THE COMMON CEREALS. 



peas and vetches has already been considered in 

 Chapter VI. All these grains unless it be peas, can 

 be grown in both the winter and spring varieties. 

 The four first named can be grown in some portion, 

 or portions of every state in the Union and of every 

 province of Canada. South of the fortieth parallel 

 they do not generally grow so freely as north of that 

 line, hence they are not so valuable for producing 

 green food as some other crop or crops better adapted 

 to soils that are frequently low in plant food, or 

 lacking in moisture. 



Wheat is usually considered too valuable to be 

 used as soiling food, and yet there are some localities, 

 where it can be more cheaply grown for such a use 

 than almost any other kind of food. These localities 

 include much of the land in the northerly portions of 

 the semi-arid belt east of the Rocky mountains, the 

 Palouse and Walla Walla areas of Washington, and 

 limited areas in northwestern Oregon. In all these 

 areas wheat is grown as hay, and where it furnishes 

 a highly prized food for hay it will also furnish a 

 very suitable soiling food. There are other areas 

 so perfectly adapted to the growth of immense crops 

 of oats that this plant can be made to furnish green 

 food more cheaply than any other. Such are certain 

 river valleys west of the Cascade mountains. Barley, 

 although it grows very rapidly, is commonly too 

 low in production to make it a profitable soiling 

 crop, but it will produce green food under a greater 

 variety of conditions than any of the other cereals 

 tinder consideration. In addition to its being low 

 in palatability there is the objection that it is com- 

 monly in season for feeding when grass is plentiful. 



