146 AGRICULTURE. 



forage — as, hay, fodders, etc. — and (2) green 

 forage — as, pasture, soilingcrops, and silage. 



(2) Green Forage. — (a) Pasture. — Animals 

 on pasture seem to be in their natural environ- 

 ment and need very little concentrated food 

 compared with those of the same grade fed upon 

 dry forage. Green food contains a much less 

 per cent, of digestible nutrients on account of 

 the large per cent, of water, and hence it is 

 necessary to eat a greater quantity, and an ani- 

 mal in pasture expends much energy in walking 

 over the pasture to secure the food and in mas- 

 ticating the extra quantity. For this reason the 

 method of feeding called " soiling " is advocated 

 by many experiment stations. 



(^/?) Soiling is the feeding of forage crops 

 green to stock confined in covered barn-yards. 

 Experiments conducted at various stations prove 

 that a ereater number of animals can be fed 

 from the same number of acres than can be fed 

 by pasturing. 



At the Wisconsin experiment station it was 

 found that one acre of a soiling crop equaled 

 two and a half acres of good blue-grass pas- 

 ture for feeding dairy cows. A dairy cow 

 requires from 60 to 100 pounds of green forage 

 daily. 



It is objected that the practice of soiling in- 

 volves extra work. But green forage need only 

 be gathered twice a week if thinly spread upon 



