48 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIB CULTURE 



If the forage is grown to sell, the last consideration is 

 often the controlling factor. It is usually easy to deter- 

 mine the characteristics of several forage crops as regards 

 each point compared. It is sometimes, however, difficult 

 to ascertain why, on the whole, one crop is preferred to 

 another closely comparable. 



38. Special purposes for which forage crops are grown. 

 - Forage crops may thus be classified, as regards the 



purposes for which they are grown : 



1. Long-lived meadows, for hay; such as timothy, 

 alfalfa, brome-grass, redtop, etc. 



2. Annual hay crops ; such as crimson clover, millet, 

 cowpeas, rye, etc., often sown as " catch " crops. 



3. Coarse grasses for silage or fodder; such as corn, 

 sorghum, pearl millet and Japanese sugar-cane. 



4. Permanent pastures, for which are used Kentucky 

 blue-grass, white clover, Bermuda-grass and various more 

 or less complex mixtures. 



5. Temporary pastures, using such plants as rye, 

 wheat, crimson clover, cowpeas, Italian rye-grass and 

 others. 



6. Soiling crops, often planted in succession so as to give 

 green feeds during definite periods. 



It is obvious that most forage crops utilized for one 

 of the above purposes are usually not well fitted for other 

 purposes. 



39. Adaptation to conditions. Different forage crops 

 are adapted to widely different conditions of climate, 

 and this factor usually closely limits the area in which 

 each can be profitably grown. Sometimes market con- 

 siderations lead to the growing of a crop under conditions 

 which are not very favorable, as timothy in the South 

 and alfalfa on unsuitable soil types in the East. While 



