288 THE CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



fodder thus preserved has afforded full provision for one 

 cow or ox for 40 months. 



Pasturing is a wasteful practice except upon very cheap 

 lands and Avhere labor is scarce. Where land is worth $50 

 an acre and upwards, it is a practice that is far from eco- 

 nomical unless in a few special cases where partial pasturing 

 at times is desirable. Instead of pasturing, green fodder 

 crops are thus grown, and cut and fed to stock in yards or 

 lots. 



For the purposes of winter feeding there are several other 

 crops besides grass, which may be grown very profitably 

 and .will yield twice or three times as much as grass will ; 

 and besides by choosing the right crops which follow each 

 other as soon as one is cut and used, another becomes ready ; 

 so that a succession of food is provided for the stock; while 

 in pasturing, the grass is only in the best condition for a 

 short time. In this way the costly land in the neighbor- 

 hood of large towns and cities may be worked with more 

 profit than the cheaper farms which are remote from mar- 

 kets. For dairying, this system of growing fodder crops is 

 indispensable to success. 



CLOVER is the first fodder crop which demands consider- 

 ation, both for its value for all purposes for which it is grown, 

 and for its easy culture. The introduction of this plant in- 

 to agriculture marked an era in the history of the art, for 

 it certainly worked a revolution in its practice. Clover be- 

 longs to the leguminous or pod bearing order of plants, of 

 which the pea and bean are the typical examples. It has 

 some special characteristics which should not go unnoticed 

 here. It has a long fusiform or spindle shaped tap root 

 which penetrates deep into the soil, extending sometimes 3 

 or 4 feet before it passes into the form of fibers. These long 

 roots extend the feeding space of the plant very considera- 

 bly, and explain the interesting fact that a crop of clover 

 is able to gather from the soil as much nitrogen as 5 crops 

 of wheat; as much potash as 4 crops; and as much lime as 

 8 crops ; and thus bring to the surface and leave in its roots 

 and stubble, so much additional amount of plant food for 



