The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-05-11 00:00:00

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agriculture.

ROT•L AGRICULTURAL Socuntr..--The cesinnittee of
inspection arrived at Reading on Tuesday last and
viewed the various local fatalitieis effered to the moiety
for their 1859 meeting. The deputation was met by the
Mayor, the Town Clerk, Sir PaulMuntes, Uri Mbn k,
Alderman Harris, and other gentlemen, and, after the
inspection, expressed themselves amply sacisiedoriththe
advantages offered by the town. The general trepreasion
is that Reading has come forward most liberellpte meet
the expenses, but the contributions from the county and
surrounding district are not, all protest, whit sight
fairly have been expected.
BIRDS.—With reference to cherry treer, -beg to say
that I have found pieces of bright tin, hanging loose
from the branches, quite effectual in scaring Away birds,
and for the gooseberry bushes scarlet worsted wound in
and out them. I did mine in January and they are
quite safe.—H. M.
OATH.' IN Oars.—When cattle, whether tows,
fatting beasts, or young stook are turned antic grass, it
is requisite to consider the best method of feeding.
There are two opinions on this point directly contrary to
each other; first, it is asserted by one set of graziers that,
let the grass to be fed consist of ever so rainy mires, that
the cattle should have it all at once; if it is divided into
eight or ten fields, the gates of all to beset epee for the
stock to feed where they like. Secondly, the other set
advance that large fields of 30, 80, of lel scree should
be divided, that the farmer may change bit stoek from
one to the other, and give the grass fresh and fresh.
And wll eof these parties assert that they.know them-
selves to be right from experience. But that is impos-
sible; one must undoubtedly be wrong. ' -Let as eanicier
the point, from reason; it is one that will never be
decided fairly from experiment, for two pieces of grass
each of 80 or 100 sores, contiguous and perfectly alike,
are not to be met with in the Queen's dominioas ; and if
they were, two sets of stock exactly similar would not
be found. The division into fields by hedges and
ditches, for the purposes of draining and shelter, in not
the inquiry, the comparison not being fair; es sate divi-
sion may be fed at once by setting all the gates open as
well as one field. The inquiry is, wbothee the cattle
will spoil the grass more in one way than in the other?
and whether the grass will go as far in one as in the
other, by fatting or feeding the beasts as' well? The
argument of giving the grass fresh and fresh appears to
be rather vague, for it supposes that the oattle• will not
eat it fresh if they have the whole range at 'singe, which
may be a mistake; they will not be seen in the evening
where they were feeding in the morning, het vary their
food in • manner most agreeable to themselves; and we
may in general observe that the segatious mdse.!, when
left to their own conduct manage such meats better
than we can for them. As to the treading and spoiling,
it ie an equal objection hi holilim—e6ho& ; the legs of the
beasts are not tied in small does any morn than in
large ones. In case all the' 'millet plebes have not
water, the objections of feeding them separate ate tench
greater. On the other band, it mese beadaritted that
there are disadvantages attending this wly df pasturing;
for a time the trampling sae be greeter as cattle are
disposed to beat a sort of march artemd ;Moir Gehl' on
ftret turning in, and also on eke* kiwis of disturbance;
but a greater evil is that of disturbing • Ism herd in-
stead of a small one this ,esieg may affect in ears en-
closure unseen from Othdra;and consequently the stook
in them left without iteerruption ;and perhaps a
motive greater than this, Its having been observed
I that cattle, and sheep also, do better when well propor-
tioned to their pasture, when divided into small lots
rather than large ones. In the stocking gross lends the
farmer should attend well to the propettion between
his stock and the quantity of his feed:" Let him re-
member when he stooks his grounds that he should be
pretty nice in this proportion, for if he dvendooks his
loss will be certain and great ; and if be does not throw
in as many cattle as he ought, then he will suffer by a
waste of food. There are several system' in fattening
—to buy In beasts in October and November, and to put
them to straw till the end of February, then to begin
their fattening on turnips, and continue it in Mardi ;
thence to the middle of May on other food, and then to
turn to grass, and kill in August or September. Another
scheme is to buy in smaller beasts in May lean, and sell
them fat from the grass in the October and the Novem-
ber following. When winter food is raised with spirit,
ancl the farmer takes a proper care to provide great
plenty of litter to turn into dung, the first method is
much the most profitable, but where either of these
requisites are wanting the latter is preferable. A third
system is to buy at that period which will, according to
the else of the cattle, admit their being ready for market
in April and May, when meat is generally sure of •
good price; one winter not highly fed; • summers
grass, and • second winter driven on by the best feeding.
This for large oxen; if smaller, to be brought in spring,
and have only • summer's grass and a winter's stalling.