Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1876-06-22
AGRICULTURAL.
OATS FOE FODDER.

A correspondent of the Country
Gentleman says of this crop: 1.-The
oat is Just as much hay (or grass as
timothy. 1t may be used to the same
advantage, and in some cases is pre-
ferred. Sow thick, and get dense,
fine stemmed growth, and cut just be-
fore the milk appears, or when it is
present in the upper seeds. This is
plenty late enough. Cure we'll, as
you would clover, and instead of hav-
ing harsh stalk, you have a tender,
pliable hay, eaten with eagerness and
great benefit to health as we'll 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 juices in
and you will get the benefit of this
substance. There will be good fla
vor to your milk and the products of
the dairy.
The same remarks that apply to
oats, apply equally we'll to bother grains
Rye and some other cereals are richer
in nutritious substances than the oat,
but the oat affords more food to the
acre and can be raised on poorer land.
A heavy crop of rye haulm can be
grown on a light, sandy soil, if en-
riched. A crop thus gathered early
for hay leaves the land less exhausted
than if permitted to ripen, and so
gets most of its strength from the at
mosphere; it also leaves the land in
more mellow condition and hence pre-
pares it better for wheat or rye as a
seed crop.
The benefit realized from grain hay
over that Of the common article is in
the larger yield per acre. The few
experiments | have seen in the cut
ting Of grain for hay induce me to be-
lieve that it is preferable to the gras-
SEES in general, clover always except
ed, where properly treated. Oats in
two crops per annum, may be made
to yield heavily, and an article that
is superior to all kinds Of haulm.-
Often the farmer can bring in advan-
tageously piece Of grain for hay
when the hay crop proper is light,
and the grain straw is heavy. This
will pay. 1t will do to have an extra
piece of oats for batting, sowed early,
80 as to be used before the corn is adj
vanced enough. What is left may be
saved tor winter feed, or ripened for
The grain. There is this advantage,
then, whether winter rye or oats, or
any other grain is grown to fill out
the summer feed, what is left can be
ripened as usual, and if not wanted at
ut all, which is rare, it can be treated
as a regular crop Of grain. There
will thus in any event be no loss. AS
the summers are, you can hardly find
one when this course would not be
beneficial, and the more such forage is
provided, the greater the profit, un-
less on the wild lands of the West
and South. Here in our cultivated
Eastern States land is of too much
value to have its products trodden
under foot, as is the case with pasture,
only realizing 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 greater 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 larger extent,
ard thus get the benefit at once?''