SHEEP PASTURES. 267 



1897, the clover blossomed and produced much seed, 

 but the crop was left to enter the winter undisturbed. 



Rape was the next pasture ready. It, too, was 

 sown as soon as the ground was suitable, and it was 

 sufficiently grown for being grazed just after the 

 first grazing of the peas and oats. In one instance 

 it was eaten down four times during the season. 

 Figure 28 represents the grazing of this crop the sec- 

 ond time it was eaten down. In another instance it 

 was grazed off twice and then the clover sown along 

 with the rape was allowed to grow undisturbed. In 

 yet other instances it was allowed to approach the 

 maximum of full growth, and after being grazed 

 down was followed by such crops as sorghum, or 

 cabbage. More food was obtained from the last 

 named method, but it also involved more labor. 

 Rape was also sown at various times as the season 

 progressed, so that a reserve of rape pasture w r as 

 usually on hand when wanted, from the middle of 

 June until the end of October. In point of pala- 

 tability rape should probably be given the first place 

 among the forage plants that were grown. 



The first grazing of the rape was no sooner 

 completed than corn, or corn and rape sown 

 together, was ready. Corn that had reached a foot 

 in hight never grew again when eaten down. In 

 some instances, therefore, this crop w r hen consumed 

 was at once followed by another crop, as rape, sor- 

 ghum, or rape and winter rye. But in one instance 

 the rape was allowed to produce a second growth, 

 with results that were on the whole encouraging. 

 More pasture was obtained, however, from the two 

 crops grown in succession than from the two suc- 

 cessive Brazings of the one crop, but more labor was 



