22 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING 



for supplementary feed to scant pastures during 

 summer droughts. 



The production of soiling crops results in inten- 

 sive methods of farming, as not only large yields 

 are produced from single crops, but two and some- 

 times three crops are grown upon an acre the same 

 season. (See page 37.) This necessitates heavy 

 applications of manure and fertilizers in order to 

 maintain the fertility of the soil. Green manuring is 

 also practiced in connection with soiling to advan- 

 tage. 



Laying out the farm for soiling. When forage 

 crops are depended upon entirely as food for the 

 dairy herd in summer, it is a desirable plan to lay 

 out the farm on paper in one or two acre plots 

 (See page 23), decide what crops should be grown, 

 amount and kind of fertilizer to be applied, 

 and figure how much forage can be secured from 

 each acre, allowing for droughts and other unfavor- 

 able conditions. He can then calculate the number 

 of cows his farm will carry through the summer. 



It may seem, at first, a difficult matter to do this, 

 but by studying thoroughly the productive capacity 

 of the farm for a number of years the calculation can 

 be made almost to a nicety. This calculation can 

 be made during the winter, when the dairyman is 

 less busy with the field work. The seed and the 

 fertilizer need to be ordered, tools put in repair, and 

 everything made ready for the spring work. It has 

 been my experience that land devoted entirely to 

 forage crops will carry three cows per acre for six 

 months from May ist to November ist. 



