180 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA 



permitted to liead it becomes woody and makes very 

 inferior hay, and the clover does not come on again 

 so quickly. 



OATS AND ALFALFA PASTURE. 



Oats sown early in the spring with clover or 

 alfalfa form an excellent pasture for about two 

 months in late spring and early summer, following 

 the use of rye. Oats should be sown on good soil 

 or should be well fertilized and may be sown rather 

 thickly, as much as two bushels per acre, with about 

 a peck of clover or alfalfa. If the land is well 

 drained a clay loam with limestone in it alfalfa 

 will make the best growth and pasture. Eed clover, 

 however, thrives on thinner soils than alfalfa and 

 is the pioneer among the legumes. On any rich 

 limestone clay soils, however, alfalfa is the queen 

 of forage crops from Labrador to the Gulf. In de- 

 pasturing oats where legumes have been sown with 

 them some judgment must be exercised else the deli- 

 cate clovers will suffer. It is well to allow the oats 

 to get up about eight inches high, then turn in and 

 permit the sheep to eat them down pretty close, 

 which should be done in three or four days. If 

 there are not enough sheep to do that, divide the 

 field by temporary fences or hurdles, depasturing 

 a part at a time. 



As soon as the oats are eaten down take the sheep 

 off and let the plants come again. They may thus 

 be repeatedly grazed and the result will be a beau- 

 tiful stand of clover or alfalfa. 



After midsummer, however, it may be wise to 



