BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE 157 



be taken to harvest this crop early. A succession of this feed, cover- 

 ing about three weeks, can be secured by sowing at three successive 

 periods, with a week or ten days between each sowing period. 



Rape. This is an excellent soiling crop, but its use cannot be 

 generally recommended for dairy cows, owing to the peculiar pun- 

 gent odor which characterizes it and which seriously affects the milk 

 of cows. In seeding rape for either purpose it should be sown in 

 May on well-prepared ground, at the rate of about two and a half 

 pounds of seed per acre, in rows thirty inches apart, using an ordi- 

 nary garden drill. This plant yields an immense weight of very pal- 

 atable feed per acre. It should be cut about five inches from the 

 ground, when it will make a very rapid second growth. A horse hoe 

 should be run between the rows several times after the first cutting 

 to stir the soil. 



Flint Corn. This corn gives a slightly larger yield than the 

 dent variety and usually matures earlier for feeding purposes. It is 

 of a very leafy habit of growth and is eaten very greedily by the cows. 

 It can be planted somewhat earlier than the dent varieties, seeming 

 to have more germinating vitality. It is best planted thickly in rows 

 three feet eight inches apart and the plants four to five inches apart 

 in the row. Seeding thus thickly insures finer stalks, more leaves, 

 and the feed is eaten with less refuse. The amount of feed yielded 

 from a small area is very surprising. 



Sorghum. Sorghum is one of the most valuable of all soiling 

 crops. It is ahead of field corn in value, though Evergreen Sweet 

 corn comes very close to it. In 1902 an acre was sown May 26th, 

 and harvested Sept. 4th, when it yielded the enormous amount of 

 40.4 tons per acre. This is considerably above the average yield, but 

 it shows the possibilities of the crop. The kind recommended to sow 

 is northern grown seed of the Early Amber variety. Sorghum is a 

 southern plant and thrives best in hot, dry summer weather. The 

 soil should be well cultivated at several successive periods previous to 

 sowing in order to germinate and destroy all weed seeds. The sor- 

 ghum grows very slowly during the first weeks of its life, and much 

 benefit can be derived by harrowing it thoroughly with a light slant 

 toothed harrow when a few inches high. In 1901 an experiment 

 was conducted to find whether light or heavy seeding would give the 

 better yield. Three plots side by side were sown on the same day 

 with an ordinary grain drill. The results are as follows: Sorghum 

 from one seeding cannot be fed for a longer period than about fifteen 

 days, because the stalks become very hard when mature and much 

 waste results from the animals refusing to eat this portion of the 

 plants. 



Sweet Corn. The Evergreen has been the variety used and it 

 gives very large yields. The growth being shorter than that of field 

 corn and the stalks smaller, there is not so much waste in feeding. 

 The yield of total dry matter per acre is far in excess of either dent 

 or flint corn, and the fodder is more palatable. If drilled thickly in 

 rows the crop is not as likely to lodge under the influence of wind 

 and rain as if sown broadcast. This makes an excellent crop for fall 



