52, FORAGE CROPS 
has resumed its vegetative functions. If applied 
earlier than this, the rate of absorption will be 
slower, and the danger of loss from leaching will 
be greater. The application may be made broadcast 
by hand, or with a good fertilizer distributer. As 
the nitrate is a heavy salt, and it is difficult evenly 
to distribute the small quantities usually recom- 
mended, it should preferably be mixed with some 
other substance, as plaster, bran, sawdust, or dry 
earth. 
Seeding and harvesting 
The quantity of seed will vary according to the 
character of the soil. Ordinarily, when rye is 
seeded for forage, it is desirable that it should be 
thick, even though under good appropriation of 
food the plants will stool largely. If the seeding 
is thick, the great number of shoots will thicken 
the forage and make it useful for a soiling crop 
for a longer period, because the finer the stem the 
longer will the plant remain palatable. 
When grown primarily for forage, the quantity 
of seed should be greater than when the crop is 
grown for grain,—usually two bushels per acre. 
The yield per acre, even under good methods of 
management, will vary widely, according to char- 
acter of soil and. season. The range is from four 
to twelve tons per acre. In experiments at the 
New Jersey Station, the average yield for seven 
