SOILING AND PASTURE. 325 



Double System Best. — But this would hardly be 

 the most profitable way to use either the cow or the 

 alfalfa. A partial system of soiling in connection 

 with a good pasture is the better way. Thus if the 

 cows were put daily in the stable, or fed in racks, 

 with 20 to 25 lbs. of green alfalfa and then given 

 access to a good pasture of almost any sort, of nutri- 

 tious grass the results would be much better. For 

 making beef I found that when racks are placed in 

 the bluegrass pasture and are filled daily or once 

 in two or three days with green alfalfa, the cattle 

 made splendid growth. When in addition a small 

 amount of corn was fed them they made probably 

 the most rapid and cheapest gains possible. 



Early (Jutting Hurtful. — Alfalfa makes early 

 growth for soiling, but it is bad for the plants to be 

 mown off too early. In England where alfalfa is 

 chiefly used as a soiling crop for horses the alfalfa 

 is much weakened where it is cut too early, along the 

 top of the field where cutting begins. On Wood- 

 land Farm, where alfalfa has often been cut for soil- 

 ing sheep, it has been observed that where the cut- 

 ting was premature the alfalfa soon became unpro- 

 ductive and weeds and grasses came in. 



If therefore it is desired that the field endure 

 for a number of years it is well to wait till near the 

 time of bloom before beginning to cut, even for soil- 

 ing. Or it may be felt to be cheaper to sacrifice a 

 little of the field in order to take advantage of the 

 first available growth. In this case the strip mown 



