HAY AND PASTURE CROPS IN DRY AREAS 361 



that are cheap to grow in the combination rather than 

 those that are dear. 



Soils. The soils for these crops include any soil that 

 will furnish a good crop of any of the small grains that 

 will furnish good pasture. These have already been 

 discussed when showing how to grow the various grains 

 used in providing pasture when these are grown to pro- 

 vide grain. The only real differences in the methods of 

 growing them are such as arise from the different amount 

 of seed required. The soils that will grow grains at 

 their best for seed in dry areas will also as a rule grow 

 them best for pasture. Any productive clay or sandy 

 loam soil will grow good pasture crops. 



Place in the rotation. Since pasture crops from 

 grain are usually grazed down early in the season, they 

 may generally follow with much propriety a small-grain 

 crop and in turn be followed by the bare-fallow. After the 

 bulk of the grazing has been completed there will still 

 be time to summer-fallow the soil the same season. Es- 

 pecially is this true of the grains that have been sown the 

 previous summer or autumn. 



Preparing the soil. The soil for grain pastures is 

 prepared virtually the same for the grains that provide 

 the pastures as when these are grown to provide grain 

 rather than pasture. The more clean and moist and fri- 

 able near the surface, and the more firm that it is below, 

 the higher is the adaptation of the soil for grain pastures. 

 But cleanness in the soil is not nearly so essential as 

 when growing these crops for grain, as the grazing pre- 

 vents the major portion of the weeds from going to seed, 

 and the residue that may escape the grazing are buried 

 in the summer-fallowing process that usually follows. 



Sowing. The best time for sowing a combination 

 of winter rye and the sand vetch or winter wheat and 

 the sand vetch, in order to provide grazing in dry areas, 

 is probably the month of June. The seed will then ger- 



