15 



Supplementary Feed. It often happens that a drought occurs in tin* 

 summer or fall, in which the pastures are dried and parched so that the 

 cattle fail to get a sufficient amount of feed. It is, therefore, the prac- 

 tice of careful and provident farmers to have a tract of laud sown to 

 some kind of fodder, which may be drawn upon to supply the deficiency 

 of pasturage, and not only to keep the animals from suffering, but to 

 keep them also in a growing condition. Corn sown broadcast or in 

 close drills, or sorghum sown in like manner, are some of the best 

 grasses for this purpose. 



Some varieties of sweet corn, combining earliuess and productiveness 

 or large size, will be better than common field corn, especially to keep 

 up the supply of milk from cows. 



Hungarian grass and millet make excellent fodder crops. They are 

 both considered to be but varieties of the same species, and there is 

 practically little difference between them. If sowed on tolerably rich 

 ground they will produce sometimes a very large yield of grass. They 

 are of rapid growth, and are frequently ready to be cut two months 

 from the time of sowing. They generally produce an abundance of nu- 

 tritious seeds, on account of which cattle thrive better on them than on 

 corn fodder. Beets and prickly comfrey are also recommended as fod- 

 der plants in some localities. 



The pastures may also often be relieved by turning stock on to 

 stubble after harvest. 



Humanity dictates that a man should not keep any more stock than 

 he can under ordinary circumstances care for and give sufficient feed. 

 But a provident and good manager will be enabled safely to keep a 

 much larger number than a man who is shiftless and careless. He will 

 do this by making provision for casualties and probable contingencies. 

 It is much better and more profitable to have a surplus of feed than to 

 have a deficiency. 



Kind of Grasses for Meadows and Pastures, In this country there Jias 

 been very little variety in the kinds of grasses cultivated, the range 

 being generally Timothy, blue grass or June grass, orchard grass, and 

 red top, usually combined more or less with red or white clover. 



Farmers are influenced somewhat by the markets they supply. The 

 most popular hay in the markets of the great cities is Timothy, and 

 meadows of this grass alone are very common, and when well managed 

 are very satisfactory and profitable. It is also very common to combine 

 Timothy with red clover in various proportions. 



In low, wet meadows, particularly in New England, redtop is con- 

 siderably employed, and it is a common constituent of pastures in all 

 the Northern States. 



In England, great attention has been given to combining several 

 kinds of grasses in meadows, and it is claimed that the practice ] 

 Better for the land and gives a larger yield than when one variety only 

 is employed. By using a mixture the ground may often be more uui- 



