12 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



much relished by animals, as their leaves are either very 

 tough or very harsh. Among the characteristics a grass 

 must have to be valuable under, cultivation are satis- 

 factory yielding capacity for the purpose employed, whether 

 pasture, soiling, silage or hay ; good feeding quality, 

 that is, palatable, not too woody, and without any in- 

 jurious physiological effects ; good reproductive characters, 

 such as abundant, easily gathered seed, or ready multi- 

 plication by vegetative methods ; and aggressiveness, or 

 ability to maintain itself under the conditions of culture, 

 and yet not be too troublesome as a weed. 



Many grasses otherwise satisfactory are but little used 

 because the seed cannot be grown cheaply; others are 

 distinctly unpalatable ; and most coarse perennial grasses 

 will not endure either mowing or close grazing. 



Legumes are next in value to grasses, both as wild 

 natural pasture plants and under cultivation. They are 

 peculiar in having a higher content of protein than most 

 other plants. About 100 species have been utilized more 

 or less for forage. To be satisfactory for cultivation 

 as forage crops, the same general characteristics are re- 

 quired as for the grasses, but many legumes are poisonous 

 or have other deleterious qualities. The seed habits, 

 also, are frequently very unsatisfactory. 



Apart from the grasses and legumes a medley of other 

 plants are more or less important as forage crops. Most 

 prominent is the mustard family (Cruciferce) , which in- 

 cludes rutabagas, rape, kale and turnips. 



The other families of plants contribute very few and 

 mostly unimportant crops. The mangel belongs to the 

 Chenopodiaceoe ; the carrot and parsnip to the Umbelli- 

 feras; spurrey to the Caryophyllaceoe; burnet to the 

 Rosacea ; yarrow and artichokes to the Composite? ; 



