190 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



Europe, is usually hoed, as we do corn the first year, and 

 top-dressed yearly, in the fall, with well-rotted manure. 

 Its roots striking so deep into the soil prevents its suffering 

 from drought, like shallow-rooted plants. When once well 

 established it will yield bountiful crops for many years. It 

 must have a peculiar value as a forage crop on the warm, 

 rich, deep soils of the South and West. It is grown in 

 some parts of the South, and quite generally in California, 

 under the name of Alfalfa. This particular plant was 

 brought from Peru, but is simply a variety of Lucerne. 



As we are considering the crops best adapted to soiling, 

 it will be well to consider them in about the order of their 

 growth for cutting. 



TIMOTHY and LARGE CLOVER come after lucerne and are 

 ready, as a soiling crop, in June. These two make an ex- 

 cellent combination of green food. Timothy (Phleum 

 pratense), deservedly stands at the head of grasses for the 

 hay crop, and will often cut eight to ten tons of grass be- 

 fore blossoming ; and at that period makes a nutritious 

 food for the production of either beef, mutton or milk. It 

 is also adapted to a wide range of soils. The only objec- 

 tion to it, as a soiling crop, is that it does not start quickly 

 after cutting, yet it sometimes gives a heavy second crop in 

 favorable seasons. It remains in vigor longer when cut 

 early than late, and for this reason we have found it a val- 

 uable aid in soiling. 



The large pea-vine clover does not differ materially in 

 quality from common red clover, but is of larger growth, 

 later in maturing, and is ready to cut at the same time as 

 timothy ; and being more nitrogenous, the two grasses are 

 complementary to each other. A good crop of timothy 

 and large clover will often reach twelve to sixteen tons of 

 green food per acre, at the first cutting ; and this is equal 

 to furnishing food for a thousand-pound cow or steer for 



