VI 



ANNUAL FORAGE PLANTS 



117. Annual Forage Plants are a class of annuals which are 

 characterized by the production of abundant vegetative growth 

 during the first year from seeding. An essential feature of a 

 successful annual forage plant is that it should produce seed 

 abundantly and cheaply, in order not to make the cost of seeding 

 too expensive. This is more important than with perennial 

 forage crops, where a single seeding produces two or more 

 crops. The mere fact that an annual plant makes a high yield 

 per acre does not necessarily commend it for general cultivation. 



Ordinarily this class of plants enters into American farm 

 economy incidentally. Thus the cereals produce as by-products 

 large quantities of straw and stover used as food and bedding 

 for domestic animals. In certain portions of the United States 

 where the standard perennial forage grasses are less successful 

 the cereals are frequently harvested for hay. In 1900, 6 per 

 cent, of the area in hay and forage crops consisted of cereals 

 cut green, not including the large acreage of maize cut for 

 silage or fodder. More than half the acreage of the smaller 

 cereals used for hay is in California, Oregon, and Washington, 

 and consists chiefly of barley and wheat. In other portions 

 of the country oats are used, and in Canada especially the 

 sowing of oats and peas to be cut for soiling or forage is not 

 uncommon. (C. A. 405) In eastern United States rye is also 

 used for soiling purposes. (C. A. 491) 



In addition to the common cereals, the millets and other 

 closely allied plants are grown in various parts of the United 

 States for forage. These are usually grown as "catch" crops, 



in 



