SUCCULENT DAIRY FOODS 7 



throughout the eutire year. Under old systems, 

 when definite areas were devoted to pasturage and 

 the entire supply of succulent food was from this 

 source, animals were frequently poorly fed, because 

 climatic conditions did not permit of a continuous 

 and abundant growth of the various kinds of 

 l)asture. The crops were frequently lessened by 

 droughts, extending over shorter or longer periods 

 when the animals, not having supplementary food, 

 were either insufficiently nourished or did not have 

 food of the right kind. In other instances, late 

 winter forage having been exhausted at the usual 

 time, animals were turned out on pasture before it 

 was abundant enough to supply the entire demands, 

 or when the plants were so immature that, even 

 with sufficient bulk, the necessary amount of actual 

 nutriment was not obtained. Frequently, also, in 

 certain regions where river or brook meadow^s serve 

 as the entire source of pasture, summer floods inter- 

 fere with the continuous supply of food, because the 

 floods leave a deposit of mud and silt, and three 

 or four days are recjuired before the grass grows 

 sufficiently to enaljle the meadow to be fully pas- 

 tured again. Under these circumstances, animals 

 frequently were not sufficiently nourished. Often 

 heavy storms soak the ground so as to make 

 the pastures wet and soggy, besides requiring con- 

 siderable energy on the part of the animal to move 

 about the fields, with consequent loss of product. 



