(6) of the best, surest and safest crops for soiling is sorghum, planted thick, and with the rows not over two feet apart. The sorghum may follow a crop of oats or some other early crop, and will withstand dry weather better than most other plants. Cowpeas are good, and corn may be used satisfactorily on land that will produce fair to large yields." (Moore.) (1) Kansas.—Dates when soiling crops are avail able : Alfalfa, May 20 to September 30 ; wheat, June 1 to June 15 ; oats, June 15 to June 30 ; sweet corn, July 15 to July 31 ; field corn. August 1 to September 15 ; sorghum, August 1 to Septem ber 30; kafir, August 1 to September 30 ; wheat and rye pasture, until the ground freezes. (Otis.) The development of dairying in the southern states means more attention to care and feed of the live stock ; and the advance of land values and compar ative cheapness of labor should bring southern dairymen to consider the many ways in which soil ing, or at least partial soiling, may be of advantage under their special conditions. Cost of labor is the greatest item against the soiling system, and even this may be largely overcome by judicious planning.
Feeding soiling crops.
The cereals are ready for feeding when the kernels are in the milk stage, while the legumes may be cut in full bloom or before. Ordinarily, a soiling crop cannot be fed to advantage for a longer period than ten to fifteen days, so that a change of feed should be provided at this interval. A few crops, such as corn and sorghum, may be cut every second or third day, but most soiling crops must be cut daily for feeding in the stable. This work can be systematized so as to save labor by the use of a mowing-machine, horse-rake, and low-feed truck, so that the feed may be hauled directly into the stable and unloaded in front of the cows in one handling. Soiling crops are usually fed uncut ; but green corn and sorghum, if left in the field till nearly mature, are preferably run through a feed cutter before being fed. If the pastures are greatly dried up, so that it is necessary to place the animals on soiling crops only, with some dry roughage, it is well to feed green crops three or four times a day.
Cows will eat fifty to one hundred pounds of green forage, depending on the kind of crop at hand and its stage of maturity. In planting a rota
tion of crops it is safe to allow about one-half a square rod per day of such crops as-oats and peas, clover, alfalfa and millet for each full-grown ani mal (cows or steers), and a quarter of a square rod of corn or sorghum.
A very important advantage of "soiling" dairy cows lies in the fact that it enables the farmer to keep his cows up to a uniform standard of produc tion during nearly the entire lactation period. as they may be furnished a variety of palatable and nutritious feeds throughout the growing season.
and by feeding silage and roots in winter the con ditions of both summer and winter feeding are such as are most conducive to a large and profitable dairy production.
'ire of slick under soiling.
Cleanliness in the stable and the grooming of the cattle are important factors in soiling. When in pasture the hair of the stock is kept clean through rain and wind, but when confined the waste thrown off by the skin must be re moved by currying in order that the skin secretion of the animals be not interfered wit h, and that they may thrive under the rather artificial conditions under which they are kept, with the incidental heavy system of feeding and production.
Literature.
Quincy, Essays on the Soiling of Cattle, New York (out of print) ; Shaw, Soiling Crops and the Silo, New York (1904); Peer, Soiling Crops and Ensilage, New York (1900) ; Nielsen, Ueber Som mer-stallfutterung, Bremen (1880). Experiment Station publications : Soiling crops for cows : Storr's (Conn.), Bulletin No. 9, Reports 1891, 1895 ; Iowa, Bulletins Nos. 15,19, 23, 27; Kansas, Bulletin No. 125 ; Maryland, Bulletin No. 98 ; Massachusetts, Reports 1887-1891, 1893; Mississippi, Bulletin No. 95; New- Jersey, Reports, 1897-1904, Bulletins Nos. 122, 158; Pennsylvania, Reports 1889, 1904, 1905, Bulletins Nos. 65, 75 ; Wisconsin, Report 1885, Bul letin No. 103; Ontario (Guelph), Report 1890. Soiling crops for steers : Massachusetts, Report 1893 ; Utah, Bulletin No. 15. Soiling crops for sheep : Utah, Bulletin No. 15, Report 1892; Wis consin, Report No. 7. Soiling crops for swine : Michigan, Bulletin No. 223 ; Oregon, Bulletin No. 80. Fig. 807 from Farm Buildings, Sanders Pub. Co.