136 FOR BETTER CROPS 



When oats are sown for hay, the average amount of seed 

 sown may be fixed at three bushels per acre in humid climates, 

 but the quantities should be reduced with decrease in humidity. 

 Wheat and barley, if grown without irrigation, should not be 

 sown in greater quantity than, say, one and one-half to two 

 bushels an acre. Cowpeas are usually sown alone for hay at the 

 rate of about one bushel per acre. Oats and peas are commonly 

 sown at the rate of two and one-half bushels per acre, of which 

 the proportion of peas will vary from one to one and a half 

 bushels according to the soil adaption. When vetches are sown 

 with other grain, the whole amount sown may be put at two 

 and one-half bushels, of which one bushel or more is vetches. 

 Except where the conditions are very dry, about eight bushels of 

 seed is sown per acre in order to make the hay fine, along with 



The 'work of stacking made easy 



about one bushel of millet seed. When grains are sown in 

 mixtures and pastured', from two to three bushels are sown and 

 the usual amount of grass and clover seeds. 



Harvesting Hay — It is exceedingly important that hay 

 should be harvested at the proper season. If cut too early, tiiere 

 is a great loss of nutrients througli loss in bulk and weight. If 

 cut at too advanced a stage, there is serious loss in palatability, 

 and also in digestible nutrients. The loss from undue (delay in 

 cutting is least from crops that produce only one cutting in the 

 season, and greatest from those that produce more than one. 

 Alfalfa and medium red clover are of the last named class, hence 

 delay in cutting one crop is followed by serious shrinkage in the 

 next crop in addition to the loss in feeding value in the crop 

 thus cut at too advanced a period. 



