FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL. CONVENTION 235 



Soiling Crops. 



Pastures, except where irrigation is practiced, are so de- 

 pendent upon rainfall that there is practically sure to be some 

 period each season when they are short. It is a well-known fact 

 among dairymen that if a cow, for lack of proper feed, falls off 

 in her flow of milk for any period of time it is difficult or im- 

 possible to bring her back to a full flow until she again freshens. 

 To carry the cows over this period on grain alone is expensive; 

 consequently, the supplementing of pasture with soiling crops is 

 becoming much more common and is growing in favor. In fact^ 

 in many sections it is extremely difficult to keep a herd in maxi- 

 mum production throughout the summer without furnishing 

 some supplemental feed. Unless an abundance of pasture is 

 available, there is practically sure to be a shortage toward the; 

 end of the season. Special crops can be grown for these short 

 ages, but they usually involve added expense and inconvenience 

 compared with standard farm crops. Second-growth red clover^ 

 oats, peas, or alfalfa are excellent. Corn is available in August 

 and September. These crops are usually a part of the regular 

 cropping system of a well-conducted dairy farm. 



The advantages of soiling crops as a supplement to pasture 

 are that large quantities of forage can be grown on a relativehi 

 small area, because it is frequently possible to harvest more thar; 

 one crop in a season on land used for soiling. i\nother advan- 

 tage is the palatability and succulence posseesed by such crops. 

 With their use pasture need not be cropped so closely and less 

 feed is wasted through tramping by the cattle. By judicious appli- 

 cation of the soiling system it is often possible to reduce the acre- 

 age of land used for pasture, which in addition to the saving in 

 land required for pasture has the added saving in the cost of 

 fencing. Soiling crops usually are fed in the stable where the 

 manure can be saved for application on cultivated fields. 



An objection which can be urged against the use of soiling 

 crops is the greater amount of labor required and the difficulty 

 in using this labor to the best advantage. Another difficulty is to 

 plan a succession of special crops which will at all times during 

 the season supply an abundant supplementary feed. Even with 



