114 FORAGE CROPS. 



If the pasture should grow so fast that the 

 sheep could not properly utilize it, the residue could 

 be made into hay. But when so used, the sheep 

 should be removed from the pasture some time pre- 

 vious to cutting the crop for fodder. And when 

 the crop is pastured for a time and the second growth 

 is made into hay, it will furnish the finest of hay; 

 since the effect of the first pasturing is to cause the 

 grain to stool out more than it otherwise would. As 

 a result the hay will be finer. But there may be 

 instances in which the yield of the second growth 

 would be very light, as on heavy and poor soils in 

 a dry season. And it should not be forgotten that 

 if the oats are allowed to joint, or the peas to form 

 miniature buds for blossoming before they are 

 grazed down, their power to grow subsequently will 

 be greatly lessened. 



Peas are usually pastured by swine before they 

 are matured, or after they are matured. When pas- 

 tured before the peas are ripe, it is common to begin 

 when the seeds are about ready to cook, and to con- 

 tinue the grazing until the peas are ripe or until they 

 are all consumed. If the swine are turned in to 

 glean at the stage indicated, they eat also of 

 the green portions of the vine, hence the waste 

 of straw is much less if the gleaning can be all 

 done while the peas are not yet quite ripe. This 

 can be accomplished when the patch or field is not 

 too large. 



Swine should not be turned into a field of peas 

 green or ripe and left there for a long period at the 

 first. There is danger that the green peas will 

 derange the digestion and that the ripe peas will 

 swell in the stomach so as to cause death through its 



