HAY AND PASTURE CROPS 



99 



The previous table shows that there is approximately 

 twice as much labor and expense in growing an oat crop 

 as in growing a hay crop, even when two cuttings of hay 

 are made. So it is not necessary to get so much from the 

 hay crop as from the grain crop to make as large profits. 



Rotation of Crops. — If you can find in your neighbor- 

 hood a timothy and clover meadow seeded last year, and 

 one on similar land that has been seeded down — that is, 

 raising hay for several years — ^you will see that the new 



Figure 42. — Breaking sod with a traction plow. 



meadow, if a good stand has been secured, will give a larger 

 yield than the old. Likewise a meadow or pasture plowed 

 up will usually raise a larger crop of corn or grain than will 

 a field that has not been in grass for several years. These 

 facts show that both the meadow and the grain and 

 corn crops will yield more if new meadows are seeded 

 each year and old ones plowed for other crops. This means 

 rotation of crops, and illustrates an advantage of the practice. 

 Questions: 



1. Name some of the advantages of the hay crop. 



2. How does the cost of raising oats and hay compare? 



3. How does the yield of hay from an old meadow compare with 

 the yield from a newly seeded meadow. 



4. What can you say of the rotation of crops? 



