WINTER RYE FOR EARLY SPRING FEED. 



From thfi New England Farmer. 



The rollowino; article, which we copy irom the 

 Journal of the Koyal Aijriculiural Society of Eng- 

 land, is worthy of attention by many farmers in 

 this country. The lenj^th of our winters, and the 

 lateness of the season before ourcowa and young 

 stock can gel a good supply of feed from our pas- 

 tures, render it very desirable to find some article 

 which may answer (or feeding or soiling earlier 

 than any that is in general use amons us. Rye is 

 eometimes sown for feed, but when it looUs well, 

 the farmer is reluctant to turn in his catile upon it. 

 But its luxuriance would not be objected to by his 

 stock, and he must get over his compunctions. 

 Our Indian corn crop attords us an opportunity to 

 resort to the rye more conveniently than the Eng- 

 lish farmer can. We can sow our seed at the 

 last time nf hoeing the corn, and the work is done. 

 The great obstacle in the way heie is, the fact that 

 our corn in most cases covers only a part of the 

 field, and we cannot feed the rye without turning 

 other lar/ds out to pasture also. With us, unless 

 we go more extensively into the cultivation of tur- 

 nips, or some other crop that can be sown later 

 than we generally do, we must give up the land to 

 the rye (or an entire year. But we think this 

 would be good husbandry for many farmers whose 

 pastures are short. 



The article below was based upon English soil 

 and climate— but the necessary adaptations to our 

 circumstances anv farmer is competent to make. — 

 Ed. N. E. F. " 



on early spring feed. 



By Matthew M. Milbury. 



The increased quantity of stock which the 

 farmer is ennbled to keep by the introduction and 

 successlul cultivation of green crops requires his 

 best attention to furnish ihern with a constant sup- 

 ply of green food, especially such portion of his 

 stock as are not intended (or fiittening. The use 

 of the artificial grasses on arable land in summer, 

 and of turnips in the winter, has been brought as 

 near perfection as may be ; but it is quite certain 

 that the wants of the sheep and cattle, from the 

 time when the turnips are consumed to that when 

 the grasses become available, are not equally well 

 provided for. In order, as far as possible, to reme- 

 dy this deficiency, recourse has been had to the 

 cultivation of turnips which long retain their nutri- 

 tious qualities, and the Swede has been truly inva- 

 luable for this purpose. But while these roots have 

 /iirnished very palatable and nutritious food for one 

 portion of the stock, they have altogether failed for 

 the young — the principal object oi' the breeder's 

 anxiety. For as well as having an abundant flow 

 of milk from the dam, every breeder is desirous of 

 training the young stock to help themselves as 

 eoon as there is food of a proper quality available 

 for them ; and if ilie young lambs in particular are 

 kept from green food until they are turned into the 

 Vol. X.-47 



gross clover leys with their dams, there is great 

 danger that, a portion of them will be lost. It is 

 generally desirable to keep the clover leys free at 

 least until May, and long be'bre that time the 

 young stock should be trained to eat a considera- 

 ble portion of green food. 



With the view of supplying this want, several 

 crops have been cultivated for early feed in the 

 spring, with greater or less success, and under 

 greater or less disadvantage, according to circum- 

 stances, but the farmer who occupies a poor soil 

 is, more than any o'her, under the necessity of 

 grappling with the difficulties he may have to con- 

 tend with ; for lateness of vegetation and certain 

 destruction of his crops of grass are sure to be the 

 consequence if he break into them before they at- 

 tain a proper degree of maturation, and yet he has 

 also the greatest difficulties to surmount in culti- 

 vating any spring crop. 



The farmer, on the other hand, who cultivates 

 rich fertile land, where he has a deep alluvial soil, 

 growing every crop luxuriantly, can easily free a 

 pasture early in the autumn, and have it full of 

 young grass as early as he may require it, and 

 knows nothing of the difficulties which attend his 

 less favored neighbor. 



The avidity with which any new variety of 

 grass or plant promising early grow; h is tried, indi- 

 cates how desirable a point it is lo secure an early 

 supply of succulent food. At one time it was 

 hoped that this desideratum w<is discovered in the 

 crimson trefoil. 



The winter tare is one of the most valable escu- 

 lerits (or stock in possession of the cullivKtor, and 

 affords the greatest bulk ofnutriraent ofany culti- 

 vated green crop, turnips perhaps excepted, and is 

 relished at all seasons and by every kind ol^ slock. 

 It is sometimes resorted to for depasturation in the 

 spring, with a view to subeei^uent soiling, but it is 

 after all rather a summer than a spring crop ; and 

 it is more than problematical that the injury done 

 to the crop by spring feeding upon it is greater 

 than the amount of spring food thus obtained. If 

 it be worth while to have a supply ofearly feed, it 

 is worth while clearly to provide a crop specially 

 lor that purpose. As a Sj»n"ngcrop, according to 

 the writer's observation and experience, it is de- 

 cidedly inferior to other cultivaied plants. 



The writer of this paper has seen rye-grass very 

 successfully cultivated as early spring feed sown 

 alone. It n^quues to he sown a whole year before 

 it is fit to consume, and thus lies open to the objec- 

 tion of interfering with good husbandry, particular- 

 ly the hoeing of the corn crop, with which it is 

 sown a whole year before, as well as preventing 

 the ploughing of the land for the same period ; thus 

 encouraging the growth ofquiich and weeds, while 

 the adhesion of the soil which it produces, and the 

 accumu'lation of'roots, &c., very materially prevent 

 its kindly working for the crop intended to follow. 

 The above remarks are made on the supposition 

 that the rye grass \s introduced as a half crop, for 

 it must be quite clear to every practical fanner 

 that there is no sound practice in throwing away a 

 whole year's crop for the sakeof one month's leed 



