk flow under ordinary conditions. Moreover, 

 brome grass withstands dry weather quite success- 

 fully and is, therefore, indicated in regions where 

 a summer drouth prevails. Green wheat and 



