No. }.] TIIK DAIRY liKliO. 395 



serve to make the transition from " hav to jxrass " less of a 

 shock than it used to be. Concerning forage crops for early 

 spring in our climate there is very little new to write. 

 Winter rye is a standard (>arly cro}), which may be fed be- 

 tween May 5 and 20. It is relished by cows until it begins 

 to blossom, and does not occupy the land when needed for 

 sununer tillage. It may be used as a nurse crop for clover, 

 or it is out of the way for corn planting. Some judgment is 

 needed in feeding it, or a strong taste will be imparted to 

 the milk. This taste seems to grow with heavy rye feeding 

 as the blossoming stage approaches. "Winter wheat and 

 winter vetch may follow r3'e to the relish of cows, but the 

 uncertainty of a stand of the former and the cost of seed 

 of the latter, together with the abundance of pasture grass 

 the latter part of Ma}', make their general use of doubtful 

 economy. 



Clovers are also valuable feeds at this season, and should 

 be grown to their fullest possible extent, for reasons too well 

 known to recjuire statement. If not needed at the season of 

 their maturity as fodders, they are equally valuable to cure 

 for winter forage. But we are discussing supplementary 

 feeds for May and June, which in pasture sections are not 

 needed. It is unusual to meet a shortage at this season, but 

 more often the problem of disposal of surplus confronts us. 

 The season of drought commonly begins in July, and its 

 effects are most apparent between that time and October. 

 At this season drought is not unusual, but the absence of a 

 shortage in atmospheric moisture is the exception. We may 

 safely anticipate a " dry spell " about four years out of five, 

 and, even if it does not materialize, the first flush of pastur- 

 age is gone by mid-summer, and pastures no longer produce 

 as abundantly as earlier. 



Every dairyman should anticipate these conditions, and be 

 prepared to meet them. Two general schemes ma)' be con- 

 sidered by farmers in this connection, namely, soiling and 

 summer silage. In a soiling scheme for late summer and 

 early autunm, the principal crops for this section are oats, 

 millet, corn, clover, peas, barley and rape. 



Oats are sown in early spring on rich land, manured well 



