52 
AGRICULTURAL FORAGE PLANTS, 
USEFUL. FOR 
Stock Feedingr, Ensilag^e, Ploug:hingr-in, and other purposes. 
The selection and cultivation of economical crops suitable for growing on poor land where grain or roots 
cannot always be jrrofitably grown has often been a source of anxious thought for the agriculturist, especially 
when such land is intended to produce a supply of green or dry fodder for stock. It is therefore with a view to 
providing a few particulars of the lesser known crops which may be utilised for this purpose that the following 
notes are given, though James Carter & Co. are at all times pleased to give fuller information concerning them. 
BEAN {Faha — A useful crop on strong deep soils. Sow from 3 to 4 bushels per acre, according to the custom of the 
locality, in drills, if raised, about 24 inches apart ; if on the flat, about 18 inches apart. Winter Beans are generally sown 
fiom October to November ; Spring Beans in February. 
Selected Tick Bean, Heligoland Bean, J Prices on 
Early Mazagan Bean, Winter Bean, ) application. 
BROOM (Cy/isus scopnrws). — A useful plant in the formation of coverts, or for furnishing the outer edges of plantations or hilly 
drives. The seed, which is of somewhat slow germination, may be sown at the rate of 20 to 40 lbs. per acre, or sown in a bed 
and the young stuff transplanted. Brice 1s. per lb. 
BUCKWHEAT (Fo/) 'gonum fa»ofyriim).—1\\\% is seldom grown for feeding cattle, though it is exceedingly suitable as a 
food for game or poultry, and it is cultivated in the Eastern Counties for this purpose. It has nevertheless been recommended 
as being suitable for feeding horses, cattle, and pigs, and besides this the simplicity of its cultivation, combined with its rapid grow'th 
on the poorest soils, renders it an ideal crop for green manuring. Two bushels of seed are sown to the acre from the middle of 
May until June, in drills 18 to 24 inches apart. The crop is mown about the end of August, when the lower seeds are ripe, and 
after turning five or six times it may be stacked until threshed. Sheep may also be folded on the crop when the ground is 
covered, but it is inadvisable to do this when the haulm is very wet. 
Price 7S. per bushel. 
BURNET (Sangmsorba officinalis). — This plant has been cultivated for over a hundred years, but generally it has been used 
for sowing in mixtures of grass and clover seeds, and it is only comparatively recently that its value as a crop for sowing on poor, 
sandy, or thin chalk soils has been appreciated. It has sometimes been grown as a substitute for clover on clover-sick land.s, 
and is used for sheep feed, whilst the straw is also useful for fodder. The seed may be drilled or broadcasted in April in the 
same way as sanfoin, or it can be put down with a corn crop, about 30 to 40 lbs. of seed per acre being recpiired, and the 
crop will he ready for cutting or folding towards the end of June or early in July. The aftermath may be left for seeding or 
retained over wiiver in order to yield a bite early in the following spring. 
Price Is. per lb. ; 105s. per cwt. 
CHICORY (Cichorium intybus ). — This is a hardy and exceedingly nutritious forage plant and sheep food that will thrive on 
almost any soil, though it is more often cultivated for its roots. It has been staled by some W'riters that during the early summer 
months chicory w’ill feed more sheep to the acre than any other crops, especially on poor sandy soils. It also thrives on peat 
soils as well as on rich warplands, and as the plants yield several cuttings each year and will last for six or eight years, it would 
be profitable to have an acre or two wherever a plentiful supply of green food is required. Its cultivation for forage purposes 
consists of deeply ploughing a well-manured soil early in spring, and drilling 12 lbs. of seed per acre during March, allowing 
9 inches between the drills. When the plants are about 4 inches high, they must be hoed in the same manner as turnips, 
leaving the plants 6 inches apart. If required for folding, the sheep should be turned on before the plant grows too tall, as the 
stalks then become somewhat tough ; if necessary the crop may be cut for stall-fed cattle, doing this just before the plant comes 
into flower. 
Price Is. 4d. per lb. 
FURZE or CORSE (Ukx Enrofeeus). — Extensively cultivated as a green for.ige crop, and particularly valuable 
for sowing where the natural position of the land renders frequent cultivation diflicult or expensive. Sow in drills in ^larch, 
36 to 45 lbs. per acre, in drills a foot apart. 
Price 4S. 6d. per lb. Supply very limited. 
HELIANTHI [Helianthns !a-tiJlorns).—t\ tuberous forage plant sometimes grown on the Continent in warm climates. 
Introduced into this country and tried by fames Carter & Co. about l8S6, since wdien it has occasionally been recommended for 
silaging or making into hay. The crop is raised from tubers planted in April, and the cultivation is similar to that of the potato. 
Price on application. 
HEMP {Cannabis raCmr).— This plant is an annual, and is grown for its fibre and seeds. The land should be clean and well 
treated, fairly moist and well drained. From the end of April to early May is the best time for sowing the seed. Ihiee to 
four pecks is the quantity required for an acre drilled in rows about 2 feet apart, not too deep in the ground. 
Price 7s. 6d. per bushel. 
KIDNEY VETCH (AnlhylHs vulncraria).—\ native plant, popularly knoryn as the Yellow Sand Clover, and specially 
adapted for producing a useful bite for sheep upon poor, thin sands and chalky soils. It stands drought well ; all stock like it ; 
grows good crops of hay ; yields 2 to 4 tons per acre. Sow 25 lbs. per acre in rows a foot apart. 
Price Is. 2d. per lb. ; 1 25s. per cwt. 
Ravnes Park. London, S.W.— igu. 
