98 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



the needs of the young plants. All the plants that 

 fall before the mower are allowed to remain where 

 they fall. When the crop is grov/n under irrigation, 

 it is common to utilize one cutting the first year and 

 sometimes two. But the young crops should not be 

 pastured the first year, and on the upland it should 

 not be pastured at all unless at certain seasons of the 

 year. Pasturing in the winter in cold climates is 

 particularly injurious, but in sections where the crop 

 grows at its best, it may be pastured even in the 

 winter, though as previously intimated, frequent and 

 prolonged pasturing is thought to ultimately injure 

 the stand of the plants, even under the most favor- 

 able conditions. 



Feeding. — Alfalfa is ready for being harvested 

 as soiling food as soon as the blossom buds are 

 formed. It may be cut even earlier than that, more 

 especially when fed to sheep and swine. The feed- 

 ing should begin as soon as the food is ready, as in 

 suitable weather it rushes very quickly to maturity. 

 But the residue not needed as soiling food may with 

 much propriety be made into hay. With sufficient 

 moisture present, the crop at once begins to grow 

 again, and in from four to six weeks after the cutting 

 of the preceding growth the next crop is ready. 

 Where irrigation is practiced, it is customary to flood 

 the land as soon as the crop has been removed. 



As the alfalfa soon gets woody after it has 

 reached the stage of full bloom, the residue not 

 wanted for soiling food ought to be cut for hay even 

 before it is in full bloom, else the quality of the hay 

 will be reduced. It is apparent, therefore, that the 

 feeding period from each crop or cutting is not a 



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