WINTER BARLEY AND OATS. 177 



unwilling land or under unfavourable skies. In our southern 

 counties, and on light-topped soils, the most suitable circum 

 stances are found for this system of management. Here the 

 fodder crop may be followed with a full root crop, and then 

 the land may be made to support sheep twice first in summer, 

 and again in winter. The most suitable crops for a system of 

 summer fodder-growing are, first, 



THE WINTER CEREAL FODDER CROPS, 



such as rye, winter barley, and winter oats. Of these, the 

 first is the earliest. Rye yields an excellent sheep food. It 

 may be sown any time from midsummer to September. When 

 a turnip crop has failed, and repeated re-sowing has not suc- 

 ceeded, rye may be drilled. Such early-sown rye will furnish 

 a fold for sheep in the autumn, and again in the spring, after 

 which the fold may be broken up and roots planted. More 

 ordinarily rye is sown after a corn crop, in September, and 

 gives a spring feed, or catch crop, before roots are sown. Rye 

 is a wholesome food for sheep as it is slightly binding in its 

 nature, and is thus well adapted for feeding with more laxa- 

 tive foods, such as water-meadow grass or turnip greens. It 

 must be fed young, and before it throws up the seed stem. It 

 leaves the land in good time and in good condition for the 

 earliest root crops, such as mangel wurzel and early rape or 

 turnips. 



WINTER BARLEY 



may be fed with rye. It comes into use slightly later in the 

 season, and is therefore less adapted for following with early 

 root crops. 



WINTER OATS 



are still later, and assist to prolong the period in which these 

 cereal fodder crops may be employed. By the use of these 

 three crops there is no difficulty in producing fodder during 

 about two months of the spring. 

 12 



