SOILING SOILING 573 



(6) Dates foe Planting and Using Soiling Crops in Western Oregon and Western Washington. — Hunter. 



(7) The following rotation has been used successfully by a large number of practical dairymen in 

 the middle latitudes (40° N.). 



Feeding soiling crops. 



The cereals are ready for feeding when the kernels 

 are in the milk stage, while the legumes may be 

 cut in full bloom or before. Ordinarily, a soiling 

 crop cannot be fed to advantage for a longer period 

 than ten to fifteen days, so that a change of feed 

 should be provided at this interval. A few crops, 

 such as corn and sorghum, may 

 be cut every second or third day, 

 but most soiling crops must be 

 cut daily for feeding in the stable. 

 This work can be systematized so 

 as to save labor by the use of a 

 mowing-machine, horse-rake, and 

 low-feed truck, so that the feed 

 may be hauled directly into the 

 stable and unloaded in front of 

 the cows in one handling. Soiling 

 crops are usually fed uncut ; but 

 green com and sorghum, if left 

 in the field till nearly mature, are 

 preferably run through a feed 

 cutter before being fed. If the 

 pastures are greatly dried up, so 

 that it is necessary to place the 

 animals on soiling crops only, with some dry 

 roughage, it is well to feed green crops three or 

 four times a day. 



Cows will eat fifty to one hundred pounds of 

 green forage, depending on the kind of crop at 



hand and its stage of maturity. In planting a rota- 

 tion of crops it is safe to allow about one-half a 

 square rod per day of such crops as oats and peas, 

 clover, alfalfa and millet for each full-grown ani- 

 mal (cows or steers), and a quarter of a square rod 

 of corn or sorghum. 

 A very important advantage of "soiling" dairy 



Fig. 806. Field of com for soiling. 



cows lies in the fact that it enables the farmer to 

 keep his cows up to a uniform standard of produc- 

 tion during nearly the entire lactation period, as 

 they may be furnished a variety of palatable and 

 nutritious feeds throughout the growing season. 



