MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS. 239 



culty in ridding the land of the plant where seed has 

 been grown, as in the case of black mustard. 



When grown as pasture or as green manure, the 

 seed may be broadcasted on nicely pulverized land 

 and covered with the harrow. From ten to fifteen 

 pounds of seed would be ample to sow an acre, and 

 on soils rich and in a good condition of tilth, prob- 

 ably half that amount would suffice. The seed 

 should not be sown until danger from frost is past, 

 as mustard plants are much susceptible to injury 

 from frosts at any stage in their growth. In warm 

 weather they grow with great rapidity in light soils. 



When mustard is grown for sheep pasture, it 

 may be sown alone or in conjunction with rape. It 

 is believed that when sheep are pastured on a mixed 

 crop of rape and mustard, they are less liable to take 

 injury from bloat than when pastured on rape alone. 

 In other words, the mustard would seem to lessen 

 the hazard. One chief objection to mixing the seeds 

 of mustard and rape to produce such a crop arises 

 from the greater quickness with which the mustard 

 grows. It is ready for being pastured sooner than 

 the rape, hence by the time the rape is ready, the 

 mustard has become in a sense woody. The leaves 

 and pods will be eaten, however, though the stems 

 may be rejected. This difficulty may be obviated, in 

 part at least, by sowing the mustard in one or more 

 portions of the pasture later than the rape. 



Mustard alone is not a sufficient pasture for 

 sheep. When feeding on it they should also have 

 access to grass or other pasture. Although it fur- 

 nishes a healthful food for them, it may lead to purg- 

 ing when they are first turned in upon it if allowed 

 to pasture upon it at will, and the danger is all the 



