t FORAGE CROPS. 



by the animals where they grow, and usually in the 

 green form ; but there are instances where both may 

 be grazed in the matured form, as in the gleaning of 

 ripe peas by swine, or the grazing of buffalo or bunch 

 grass by cattle and sheep in the winter. Some of these 

 forage crops are grown and grazed off in succession 

 the same season, and are also sown as "catch" 

 crops, while grasses are never thus sown or grazed. 

 And some forage crops, as, for instance, Jerusalem 

 artichokes, are gathered from beneath the surface ol 

 the ground, whereas grass pastures are grazed only 

 on the surface. 



Soiling and Fodder Crops not Considered. — 

 In this book the question of forage crops only will be 

 considered, although excellent reasons may be given 

 for including soiling and fodder crops in the discus- 

 sion. Soiling food may be defined as food cut or 

 pulled and fed to animals in the green form. And 

 fodder crops may be defined as food for live stock in 

 the matured form, and fed before or after the 

 removal of the seeds. Both definitions are 

 restricted rather than general, as both terms 

 are sometimes used, and, perhaps unfortunately, 

 in a wider and more general sense. Among 

 the reasons that may be given for including 

 these crops in the discussion, are the follow- 

 ing: First, forage, soiling and fodder crops each 

 includes a large number of the same plants. And, sec- 

 ond, the processes of preparing the land for many of 

 these and of growing them up to a certain stage are 

 exactly the same. Discussing these various classes 

 of crops therefore together would avoid no little repe- 

 tition, which it would be impossible to avoid when 

 discussing them separately. But to thi« plan there is 



