XVII. FORAGE CROPS 



WE have already learned that crops grown for hay or pasture 

 are called forage crops. If the crop is gathered and fed before 

 ripening, it is called green fodder; if it is cut and cured or dried 

 before feeding, it is called dry fodder. Forage crops may be 

 divided into the following classes: 



1. The perennial grasses, such as timothy, red top, Kentucky 

 blue grass, orchard grass, Bermuda grass, etc. 



2. The annual forage plants, such as foxtail millet, broom- 

 corn millet, pearl millet, etc. 



3. Leguminous plants, including clover, alsike, white clover, 

 alfalfa, bur clover, Japan clover, vetches, velvet bean, field bean, 

 field peas, peanuts, cowpeas, soy beans, etc. 



Green Feed. 1. Pastures. Any field on which animals graze 

 is called a pasture. Pastures are divided into two classes, perma- 

 nent and temporary. 



2. Temporary Pasture. A temporary pasture is a field contain- 

 ing some crop intended to furnish temporary grazing. Wheat, 

 oats, rye, barley, are often sowed for this purpose. Annuals, 

 biennials, and perennials serve this purpose equally well. 



3. Permanent Pastures. Permanent pastures are fields on 

 which perennial crops are planted and grown year after year. 



One of the best perennial crops is the Kentucky blue grass, 

 which reaches its best development in the region between the 

 Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. It does not 

 grow well in dry climates or on sandy soils. Moist climates seem 

 to suit it best. It makes a compact sod and is unexcelled for lawns 

 and ornamental purposes. Its greatest fault lies in the fact that 

 it fails to supply a desirable pasture through the heated period 

 in July and August. 



Bermuda Grass. The principal pasture plant of the cotton 

 States is Bermuda grass, which is highly nutritious and is very 

 productive. It seems well adapted to the semiarid regions of the 

 West and also grows well in the sandy soils of Florida and other 



93 



