SUCCULENT DAIRY FOODS v6 
throughout the entire year. Under old systems, 
when definite areas were devoted to pasturage and 
the entire supply of succulent food was from this 
source, animals were frequently poorly fed, because 
climatic conditions did not permit of a continuous 
and abundant growth of the various kinds of 
pasture. The crops were frequently lessened by 
droughts, extending over shorter or longer periods 
when the animals, not having supplementary food, 
were either insufficiently nourished or did not have 
food of the right kind. In other instances, late 
winter forage having been exhausted at the usual 
time, animals were turned out on pasture before it 
was abundant enough to supply the entire demands, 
or when the plants were so immature that, even 
with sufficient bulk, the necessary amount of actual 
nutriment was not obtained. Frequently, also, in 
certain regions where river or brook meadows serve 
as the entire source of pasture, summer floods inter- 
fere with the continuous supply of food, because the 
floods leave a deposit of mud and silt, and three 
or four days are required before the grass grows 
sufficiently to enable the meadow to be fully pas- 
tured again. Under these circumstances, animals 
frequently were not sufficiently nourished. Often 
heavy storms soak the ground so as to make 
the pastures wet and soggy, besides requiring con- 
siderable energy on the part of the animal to move 
about the fields, with consequent loss of product. 
