190 RYE. — OATS. — ROOT CROPS. 



dairy farms. Indian millet [Sorghum vulgar e) is another 

 cultivated variety. 



Rye, as a fodder plant, is chiefly valuable for its 

 early growth in spring. It is usually sown in Septem- 

 ber or October, from the middle to the end of Sep- 

 tember being, perhaps, the most desirable time, on 

 land previously cultivated and in good condition. If 

 designed to ripen only, a bushel of seed is required to 

 the acre, evenly sown ; but, if intended for early fodder 

 in spring, two or two and a half bushels per acre of 

 seed should be used. On warm land the rye can be cut 

 green the last of April or first of May ; and care should 

 be taken to cut early, as, if allowed to advance too 

 far towards maturity, the stalk becomes hard and un- 

 palatable to cows. 



Oats are also sometimes used for soiling, or for feed- 

 ing green, to eke out a scanty supply of pasture feed ; 

 and for this purpose they are valuable. They should 

 be sown on well-tilled and well-manured land, about 

 four bushels to the acre, towards the last of April or 

 first of May. If the whole crop is to be used as green 

 fodder, five bushels of seed will not be too much on 

 strong, good soil. They will be sufficiently grown to 

 cut by the first of July, or in some sections earlier, 

 depending on location. 



The Chinese Sugar-Cane also may deserve atten- 

 tion as a lodder plant. Experiments hitherto made 

 seem to shov that when properly cultivated, and cut at 

 the right time, it is a palatable and nutritious plant, 

 while many of the failures have been the result of too 

 early cutting. For a fodder crop the drill culture is 

 preferable, both on account of the larger yield obtained 

 and to prevent it from becoming too hard and stalky. 



The Potato (Solarium tuberosum) is the first of 

 the root crops to be mentioned. This produces a large 



