The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1875-09-22
SEPTEMBER.
sow SOME RYE FOR WINTER
PASTURAGE.

1t will pay to SOW. rye for Winter
pasturage, and there is no dis
putting the fact that this crop, as
one for forage, has been too much
overlooked in the West. Every
farmer between the thirtieth and
fftieth parallels should have his
rye field as we'll as his field of
corn, wheat, oats and potatoes.
Valuable as this grain is for feed
ing purposes, its greatest value lies
in the large amount Of pasturage
it affords at a season Of the year
when other kinds of pasturage fail.
In this respect it is available as
feed for stock in the Fall after
most of the other grasses become
worthless. Again, in tho Spring,
it affords good pasturage earlier
than any other grass or grain, and
continues to furnish an abundance
of good pasturage until grass is
large enough to make good feed.
In grazing land it is all-impor-
tant to remember that trampllng
it by stock in wet weather is in
furious. A luxuriant rye patch
bears Winter grazing with less
injury to the soil than any other
crop We are acquainted with.
After rye has advanced in age
and growth sufficiently to stool out,
it is not damaged by the trampling
of a reasonable amount Of stock
whenever the soil is in proper con-
dition. Even when this crop is
desired for the grain, it may be
grazed to a reasonable extent in
the Fall, Winter and Spring, which
is said to have a tendency to In
crease rather than diminish the
yield. Even if fed the entire
Winter through, and to the sacri-
fee of it as a'grain crop, and the
loss of. 1t as. such, it is still said
by those who have tried it, to pay
at least 100 per cent. on the cost
of the crop as an investment.
Rye pasturage is an excellent
food for mich COWS late in the sea-
son, for it improves both the guam
tity and quality of the milk, and it
is particularly valuable for feeding
to stock while they are being fat
tened with corn or corn meal.
If it is not desired by the farmer
to reap and thresh out his whole
crop of rye, the lambs and calves
can be: pastured on it until toward
the last of May, when they can be
taken out and the grain allowed to
head, and twenty to twenty-five
hogs per acre can then be turned
into the field, where they should be
allowed to remain until they have
eaten all the grain; then they are
to be fed upon corn-three to five
bushels per head usually being
deemed a sufficient quantity to fit
them for market. In this way hogs
can be grained early, which we
believe would be more economical
than feeding green corn as it is
usually done, as the cost of labor
would be materially lessened.
The time for sowing this crop is
somewhat important. If sown 50
early that it will joint in the Fall,
the crop will fall down and become
sour at the joints, and it is unfit
for pasturage thereafter. In CEN
trail Missouri it is found to be a
good plan to plant an early-matu-
ring variety of corn, such as the
Yellow Galena or the Early Ohio
Dent, which may be planted as late
as from the 1st to the 10th of July.
When this is to be laid by, after
the last plowing with the double
shovel, two bushels of rye to the
acre should be sown broadcast and
lightly covered with a cultivator or
other similar implement. If it is
to be sown where potatoes were
grown, the rye should be put in
Immediately after digging the pota-
toes in August or early in Septem-
Der. Sown after either of these
crops, it will generally cover the
ground completely before Winter
with an abundant growth Of her
bage, afording rich pasturage du-
ring the Winter and early Spring