1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 189 



IV. Experiments with Green Crops for Summer 

 Feed of Milch Coavs. (Field F.) 



The field selected for the raising of green fodder crops 

 for experiments with milch cows (see second feeding ex- 

 periment, page 48 of this report), had been used for a 

 series of years as a meadow for the production of hay. 

 During the fall of 1887, a piece of land, 300 feet long and 

 137 feet wide, was ploughed, and the succeeding spring, 

 1888, after a proper mechanical condition Avas secured, 

 seeded down with Hungarian grass. After this crop was 

 removed into a silo, the soil was turned, and left in that 

 state for the following year. 



1889. — In Avorking out our plans for future experiments 

 upon this field, it was decided to turn the still existing 

 resources of aAailable plant food to account for the raising 

 of Southern cow-peas, serradella, and a mixture of A^etch 

 and oats. This decision was made for the following- rea- 

 sons : these crops had given much satisfaction in preceding 

 years, when fed as green fodder to milch cows ; they 

 promised, judging from our oavu experience in adjoining 

 fields, a fair yield when following grass and corn without 

 any use of manure ; and they AAould each reach in a desired 

 succession a stage of growth best adapted for their profit- 

 able use as green fodder. The field Avas ploughed and 

 harrowed early in the season (April, 1889), and subse- 

 quently subdivided into three equal parts, 300 feet long 

 and 43 feet wide, with four feet unoccupied space between 

 the plats (see sketch. Field F). 



The plat along the north side of the field, 12,900 square 

 feet, was seeded broadcast Avitli twenty-five pounds each of 

 A'etch and oats, April '2i^. 



The middle subdiA'ision AA^as sown in drills three feet apart, 

 with eleven pounds of serradella seed- May 8. 



The plat along the south side of the field was soAvn in 

 drills three feet apart, with tAA'enty-five pounds of Southern 

 cow-peas (Clay A=^ariety), April 8. 



Vetch and Oats. — The oats appeared first above ground ; 

 the vetch followed. May 6. The crop \Aas eleven inches 



