THE SUCCULENT ROUGHAGES 219 



replaced, the response of animals to pasture takes on a new mean- 

 ing. The desirability of good pasture, even during the dry period, 

 since lime is being restored to the bones at this period, thus be- 

 comes increasingly important. (13, 38) 



385. Soiling crops. — These crops are grown to furnish a suc- 

 cession of green feed to supplement the pasture as it fails in the 

 late summer and fall. Peas and oats, soybeans, alfalfa, corn and 

 various clovers and grasses are among the crops grown for this 

 purpose. 



A chart should be prepared showing the crops to be grown, the 

 acreage, and the time of sowing and harvest. The kinds of crops 

 and the times of planting will depend on the locality. The acreage 

 will be governed by the number of animals. However, the farmer 

 cannot plan very accurately here because the kind of season 

 which will cause the pastures to fail early, thus making the amount 

 of green crops needed a large one, will also probably cause a poor 

 yield of these crops. 



386. Planning for green feed.— The following table illus- 

 trates what we mean by a chart to be used in planning for a suc- 

 cession of soilage. The acreage suggested should provide a reason- 

 able amount of supplementary green feed for a herd of 12 or 15 

 cows, assuming that some pasture is available: 



Crop Acres Date of Seeding Period of Cutting 



Oats and peas ^ Apr. 2 June 25 — July 4 



Oats and peas y% Apr. 10 July 5 — July 10 



Alfalfa, second cutting Y 2 July 11 — July 20 



Oats and peas Y^ May 5 July 21 — July 31 



Alfalfa, third cutting, or 



clover, second cutting. ... J^ Sept. 1 — Sept. 15 



Sweet corn 1 June 10 Sept. 16 — Oct. 15 



Soiling crops should be reasonably mature before they are cut 

 for feeding, because when too green they are mostly water, — peas 

 should be podded, oats should be in the milk stage, etc. The best 

 results are obtained by cutting and hauling the green crop to the 

 barn daily. If left in the field it wilts rapidly and the object for 

 which it is grown, namely, to provide succulence, is lost. At the 

 barn the crop should be fed the day it is cut unless it can be spread 



