Crops. 191 



their feeding habits and composition and require similar manur- 

 ing in proportion to their yield. 



Meadow hay and pasture grass are usually a mixture of 

 plants, the predominant members of which are among the grasses 

 already described, or others closely related to them. The peaty 

 nature of the surface soil in permanent meadows is attributed to 

 the decay of the shallow seated root system. This condition fav- 

 ors nitrification, which tends to exhaust the lime by the leaching 

 of nitrate of lime from the soil. Such crops are therefore gen- 

 erally responsive to applications of lime, which may either be 

 applied as limestone, burned lime, or in combination with phos- 

 phoric acid, as basic slag. Heavy dressings with farm manure 

 or commercial fertilizers tend to drive out the valuable clovers 

 and other leguminous plants and replace them with coarser 

 growths. This is partly due to the production of an acid soil, 

 which may be restored to normal condition by applications of 

 wood ashes or lime. Yearly applications of plant food should be 

 made to these permanent crops. 



Cereal hays are made by cutting the crop when the grain is 

 in the milk stage and just preceding the most active migration 

 of nitrogen and ash constituents to this part of the plant. The 

 nutrient compounds are then distributed generally through the 

 plant and their digestibility is less depressed by cellulose com- 

 pounds than is the case at maturity. The maximum production 

 of tissue, especially desirable with these crops, will be promoted 

 by liberal applications of nitrogenous manures. 



Barley, oats, millet, sorghum and other cereals, which produce 

 the more nutritious straws, are utilized for hays. They may be 

 made to produce enormous yields, but at the expense of much 

 plant food. Under such conditions, they must be considered as 

 particularly exhaustive crops requiring heavy manuring. 



The leguminous hays, while comparatively independent of 

 mammal supplies of nitrogen, are sometimes benefited in early 

 stages of growth by the application of soluble forms of nitrogen. 

 This produces a plant of increased vigor and promotes further 



