SOILING, SOILING CROPS. 325 SOLANACE^a:. nier. In some instances, however, as in the case of dairy farms in the immediate vicinity of large cities, complete soiling is not infrequent and is on the increase. American farmers began to turn their attention to sciiling early in the nineteenth century, and ag- ricultural literature shows that about the middle of the century the practice had become general in the Eastern and Southern States. The crops used for green forage at that time were grass, clover, corn, oats, cabbage, and root crops. In the A'est, where large tracts of wild grass land aflord unlimited pasturage, there is no need to re- sort to soiling: but as soon as the land is settled and the natural pastures become confined to indi- vidial farms, soiling has not only been found ex- pedient, hut oftentimes necessary. Its advantages are many. It requires far less land to sustain a given number of farm animals than under pastur- ing: feeding green forage in the barn or yard eliminates the expense of constructing and keep- ing up pasture fences, at the same time greatly diminishing the waste of food, and animals are assured sulfieient feed at all times. Practically the only serious disadvantage is the extra labor involved. Since animals kept in the barn seem to require exercise, the two systems of soiling and pasturing are often combined in the United States. In such cases llic soiling crops should be grown remote from the pastui'e, so that the animals may not be- come restless and disinclined to graze. The fod- der should not be fed in open racks, and the quantity given shoiild never be more than will be eaten at the time. Nearly all farm crops can be utilized in soil- ing, corn being considered one of the best. The soil, the climate, and the kind of stock to be fed naturally determine the kinds of crops to be grown. The purpose of soiling crops is to afford aliundance of succulent forage. This is best ac- complished with rapidly growing plants that pro- duce large amounts of foliage. The list of soiling crops generally grown includes rape, turnips, sor- ghum, kaflr corn, millet, many cereals such as rye, barley, oats, and many legumes such as clover, cow-peas, alfalfa, and combinations of oats gnd peas, and barley and peas. Consult: Peer, »SV;i/iH(/, Soilinri Crops, and Ensilage (Xew York and London, 1900) ; United iStates Depitrtment of A'fricultiire, Fanners' Bulletin So. 16. SOISSONS. swa's6>. An episcopal city and the ca])ital of an arrondissement in the Depart- ment of Aisne, France, 65 miles northeast of Paris, on the Aisne River (Map: France, K 2). The principal building is the cathedral of Notre Dame, a composite of the Romanesque and Hot hie styles of architecture, founded in the twelfth cen- tury. There are also some remains of the great castellated Abbey of Saint Jean des Vignes, where Thomas a Becket found refuge when in exile. A short distance from Soissons is an institute for the deaf and dumb, which occupies the site of the famous .bbey of Saint lledard. Other features of the town include the town hall with a library of .")0.00n volumes and a museum ; the medi;rval Al)I)ayc Notre Dame (built on the site of a con- vent dating from 060), now utilized as barracks; and the seminary occupying the oM Abbaye Saint LPger. Soissons is in a region extensively en- gaged in farming, and carries on a large trade in grain, haricot beans, live stock, etc. The princi- pal manufactures are leather, foundry products, lumber, ilannel, and farm implements. Popula- tion, in 1901, 13,240. Soissons is one of the old- est towns in France. In the time of the Romans it bore the names of Xorinduninn, Auijusia Smcs- siouinn, and Siiessiona. It is famous for the vic- tory obtained in the vicinity by Clovis in 486 over the Roman general Syagrius, which put an end to Roman dominion in Gaul. It was the capital of the Frankisli kingdom of Neustria. It has undergone numerous sieges. On October 16. ISVO. after a liombardment of four days, it sunc'iiilcrcd to the (Jermans. SOISSONS, Louis DE 'boi-rhon. Count of (11)04-41). A French noble, born in Paris. Suc- ceeding to the ottice of grand master of France and (iovernor of Danpliine. he took the part of the Queen Mother. Maria de' Medici, while a't the same time making approaches to (he Huguenots. Pie conspired against Richelieu, who had opposed his marriage to Mile, de Jlontpensier, and was obliged to flee to Savoy. He was, however, re- called by Louis XIII. and took part in the siege of La Rochelle in 1027. In 16H6 he again formed a plot against Richelieu, and after its failure fled to Sedan, where he joined an alliance with the Duke de Bouillon. Duke de Guise, and the Span- iards against Richelieu. In July, 1041, they met the royal forces at Marfee, near Sedan, and van- quished them; but at the moment of victory Soissons was killed. SOKO'TO. One of the largest States of Cen- tral Sudan, extending with its dependencies east- ward from the Lower Niger, above the confluence with the Benue, to the Kingdom of Bornu and the borders of French Congo, and embracing the larger part of Northern Nigeria (see Nioeria.) (Map: Africa, E .3). Area, estimated at over 100,000 square miles. Its population is com- posed principally of Hausas (see Hausa States), but includes also the Fulbe, who are the ruling class, as well as Tuaregs, Arabs, etc. The total population is believed to number about 10,000.000. The Sokoto Empire took its rise in the nineteenth century. It originally formed a part of the great .Fulah Empire established by Otliman in Central .Sudan at the beginning of the samecentury. It re- mained in the possession of the famil.y of Othman until the conclusion of the commercial treaty with the Roval Niger Company in 1885, since when the territory has gradually come within the British sphere of influence, with the exception of Ada- niawa (q.v.), which is partly within the German sphere. The city of Sokoto, formerly the capital of the empire, with a population of over 100,000, is now an insignificant place, and the capital has been transferred to Wurnu, a small town about 25 miles northeast. The commercial centre is Kano (q.v.) . SOKOTRA, sij'ko'tra or sok'o-trA. An island in the Indian Ocean. See Socotr.. SO'LANA'CEiE (Neo-Lat. nom. pi., from Lat. solaniim, nightshade), or The Nightshade Fam- ily. A natural order of mostly offensively smell- ing tropical and subtropical herbs and shrubs, and a few trees. There are 70 genera and aboijt 1500 species, most of which are found in Central and South America; a few in the temperate zones, but none in the cold regions. The princi- pal genera are Nicandra. Lycium. .Atropa. Hy- oscyamus, Physalis, Capsicum, Solanum, Lyco-
