Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-09-08
Rive for Grain and for Selling.

~~ONN~~~O
who could get good prices for hay aud
other paying crops. Within few years
past the price of straw has advanced 80
much that rye may be raised at good
profit, even if the grain were only worth
the cost of thrashing. for the straw has Of
ten been worth more by the ton than the
best English hay. 1t is not only used for
bedding for horses in most of the city sta
bles, but is also in good demand for Gov
erinS the floors Of horse cars in winter.
1t also brings good prices peddled in the
cities and country villages, for under beds
among the poorer and even the middle
classes, Large quantities Of straw are
used every year for this purpose by the
foreign population among us, as well as
by Americans, SO that rye, for its grain
and straw, has come to be one of the most
profitable crops grown on farms at a little
distance from the markets.
Winter rye is also coming to be highly
valued as a soiling crop. by farmers who
make a speciality of producing milk or
butter for sale. Rye pasturage makes the
best of feed for cows or for young stock,
but it is more profitable, generally, to cut
and feed it in the barn than to let the cat
tie feed it the field. If one has a pasture
that is easily ploughed and which can be
seeded to rye early in the fall, it will pro-
duce excellent feed for young cattle till
cold weather, and may be fed again next
spring till July, and perhaps later, if it
can be prevented from going to seed. We
have only raised it for moving, but some
of our neighbors have grown it in pastures
with very satisfactory results. AS 4 soil
ing crop, it is particularly valuable, as it
comes early in spring, before anything else
green can be cut for cattle food. Although
its season for cutting lasts but short time
usually only about twenty days, it is one
of the best green crops foy mich COWS
we have ever grown. Up to the time o.
blooming, it is eaten with great relish by
all kinds of stock. Many farmers come
short of hay nearly every spring,and then
cows are kept on Il short allowance or are
turned out to pick upa scanty living from
the old WORKOUT pastures. Under such
treatment, the animals lose flesh and are
incapacitated for yielding any profit from
the food consumed. There is no time
when a farmer feels the cost of keeping
his COWS as in Il late spring, when he is
buying English hay at cent or more a
pound. We have within few years paid
as high as forty-four dollars per ton tOl
pressed hay, with which to carry out oul
stock till the feed in the pastures should be
grown sufficiently to furnish them a sub
sistence At such times. a field of luXu-
RANT green rye is especially cheering, both
to the stock and their keeper.
| From repeated trials we have found green
rye equal in every respect, rs food fo1
COWS, to the best English hay, SO long as
the rye is Young and tender. and in the
early part of the season Of feeding it we III
ways get more milk and butter per week
than when feeding hay. Rye does well
sown after ear potatoes, and 1t may, also
be grown on Swarl land that is run out toe
much for moving another year, if sutfi
cient manure is applied to give the rye {;
vigorous start in the fall. If sown after
potatoes, the land may be seeded to grass
with the rye, with a fair prospect of :;
good catch. The rye removed so early il
the season that the grass has much bet
ter cllaLce than if the rye is left to 20 TO
seed
The experiments by a subscriber, which
are detailed in another column, show VIVA
may be done by seeding rye and grass to
gcthcr under favorable circumstances, a,
when the rye is removed early in the sea
son, so that the grass may have Il ch;lnc,
to mrow after the rye is cut.
Within the past few wears many farmer
within our knowledge have grown feel,
Of rye for feeding green to mich cows, an,
We have vet to learn of one who is dissat
i>iicd with the practice. If Il farmer be
gins to raise such crops he generally keep
it up, rs much more fodder can be produc
ed upon Il farm by raising rye, corn fodder
green oats, &c, than if depending upol
hay alone. Winter rye may be grown
without interfering in the least with othc
crops, as it can be soyn after crop ha
been removed. and will be out of the wa
in season for full crops to succeed it mex
year.
We shall, this fall, make the expert
ment of CROWN. Il crop of rye for soilinc
by sowing it in an orcllart! after Il crop o
hungarian grass, and removing the "
next May in season to put another crop O
Hungarian, if desirable. Beans, potatoes
fodder corn. cabbages, millet, and indeed
all kinds of farm OF garden crops. with
few exceptions. may be grown after Il GRO
; of green rye has been cut for fodder, an
it may be sown in the fall, after cverythin,
except Il few very late growing crops, 5
f that it really takes no time which woul,
be devoted to other crops, except perhaps
worthless weeds. But it cannot grow with
out plant food, and the richer the land thu
better the growth, in ordinary seasons.
Ashes are a very good special fcrtlizc
for rye, in addition to a fair dressing o
stable manure, and the various kinds G
commercial fertilizer prepared at tn
slaughter houses and glue factories, max
excellent dressings for this crop If it St
happens that more rye is grown than i
needed for feeding green, it may be Gu
and cured like hay and will not come amis
in the winter, either for fodder or for bed
ding for horses. We know of farmer
who raise rye and oats specially for bed
ding, instead of gathering it from tn,
swamps and wet meadows, and polling i
ashore Il few forkfulls at time through
mud and water. Straw raised for thi,
purpose is always cut as soon rs it is fully
grown, and is much tougher. and more
lasting as bedding than the straw of thrcsh
ed grain. The quantity of seed to be sowr
per acre will depend upon several circum
stances, as whether it is sOwn with or with
out grass seed, the lateness of the season
&c. For seeding with grass, bushel anC
a half of good rye is enough to SOW pei
acre, but if sown alone double the quaint
ty will not be too much, especially if it is
put in rather late in the season. Gras.
will winter better sown the middle or last
of October with, than without rye. as tn,
latter helps protect it from the frequent
freczings and thawings of winter an(
spring.
We feel perfect confidence in recon-
mcnding all our dairy friends to try :
piece of rye for feeding green next spring
and it is about time now to put in the seed