The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1875-07-01
for the farmer.
OATS ron HAY.

A.. NE raise our oats for the seed they con-
..;nS We certainly are at liberty to cut for fod-
deT before they are ripe; but we are so accus-
TONED to the other way, that 1t seems almost
wrong to do 1t. let IL Is oone, anu IL Is Teoo'n
Now the ost is Just as much a hay (or grassy
ms timothy 1t may be used to the same advan-
tsge and in some cases is preferred. Sow thick,
and get a dense, fne-stemmed growth, ana cut
lust before the milk appears, or when it is pres
emit in the upper seeds. This is plenty late
enough Cure well, as you would clover; anu
instead of having harsh stalk, you have a ten
der pliable hay, eaten with eagerhess auu pen
eft TO health as well as to perfect Digestion
which is not the case with mature stalks, as you
do not get all of the little they contain. But
cut with the substance of the juice in, you Will
get the benefit of the substance. There will be
a good flavor to your milk and the products of
the dairy.
The same remarks that apply to oats, apply
equally well TO the other grains Rye and some
other cereals are richer in nutritious Substances
than the oat; but the oat affords more feed to
the acre, and can be raised on poorer land. A
heavy crop of rye haulm can be grown on light
sandy soil, if enriched. A crop thus gathered
early for hay leaves the land less exhausted than
if permitted to npen, and so gets most of itt
strength from the atmosphere; it also leaves the
land in a more mellow condition, and hence pre-
pares it better for wheat or rye q seed crop.
The benefit realized from grain hay over thai
of the common article is in the larger yield pei
acre. The few experiments have seen IN the
cutting of grain for hay, induce me to believe
that it is preferable to the grasses IN general
(clover always excepted) where properly treated
Oats, in two crops per annnm, may be made TO
yield heavily, and an article that is probably su-
perior to all kinds of haulm. Often the farmer
can bring in advantageously piece of grain for
hay, when the hay crop proper is light and the
grain straw is heavy. This will pay. 1t will do
well to have an extra piece of oats for batting
sowed early, so as to be used before the corn is
advanced enough. What is left may be saved
for Winter feed, or ripened for the grain. There
is this advantage then, whether Winter rye OF
oats, or any other grain, is grown to fill out the
Summer feed: what is left can be ripened as us.
ua1, and if not wanted at ALL which is rare, il
can be treated as regular crop of grain. There
will thus in any event be no loss. As the Sum-
mers are, You could hardly find one when this
course would not be beneficial; and the more
such forage is provided, the more the profit, un-
less ON the wild lands of the West and the South.
Here, in our cultivated Eastern States, land is Of
too much value to have its product trodden I'M
der foot, as is the case with pasture, only real
izing third or more of the crop The less this
is done, and the more cut forage is grown, the
greater the profit; especially when fed to mich
cows in the shade, when the heat is greatest in
the day, instead of leaving them broiling in the
sun. This is partly soiling, and is being more
and more practiced, and by and by soiling in full
will be the rule. Why not now, or at least to a
larger extent, and thus get the benefit at oncef