Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-08-30

distance of the fields from the homestead
may be opposed to the carriage of the grass,
1t is better to cut it daily, and give it on the
ground in pens, or small enclosures hurdled
off, so as to prevent the cattle from injur.ng
the growing crop, tnan to allow them to
range over and trample it. By con6ning
them in this manner to small space and
moving the hurdles forward as the grass is
eaten, the fertilizing properties ofthe dung
and urine, which would otherwise be lost,
are in considerable deeree preserved and
fthe land be Immediately ploughed, it will
be nearly as much benefited as if it were
more regularly manured.
The artificial grasses used for soiling are
the same as those already enumerated. as
hay, but here tares take the lead. bolh be.
[ cause the winter species is earlier ready
than any other. except rye.grass, and affords
fas weiehter crop. Ia most seasous,- tares
are ready for the scythe towards the middle
Of May, for if left tiIl4hey are quite ripe
they will become unfit for song before the
crop can be used /; and although there may
be some loss in using them SO soon, it will
be becomPensa,ed by the saving at the latter
end. as we'll as by commencing the soiling
sooner than would be otherwise practical
bic. Before they are of, clover will be
ready; the ,ares still standing may then be
made into hay, and by the time the clover is
becoming strawy, and losing its succulence,
spring tares will come in, which. If they have
been sown at intervals of abnut fortnight
each, will last until ;he second cut ofclover !;
or, if spring-tares be not sown, the growth
of part of the clover may be checked by
light early feeding. There is also an ex-
cellent fashon regarding soiling in Dorset.
shire, which consists in saving portion Of
rye alone, to be cut green ; then another
portion of rye with tares and afterwards
the remainder entirely with tares the rye
comes first Into use, and assists in raising
the earlier taress while those oflatter growth
do not require any such nursing. Thus
horses may be kept upon succession Of
green herbage, without touching the mea-
dows, throughout four months Of the sum.
mer and autumn, and while thus fed, require
very little corn when stirring the fallows,
and during the hurry Of harvest, couple
Of feeds a-day may be serviceable, but
more is unnecessary, and at other times
should be wholly omitted.
The mention oflucerne has been omitted,
although extremely valuable for soiliEg, be.
cause it requires peculiar quality ol land,
and is not commonly cultivated. In the Es
| sex report, it is said, that TWO horses have
4kepn supported during four months upon a
quarter Of an acre, with scarcely any thing
fgiyen to them besides and that SIX horses,
on hard work, have been kept on lucerne
instead of hay. but with an allowance ol
oats and chaff for twelve weeks-six from
the first cut four from the second and two
from the third which, valu'ng the hay saved
at IS. per horse per week, would amount to
lOk. 1857 A paper in the communications
ito the Board of Agriculture also states that,
in one year, lwenty-three horses have been
kepttwen,y y weeks. and in the next, twenty.
eight horses during eighteen weeks, upon
eleven acres alone which gives an aver.
age Of three roods per horse ia nineteen
weeks.t 1t is also extensively used on the
coast of Normandy, and in the neighbour.
/ ing islands Of Guernsey and Jersey but it
is there said that horses, particularly those
used for the saddle, require more precaution
from overworking, when first going out OF
of the stable, than when fed on other hay /;
and, wha' is singular, that, when soled on
green lucerne, there is not The same danger
In Holland and Flanders, where the feed.
ing of cattle is supposed to be better under.
| stood than in mosl places, the summer soil.
| ing of larm horses is limited 10 half an acre
of m adow grass, Gu, and carried to the STA
bles, from the middle of May to the middle
of June from which lime 10 the end Of Au-
gust one sixth OF al acre ofclover is ADDED,
with 2Ibs. daily Of beans and from thence
10 November, when the winter feeding
commences, the clover is replaced by an
equal qnantiiy of carrots. From the mum.
Der of horses stated, IN this instance, to be
kept IN proportion to the tilIage-ll to $50
acres Of alluvial soil--their labour can how.
ever be only light +; though pair is said
to draw ION and half Of manure in the
field, and three tons upon Payement.S
Accounts have been also published, show.
ing that horses may be regularly worked
throughout The summer, in this country,
without any corn thus green crops, con-
sumed by soIling. are said to 60 four times
as far as when grazed and that, in this
manner, one acre of clover is equal TO Blk
of meadow pasture. But many Of these
statements rest only on opinion, or upon
insufficient data, and in al, so much depends
on the state Of the crop, ll,e size and health
Of the animal, and the work performed, OF
which the account is generally imperfect,
that no safe conclusion can be drawn from
them it is therefore unnecessary to reter
Skax,