SHEEP PASTURES. 265 



five weeks of any of the spring sown cereals (Fig. 26 

 shows sheep pasturing on rye), and, with the excep- 

 tion of cabbage, it was the last crop that furnished 

 good pasture in the autumn. It was also found that 

 rye sown early enough in the autumn to become 

 firmly rooted was ready to pasture much earlier and 

 provided pasture more abundantly than rye put in 

 so late that it had not become so rooted before the 

 closing in of winter. Rye and grass pastures, 

 therefore, carried the sheep from the opening of 

 spring until some time early in June. The spring 

 sown winter rye did not prove altogether satisfac- 

 tory as a pasture. It grew luxuriantly for a time, 

 but it ceased to grow when settled warm weather 

 came. Later, it turned russet in color and 

 finally died. 



Peas and oats were the next crop ready. They 

 were sown as soon as the work could be done after 

 the dawn of spring. The pasture which they fur- 

 nished was greatly relished by the sheep. In one 

 instance the pasture was grazed down three times 

 in succession with an interval of two weeks or more 

 between the periods of grazing. Rape was then 

 sown on the same ground. In another instance they 

 were grazed off three times in succession, as just 

 stated, after which the clover and timothy sown at 

 the same time as the grain were given time to gather 

 strength to fortify the plants against the rigors of 

 winter, and in other instances the peas and oats were 

 grazed down once, after which the second growth 

 was mown for hay. Figure 27 represents a rape and 

 clover pasture. The "catch" of the grass seeds thus 

 obtained was all that could be desired. But the 

 tests thus made have covered only two seasons. In 



