Vol. LIX. No. 2624. 
NEW YORK, MAY 12, 1900. 
*1 PER YEAR. 
WHAT CROPS FOR SOILING? 
HELPING OUT THE DRY PASTURES. 
Indian Corn and Oats aad Peas. 
NEED OF GREEN FOOD.—The experience of 1898, 
when ithe prolonged drought seriously affected the 
pasture fields, caused many dairymen and farmers to 
decide upon the soiling system, either 
in whole or in part, and many con _ 
structed extra silos for the storage of 
silage for Summer feeding. In the rush 
of Spring work many are likely to for¬ 
get the experience of one year ago, and 
neglect planting a crop ror soiling pur¬ 
poses. A drought is almost certain to 
come at some time during the season, 
and every dairyman should be ready 
for it. The best provision which can 
be made for Summer feeding is, with¬ 
out doubt, the silo. Those dairymen 
who have been wise enough to provide 
silage for Summer feeding can carry 
their stock through with much less 
labor and expense than can those who 
depenu upon pastures or soiling. But 
those who have no silage for Summer 
feeding should make provision to fur¬ 
nish to the stock succulent food at all 
times during the Summer. 
CORN COMES FIRST—Where maize 
or Indian corn can be grown there is 
no crop which compares with it in 
value as a soiling crop. Many farmers 
plant corn with the sole aim of producing a crop of 
grain, and they consider what corn stover they get 
as so much clear gain. We have seen luxuriant fields 
of corn when the 
pasture fields were 
dry and parched. 
The cows were abso¬ 
lutely suffering for 
lack of proper food. 
The farmer would 
not cut any of the 
corn, because that 
must be allowed to 
mature and produce 
grain. This policy 
was wrong, for at no 
other time would so 
much actual profit 
result from the feed¬ 
ing of the corn as 
during the period of 
drought. But to 
guard against this 
tendency to save the 
corn for the develop¬ 
ment of the grain, 
there should be 
planted a few acres 
of corn, depending 
upon the size of the 
herd, and this area 
should be religiously 
set aside as a crop 
to be used for soil¬ 
ing. Fig. 100 shows 
a cornfield as it 
should be planted and cultivated. The rows are far 
enough apart, so the sun can reach every part of the 
plants. Cultivation was not stopped when the corn 
tasseled, but was continued late in the season. The 
variety shown in Fig. 100 is Sibley’s Pride of the 
North. It is one of the best varieties for central 
New York, either for soiling or for silage. The ob¬ 
jection to corn for soiling is that it comes late, not 
being in condition to cut until August. 
OATS AND PEAS.—As a crop for cutting in June 
and July nothing is superior to oats and peas. Many 
writers at the present time are recommending cow 
peas, Soy beans, Teosinte, Kaffir corn, Alfalfa and 
sorghum, and no doubt each of these crops has val- 
of green forage per acre, which upon analysis in the 
chemical laboratory was found to have a feeding 
value of $60. In sowing oats and peas it is impor¬ 
tant that the peas be covered deeply. It is well to 
sow them broadcast at the rate of one bushel per 
acre immediately after the land is plowed, and before 
harrowing. After harrowing the oats should be 
drilled in separately at the rate of 1V 2 
oushel per acre. If planted in succes¬ 
sion of about one week, and one or two 
acres at each sowing, a cutting of 
green succulent food can be obtained 
any time after the middle of June or 
July 1. For late Summer planting 
with peas, barley should be substi¬ 
tuted for oats. Oats seem unable to 
stand the hot Summer as well as bar¬ 
ley, and they are also more quickly at¬ 
tacked by rust and smut. The farmer 
can ill afford to grow in a large way 
the new forage crops until they have 
been tested by the experiment sta¬ 
tions, and recommended as suitable. 
If a sufficient quantity of silage has not 
been provided for Summer feeding, 
then an extra field of corn should be 
planted for August and September, and 
oats and peas should be sown for late 
June and July feeding, l. a. clinton. 
A CORNFIELD AS IT SHOULD BE. Fig. 100. 
liable qualities, but in numerous experiments we have 
found for central New York nothing superior to oats 
and Canada field peas for early Summer soiling, and 
OATS AND PEAS AS THEY SHOULD GROW IN THE FIELD. Fig. 101. 
corn for late Summer and Fall. The various new crops 
mentioned are well to try by way of experiment, but 
for the main crops, corn, and oats and peas can be 
relied upon. 
Fig. 101 shows the corner of a plot of oats and peas 
as grown on the experiment grounds of Cornell Uni¬ 
versity. This crop produced a yield of over 12 tons 
SUMMER FEEDING.—Oats and peas 
constitute one of the best fodder crops 
that can be grown in New England for 
feeding green during July. They should be sown at 
the rate of iy 2 or two bushels of the peas to two 
bushels of oats per acre. On most soils it is desirable 
to plow under the 
peas five to seven 
days before the oats 
are to be sown; but 
on heavy, compact 
soils this is not de¬ 
sirable, as the peas 
would be likely to 
rot before germin¬ 
ating. By sowing 
three small plots at 
successive times this 
fodder can be made 
available for about a 
month. The first 
sowing should be 
made as early as the 
ground can be thor¬ 
oughly cultivated; 
the second sowing 
about 10 days later, 
and the third from 
15 to 20 days after 
the second. The 
crops from the later 
sowings will grow 
more rapidly than 
that of the earlier 
sowings, and for this 
reason the time be¬ 
tween the later sow¬ 
ings should be in¬ 
creased. The small 
Canada field peas are generally used for growing with 
oats, but any of the common garden peas will prove 
nearly or quite as valuable. We should not advise 
using over iy 2 bushel per acre of the larger kinds of 
garden peas, like the Champion or Telephone. Many 
recommend Japan millet to follow oats and peas. 
Connecticut, c. 8 . phelps, 
