THE COMMON CEREALS. 185 



extent of the pasture and other conditions. The 

 more vigorous the growth of the plants, and the 

 larger the area of the pasture in proportion to the 

 live stock that are to feed upon it, the earlier should 

 the pasturing begin. Ordinarily, it should be sev- 

 eral inches high before turning in the live stock upon 

 it. When it can be grazed so as to prevent the 

 plants from reaching the jointing stage, much more 

 pasture will be obtained than under conditions the 

 opposite, since it will then grow again. 



Such pasture is excellent for all kinds of live 

 stock. There is no danger that the animals will be 

 injured by bloating when feeding upon it. But care 

 should always be taken to avoid making a sudden 

 change from all-grass pasture to all-grain pasture, 

 lest disturbance should arise in the digestion. Such 

 pasture is excellent in stimulating milk production, 

 hence lambs that are still nursing grow rapidly upon 

 it, and cows in milk produce abundantly. 



Sheep and swine may be allowed to remain 

 upon grain pastures all the time, when the weather 

 is dry, and the same is also true of cattle and horses, 

 but it is not a good plan to keep the latter upon them 

 all the time, more especially when the growth is 

 somewhat advanced, as they injure it more by tread- 

 ing and lying down upon it than they would if 

 removed from the pasture when they had eaten a 

 sufficiency of it. 



Observations. i. It \vould be impossible to 

 state just when one or another of these mixtures 

 should be preferred under all conditions. However, 

 peas and oats or oats and barley have been found 

 very suitable in providing sheep pasture. Barley 

 alone or with a moderate addition of oats makes an 



