6 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



of the thickly populated countries of western Europe 

 for many years. 



Benefits from Grozmng Soiling Crops. — The 

 following are the more important benefits from 

 growing soiling crops : i, Food supplies are mcreased 

 in a marked degree; 2, in various ways the waste 

 in feeding is lessened; 3, animals are sustained in 

 better form than where soiling is not practiced; 4, 

 injury to the land through poaching is prevented ; 5, 

 a salutary influence is exercised on weed eradication ; 

 6, a saving in land is efifected ; 7, a saving in fertility 

 is effected ; 8, a saving is also efliected in the item of 

 fencing; 9, animal production is greatly increased; 

 and, 10, the cost of keeping the family cow is 

 lessened. 



Increase in Food Supplies. — Soiling enables the 

 farmer to grow more food than he could by any 

 other system. Usually the growth of plants is hin- 

 dered in proportion to the extent to which the plants 

 are pastured down while yet immature. And crops 

 that are pastured are further injured by the tramping 

 of the animals that feed upon them. They are injured 

 directly by the bruising which they receive from the 

 hoofs of the animals which feed upon them, and 

 indirectly by the impaction of the land from pastur- 

 ing it when not dry enough. These facts are simply 

 mentioned without taking space to give the reasons. 

 And since soiling crops are usually cut a little short 

 of maturity it is more practicable to grow two crops 

 from the same land, where soiling is practiced, than 

 where it is not. 



The relative increase in food production where 

 soiling is practiced as compared with pasturage can 

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