GREEN FORAGE CROPS FOR HORSES. 25 



arc suital)lc for horso-feediiig purposes has already been made 

 oil page 13. The choice must, to some extent, depend upon the 

 natine of the »oil farmed. 



Rye and Trifolium. — The earliest green forage crop 

 in the spring is rye, and a small breadth of this will come in 

 exceedingly handy. Trifolium or crinjson clover also fur- 

 nishes a fairly early crop; this grows best on the stifier class 

 of soils, while rye will grow satisfactorily on light land. Crim 

 son clover assumes a very hairy character when old, which 

 greatly militates against its palatability ; it is, therefore, 

 very essential that it should be cut young. 



Vetches or Tares come in handy after the supply of 

 rye or trifoliuns has given out; they can be sown at successive 

 intervals, and, if this is done, a continual supply of young 

 sappy green stuff can be assured for a prolonged period. Very 

 frequently, some oats are mixed with the tares when the crop 

 is sown, this mixture forming very useful green forage. Not 

 only do the oats enhance the palatability of the stuff, but they 

 act as a support to the vetches while growing. Eye niay also 

 be sown along with vetches. 



Lucerne is unquestionably une of the best green forage 

 crops, and the great value of a patch sown with lucerne on 

 a farm or holding cannot be over-rated, affording, as it does, a 

 large bulk of green meat, and allowing several cuts to be 

 taken. Lucerne, of course, does not grow on every kind of soil, 

 and the cjuestion of soil therefore requires consideration when 

 deciding to sow this crop. Once established, a ley of lucerne 

 will last for a greater or less number of years. 



Sainfoin is an excellent green forage crop for horses, and 

 it, like lucerne, yields a large bulk, and will supply green 

 meat throughout the summer. Sainfoin is particularly suited 

 to calcareous or chalky soils, on which it flourishes vigorously. 

 It is a splendid drought-resisting crop, and, in dry seasons, a 

 breadth of sainfoin is invaluable. 



