SHEEP AS IMPROVERS OF CROP YIELDS 2J 



Grazing young grass with sheep The stand of newly 

 sown grasses and clovers has in many instances been im- 

 proved by grazing them with sheep, whether these have 

 been sown alone or with a nurse crop, but this result does 

 not follow under all conditions nor on all soils. When 

 sown alone, the benefit may come, first, from the impac- 

 tion of the soil, and, second, from the removal of the 

 shade of weeds that would otherwise overshadow the 

 grasses. When sown with grain crops, the benefit may 

 come, first, from the impaction through treading; second, 

 from the removal of the shade that would otherwise over- 

 shadow the young grasses, and, third, from lessening the 

 need for moisture supplies in the grain crops, thus leav- 

 ing more for the grasses. 



Newly sown grasses are thus improved in nearly all 

 instances when they are sown along with one or more 

 kinds of grain in the spring; that is, on soils where such 

 grazing is admissible. On light soils they are more im- 

 proved relatively than on heavy soils, and in a dry season 

 than in one over moist. Such grazing of newly sown 

 grasses is not so admissible in the autumn, as it would 

 tend to the removal of the protection which is so help- 

 ful to the plants in winter. On light, spongy soils diffi- 

 culty is found in obtaining a stand of grasses sown along 

 with a nurse crop when the season turns dry. The grasses 

 grow so delicately, because of the little moisture left for 

 them by the grain plants, and because of the crowding 

 of the same, that in many instances they perish outright 

 after the nurse crop has been removed by harvesting. 



On the soft, spongy soils of the prairie, and espe- 

 cially where moisture is not plentiful, when grass seeds 

 are sown with one or more of the small cereals and the 

 grain and grass are grazed down almost from the first, 

 the stand of the grass will be much better than if the crop 

 had not been so grazed. In some seasons a stand of grass 

 will be obtained on such soils if thus grazed when failure 

 would have resulted but for the grazing. When grass 



