Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-15
Crops for Green Feeding in Summer.

Crops for Green Feeding in Summer.
 Prof. C. s. Phelps, Storrs Agricultural Ex- pertinent Station.
 One of the first crops in the spring that | is available for soilng is rye. This crop | should be sown September l, at the rate l of two and one-half or three bushels per | acre. The time during which the crop is | in the best condition for feeding is short. | After the heads have generally prepar- | ed the rye soon becomes woody, and is | then more or less rejected by stock. For | this reason the period of feeding must | be short, and large crops cannot be ex- l pected.
 Another spring crop and one that may 1 be made to follow rye if desired Is win | ter wheat. This crop is more leafy, de- l velops more slowly than rye, and can be advantageously fed for longer period | of days. Although not legume, 1t gives quite a high percentage of protein, and | is a fodder to which cows seem to re- l spond readily with an increased product. l It can be advantageously fed between May Is and June in the latitude of Con | necticut. Like rye, it needs to be thickly 1 sown-not less than two and one-half 1 bushels per acre. This crop responds | quickly to the application of nitrogen, | nitrate of soda probably giving the quick l est returns. By the use of fertilizers l rich in nitrogen, not only the total yield l but also the value of the crop may be | very materially increased.
 | Red Clover-Farmers today do not ap- preciate the value of clovers as forage l and hay plant to the extent that it's mer- | it's warrant. Many contend that the sea | sons have changed, and that clover Is l more apt to winterlxill than formerly, | but this is probably not the real cause | of the decrease. The fact that hay with l simply a small admixture of clover is | branded as second-class by liverymen | may have something to do with the re- | duction in the amount grown. This Is all 1 wrong, for an admixture of well-cured clover improves the value of hay for all | kinds of live stock. Ii seems proba ble l that there Is something lacking in our l soil that makes clover less productive | than formerly. The best clover lands in
 l the United States are found in limestone
 l regions, and 1t is quite likely that the
 1 lack of lime in the soil is often the cause | of failure with the crop.
 Next to the grasses, clover is one of
 l our surest crops for hay, and ten tons
 l might be grown with profit where one l is now produced. The experience of some l of the leading farmers in many sections
 has shown that the best time to SOW red | clover is after winter grain. during the l latter part of July. A good catch is | generally obtained at this time, and the l clover becomes firmly rooted by winter 1 and is not liable to be thrown out as a | result of freezing and thawing during the
 winter and spring. Red clover is one of l the most nitrogenous of our folders and l can be profitably fed for about two or l three weeks in June. good second crop
 l will be available early in August and on l rich lands third crop about September l 20 is not uncommon. Alfalfa takes it's place in the west.
 Oats and peas.-Oats and field peas l sown broadcast as early in the spring as 1 the soil can be thoroughly worked make one of the best crops for July feed that I we have yet tried. The large growing
 l western oats are to be preferred. Sown l at the rate of one and half bushels of | oats and one and a half bushels of the | thn a,,ant Of fnI1 I~a. 1y- l to reach ten to twelve tons per acre. If l large, strawy variety of oats be sown l they will afford support to the pea vines l and serious lodging of the fodder will not result except In case of very severe l storms. The best plan appears to be to l make two or three sowings, one week or l ten days apart and to use the fodder 1 from these areas successively. At our l station in Connecticut latitude 411s) the 1 first sowing was made one year on April l IT, Feeding from this area was begun l June 25 and continued until July Il. the | yield being at the rate of thirteen and a half tons of green fodder per acre. The l second sowing was not as heavy, but l gave feed from July II to IS. the yield be- | ing at the rate of thirteen and half l tons per acre. Oats and peas give one of l the best crops for summer feeding during l the month of July that we have yet tried | It is also valuable for making into hay, | but requires large amount of drying 1 in the cock; indeed so much that it Is | often difficult to make it into good hay. l During the first part of August and l some seasons late In July, there is pe- | riod that seems difficult to cover At l this time we have used to advantage l Hungarian grass sown about the 1st of | June. Tn fertile sols a heavy second | crop of red clover will be come available | early in August, and this will fill out the l time till corn or some other crop becomes | available.
 1 Fodder corn.--There is perhaps no for l age plant better known to our farmers l than corn The total amount of food ma l terials furnished by this crop Is without | doubt greater than from any other of our | common green folders. The nutritive value of the fodder is, however, much
 less, pound for pound, than the fodder of
 l clovers, peas or soy beans. We are firm | ly of the belief that some of the more | highly nutritious fodder plants, like soy | beans and COW peas, can be substituted l for corn and be grown with much
 | smaller drain on the fertility of the soil. Soy beans-This valuable fodder plant
 | was introduced from Japan. There are
 | several varieties, some of which are
 especially valuable for the seeds, while
 others produce little seed. but a large | amount of forage, medium green" be-
 l ing best for forage. The plant grows | about feet high, is leafy and quite suc-
 | culent and Is we'll eaten by cattle. In