RYE 53 
years has been seven tons per acre. The cost of 
seeding and fertilizing has been five dollars and 
fifty cents, making the crop one of the cheapest 
of those used for soiling. 
In order that the best results may be obtained 
from the use of rye as a green forage crop, har- 
vesting should begin as soon as the plant begins 
to head. At this period, the forage is very succu- 
lent, palatable and highly digestible. In the first 
feedings, smaller amounts should be used than are 
sufficient to supply the-entire needs of the animal. 
If the plant is left until it is fully headed out 
before beginning to cut,—at which period perhaps 
the largest total amount of food would be obtained, 
—the time during which the crop may be used is 
very much shortened, and the usefulness of the 
crop, either as a source of all of the succulent food 
or as a supplement of pastures, is considerably 
reduced. Under average conditions, when the 
practice outlined here is followed, rye may serve 
to supply the herd with a palatable food for ten to 
twenty days, the period depending on the method 
of seeding and the character of the season. 
If it is desirable to have a long period of feeding, 
the crop should be seeded at different times. The 
first seeding should be made in the middle states 
in August, and the second as late as the middle of 
September, or first of October. This later seeding 
will make a much less vigorous growth in fall, will 
