184 FORAGE CROPS 
Yield, uses, and quality of crop 
The yield varies widely, ranging from six to 
twelve tons per acre. The early cuttings are not 
rich in dry matter, although the average is higher 
than for some other forage crops. The oats-and- 
peas crop gives a relatively higher percentage of 
protein than is obtained in wheat, rye or grasses, 
and it serves a very good purpose as a balanced 
ration. 
This crop also makes most excellent hay, pala- 
table for all kinds of farm stock, and much richer 
in the digestible nutrients than timothy, though 
not so rich in protein as clover. It should be cut 
for hay when at its best for forage, namely, when 
the oats are in the milk stage, and when the peas 
are forming pods. 
A larger yield of dry matter may be secured by 
allowing the two crops to ripen, harvesting and 
threshing the mixed grain crop, grinding the grain 
and using it for feed and using the straw as rough- 
age. The expense of this practice is much greater 
than that of hay-making, and the yield of diges- 
tible matter has been found to be no greater. An 
experiment at the New Jersey Station! to test this 
point showed that while the cured grain crop gave 
a larger yield of total nutrients than the crop cured 
as hay, the expense of the former method was 
1Annual Report for 1901, p. 278 
