SOILING AND PASTURING. 429 



upon our best grass to help out deficient crops upon the soiling 

 ground. Of course, the better the conditio i of the land, and the 

 longer it has been used for soiling, the less will be the liability of 

 such' requirement. 



In favorable seasons, the soiling commences about the 15th of 

 May, at which time rye, sown upon good land, will be high enough 

 for cutting to be advantageously commenced, and it should be 

 commenced some time before the crop heads out. Feeding from 

 this crop may be continued until the grain is pretty well formed, 

 but it should not be continued after the straw begins to grow hard 

 and yellow. That portion of the rye which was cut off, after 

 heading out, will produce nothing more, but that which was first 

 cut will have shot up again, and will generally be ready for a 

 second cutting by the time the whole field has been gone over. 

 Matters should be so arranged that the rye will last until the early 

 part of June, when, unless the area of rye is very large, the reli- 

 ance for two or three weeks must be upon clover and grass which 

 have been top-dressed for a heavy crop. 



Late in June, the earliest sown oats will begin to be fit for the 

 scythe, and cutting upon them, and again upon the second and 

 third sowings, may be continued until the straw commences to 

 grow hard. They should form the chief reliance until about the 

 first of August, when the sowed corn will be large enough for 

 cutting. With this, as with the rye, that cut in an early stage of 

 its growth will shoot up again and give a good second crop. By 

 the aid of these second and third cuttings, the corn should be able 

 to furnish all that will be required, until the danger of frost makes 

 it necessary to cut it up for curing. After this, for a short time, 

 the second growth, or aftermath, of the mowing lands, may be 

 resorted to ; and when the grass begins to lose condition, and 

 even far into December, the leaves of carrots, mangel-wurzels, and 

 rutabagas, will form a valuable addition to the food ; and they and 

 imperfectly developed cabbages may be used to usher in the slowly 

 commencing feeding of hay and dried soiling crops. If the leaves, 

 cabbages, etc., are properly protected at this cool season of the 

 year, they may be kept fresh and succulent pretty nearly until 



