106 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



from the appearance of the silk to final ripening. Experi- 

 ments have shown that an acre of field corn will yield a total 

 of about three tons of digestible nutrients. Fodder left out 

 in the shock during the winter is injured more or less in feed- 

 ing value, losing in nutriment through mould and weather- 

 ing. 



Oats do best in the cooler sections of the North, but so- 

 called winter oats do well in the South. This crop may be 

 pastured or cut and fed green when of sufficient maturity. 

 In New England many farmers grow oats to cut and cure 

 as hay when the grain is in the milk. Oat straw is one of 

 the best, both in nutritive value and in being relished by 

 stock. A combination of oats and Canada field peas, from 

 equal amounts of seed sowed early in spring, makes a very 

 desirable green crop for feeding in June and July. 



Rye has been much used both as fall and spring pasture. 

 It mats up into a thick growth, and can be grazed with 

 advantage to the grain yield if not pastured too long or too 

 heavily, or it may be cut green and fed in the stable or feed 

 lot. Many persons grow rye and turn stock on it to harvest 

 it entirely. Hogs are frequently turned in, and they con- 

 sume both stalk and grain. Dairy cattle should not be fed 

 rye, except soon after milking, otherwise a strong and 

 unpleasant odor in the plant will be likely to give a bad 

 flavor to the milk. Rye straw is a very poor feed, having 

 less than 1 per cent of protein and a great deal of fiber. 



Wheat and barley may be used after the same manner 

 as rye, and have much the same value, though they are not 

 pastured as advantageously as the rye. Barley makes a 

 nice soft hay, and is relished by stock of all kinds. Of the 

 cereal straws, barley ranks close to oats as one of the best. 

 The sorghums represent a valuable group of forage 

 plants, and are especially suited to the dry-farming lands of 

 the West and Southwest. They will thrive under conditions 

 of lack of moisture, when corn would not grow. There are 



