3l6 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



severe. When sown in combination, the mixtures may 

 consist of winter rye or turf oats and sand vetches, of peas 

 and oats, and of several of the small grains sown together. 



The winter crops are of course sown in the autumn 

 and the other crops in the spring. These may be sown in 

 various alternations with each other and also with corn, 

 sorghum and rape, more especially the latter. Thus sown, 

 at least two crops of grazing per year may be grown on the 

 same land. The grazing should begin reasonably early, on 

 the principle that sheep prefer succulent grazing. It should 

 not be deferred so long that the pasture will be seriously 

 harmed from the tramping while being grazed. Cropping 

 off the plants thus early tends to increase the stooling. 



The small cereals more commonly grown to provide 

 grazing for swine, are winter rye, barley, oats, peas and 

 vetches. These are sown singly or in mixtures. The more 

 common of the mixtures are, barley and oats and rye and 

 winter vetches. The grazing of these plants should begin 

 while they are still young, at least before the time of 

 forming the seed bearing stems, except in the case of peas. 

 These are allowed to near maturity before being grazed. 

 The grazing of winter rye and barley is also sometimes 

 carried into the maturing stages of the grain, but such 

 grazing can scarcely be said to be entirely satisfactory in 

 all instances. 



Winter rye for pasture. Winter rye is, beyond all 

 comparison, the most valuable of the small cereals in fur- 

 nishing pasture, as it can be grown in almost every part of 

 the United States and Canada. It is the hardiest of the 

 cereals, will grow on poor soils, comes earliest in the 

 spring and may under many conditions, be made to fur- 

 nish grazing both in the autumn and spring. But when 

 sown quite early in the autumn, under some conditions, 

 it becomes affected with leaf rust, and when sown too late, 

 where the winter climate is rigorous, the plants become so 

 weakened frequently, that the growth in spring is not of 

 much value. Notwithstanding, under all conditions where 



