The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-07-30
FOnAGE CnOPs.
How Late Forage Crops Can lie sue
ceasfuIIy Cultivated.

How Late Forage Crops Can nc sue
cessfuiiy Cultivated.
The following good article was
awarded the second premium In a
prize essay contest Of the Michigan
Farmer. calling for the best written
essay on the subject Of forage crops.
The writer Is Alfred Anderson OF Mus.
kegon county Michigan.
What substitute for hay and forage /
shall we be able TO plant rs late as /
the 10th OF June. with no present pre-. !
pnratlon for same and indications Of /
a dry season as the last one OF lS''f
Whatever Is done must be- done In n
hurry. The first thing ! would do
would be- 10 prepare a piece OF lahu
for corn. as there Is. at the above date,
plenty Of time for maturing crop ol
corn. The season OF 1891 ! planted
the 9th day Of June aud from nine
acres harvested 500 bushels 81 good
corn.
| would select sandy loan soil,
ms there would not be much use ot
attempting To prepare clay ground at
this time of year Stubhle land, or
some that had been recently plowcd'
would be more likely Co contain more
moisture and give corn better start
than sod land. But In case ] could do
no better would pillow sod about slX
or seven inches deep, then roll AMI
drag thoroughly.
With the ground well fitted. ! would
drill sweet corn Ia rows about Three
feet nine inches apart and about four
or five inches apart In the drilL Cul-
tlvnte and work the same as for
crop. Then | would look the farm
over for piece of moist land, piece
Of low bottom land. or reclaimed
swamp aud sow some millcl. and u
this Is harvested az the proper time
before Il gets too ripe Il VIII make an
excellent article OF hay, especially for
milk COWS
Rye would be- the next substitute,
principally for forage. and think
likely IL could be- made To produce
fodder by sowing rs soon as l'ossihlc
after June TO- As Ia the quality ot
rye cut for fodder, | think u Is nearly
ms good as timothy hay. Cut with the
binder Just about the time u blossoms
Rye. | think. stands ~ head OF Tor
nge plants. I would commence hr
sowing the wheat stubhle as soon after
harvest as possible. and then In ilr
corn M the last time Of cultiyaiing.
The pastures we viii now suppose Ia
BE- getting rather short. We are now
past the middle Of July and our lirsl
planting Of fodder corn. which should
have been planted about May %. VIII
soon ne ready To commence fe"ding.
II we have planned our planting
right we may have an abundance oi
corn fodder up to Oct !, when W.
may commence turning IN on the re
which viii show its worth in the ir
creased low Of milk and with taitcl
stock to commence the winter
For sheep raising, nnd These dry
seasons. rye i almost Indispensable
furnishing feed the entire season u
managed rightly provided thc winter
Is open. aud the first thing in th'
spring when some green feed is need
al so badly for ewes in lamb. w
may now pasture the rye till abou
the ist ~ May then u We wish to so
cure crop or cut Tor hay AMI tufi
under for green manure. the stock ca
be- taken on which VIII give Il 4
chance 10 make ample growth lor
crop.
The past few seasons have demon
siratcd the fact that We cannot de
pend upon pasture land Tor our stocs
II matters not how many acres VI
have IN pasture. when the terribly
drought ~ summer strikes It, u J
waste land. 81 that all the usc We ~
crlye from our pasture land Is ubnu
E, two months out Of the year.
M So II seems that the present mCiho
I, hf pasturng stock Is expensive in mon
: ways than one, First Ia not rccc.vm
{" sufficient returns from our land am
y second hy losing n quality ul ou
'e stock and shrinking of milk Ia ou
" dairy herds. which means not Oni
he the present loss VI milk bui The tutur
" also.
"A Ii seems to mc that the moro ccoI
"a 0mical aud rcmuncutivc way woul
\, hc the siahling Of stock through Oh
!. summer, thereby keeping more stuc
" on half the number of acres. The 81
~ would. no doubt, iill gap here th1
n we could not dispense with. " follow
ne lng this method.
Vt with the silo and feeding ~ s,1c
at throughout the entire year. We cuul
Nd depend more largely un cultivate
crops such rs would bc suitable {,
cnsilagc, aud the various root crop
thereby securing ourselves against u
droughts Of summer, and giving
more tillable land. also an increase
oi amount Of manure To enrich our sol