FOOD FROM CURED FODDERS 2OQ 



to oats tall and coarse. It is important that the crop snail 

 be prevented from lodging, otherwise its quality will be 

 proportionately lowered. 



In wheat, oat, barley and flax hay, the flax is sown to 

 furnish what is the equivalent of oil meal to the fodder. The 

 amount to sow must be determined by the conditions of 

 each locality. The more rank the growth of the other 

 plants in the mixture, the more the amount of the flax re- 

 quired and -vice versa. Usually from 2 to 4 quarts an acre 

 will suffice. Hay properly made from these grains, much 

 relished by cattle and useful in feeding sheep, is of highest 

 value relatively for horses. 



Millet hay. Millet in all its varieties is more com- 

 monly grown as a catch crop in the United States and Can- 

 ada than as the principal crop of the season. It is pecu- 

 liarly adapted for being grown thus, owing to the short 

 period it occupies the land. It will usually mature a hay 

 crop in from 60 to 75 days from the date of sowing. It 

 grows best during the warm weather of summer, and it 

 may be successfully grown on any land that will grow good 

 corn. Its value for hay depends much on the season of 

 cutting and also on the method adopted in curing the crop. 

 If cut too early, the hay is lacking in body and yield, and 

 when fed freely tends more or less to induce scouring. If 

 cut too late, it becomes so woody that more or less of the 

 coarser parts will be left uneaten by the stock to which it is 

 fed. Much of the seed will also shatter, and that which does 

 not is so hard that it may cause more or less irritation in the 

 digestive organs. To make hay suitable for feeding to live 

 stock generally, it should be cut when a golden tint begins 

 to show in the heads on looking over the field. The curing 

 should be about the same as would be suitable for curing 

 first class quality of clover hay. When properly cured the 

 hay should be green rather than brown. No class of hay 

 varies more in value because of variations in the modes of 

 making it. When made as outlined, it is an excellent fod- 

 der adjunct for cattle, horses and sheep. But, usually, it 



