252 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



Objections to the Soiling System. There are two objec- 

 tions to the soiling system which prevent its wider adoption. 



(1) The labor problem. 



(2) Difficulty of providing a suitable series of crops and 

 adjusting the amounts of each. 



The Labor Problem. First of all the soiling system in- 

 volves a much greater expense for labor than when the pastur- 

 ing system is used. The green feed must be cut each day, or 

 at the outside every second day. The common practice is to 

 cut it daily, except Sunday, when the animals are fed from a 

 larger amount prepared the previous day. Since the amount 

 required per day is around 100 pounds per cow. the weight 

 to be handled is considerable, making the labor heavy. 



A further difficulty about the labor feature is the regularity 

 required of attendants, which is difficult to secure. In addi- 

 tion to preparing the green food, the labor of handling the 

 manure and caring for the animals from day to day must be 

 considered. The difficulty of securing a suitable succession of 

 crops in about the right quantity requires careful planning 

 when complete soiling is practiced. There must be a succes- 

 sion ready to use all the time, and in about the proper 

 quantities. A surplus may usually be made into hay, but this 

 is not always convenient. 



Crops for Soiling. The crops to be grown for soiling 

 purposes depend naturally upon the local conditions, and no 

 general statement can be made to cover all conditions. In- 

 formation regarding the best crops for the purpose can be 

 had from the nearest experiment station. Shaw 1 gives the 

 following list of suitable crops. 



For Canada and the Eastern States north of the Ohio River, 



1 Soiling Crops and the Silo. Orange Judd Co. 



