Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-02-15
Care Of Stock.
From the Boston Cultiyator

From the Boston Cultiyator.
Judge Hayes is very considerable Of the
comfort and consequent thrift Of his farm
stock, during the inclemency OF the winter.
We give his own concise and sensible re.
marks upon this subject "The cattle are
fed several times in the morning, and care
fully carded and at about 6 O'Clock turned
out for water and exercise, While they
are drinking, the stalls are cleaned out and
supplied with fresh and clean litter, and in
an hom or two they are again tied up If
the weather is stormy or very cold, they are
permitted to return to their stalls as soon as
possible; but if the weather is mild, they
are suffered to remain out longer, but not
more than two hours They are fed in
their stalls several times during the day,
always giving little at time. In the
afternoon they are again turned out and
watered, and suffered to remain out as long
as in the morning. The stalls having been
again cleaned and Uttered, the cattle are
again tied up for the night. Great care is
taken to make the barn warm. When the
weather is very cold, the windows and doors
are closely shut. In this way, the cattle
being more comfortable are kept at much
| less expense, ana thrive better.
&C My business calls me often to ride
through the county of York, and it is dis.
trcssing to see seven Fights of the stock,
working oxen excepted, } exposed to the
severity of the weather in cold winter days,
from morning till night, without shelter
Cattle so situated will take little exercise,
but stand shivering with the cold, not be-
ing able to lie down comfortably on the
cold melting snow. 1t is mistaken notion
that cattle and sheep should be much ex-
posed to severe cold weather to render them
hardy. Some farmers say they leave
their cattle out, because their business
calls them from home, This is a poor
excuse 1t would be much better to turn
their cattle out to water only once each
day, and tie them up Immediately after
drinking, than to leave them all day eX-
posed to the open air. Then the humane
farmer when gone from home and exposed
to the storms of our inclement winter, may
feel some satisfaction in the reflection that
he has discharged his to his live stock, by
placing them in dry and warm shelter"
MANUFACTURE OF MANURE.-Lands that
are in good condition, are kept so with
comparative ease; but those that have be-
come exhausted of their vegetable matter
by course of skinning, are with much
difficulty made productive. While in this
state, they soon pack down into hard and
lifeless condition, after being plowed, and
Of course, are far from susceptible to drouth.
1t is impossible for the roots of cultivated
plants to expand, or find nourishment in
them. Compost manure, having vegetable
matter for its basis, and the necessary salts
well developed in its combination, being
Literally supplied to these infertle soils,
renders them more permeable to heat, air
and moisture it operates as a sponge in the
soil TO attract and retain moisture and it
contains the elements of robust life for
the growing crop. We see that nature
every where forms rich vegetable mould
for the heavy forests to rear their towering
heads, or her broad prairies to luxuriate in
their variegated and exuberant foliage. The
main dependence then, in bringing up an
exhausted soil to state of productiveness,
must ordinarily be upon augmenting the
amount of vegetable matter in and upon the
soil.
1t has been favorite object with judge
Hayes, to turn every thing Of this kind to
the best account He preserves. the veg
etable matter of the decomposing sod, from
the dissipating influence of sun aud wind,
by one careful blowing; leaving it in its
inverted position through the whole rotation
Of crops following. All the waste vegeta-
BILE substances that are to be found on the
farm, are annually gathered up and carried
to the barn-yard and Eiggery, to be CONVEX
ted into manure Tor the tillage fields
Quantities of leaves are gathered in the fall,
and even late in the spring, for littering
the cattle aud swine. The bushes, ferns
and coarse grasses, left by the cattle in the
pastures, are annually moved and carted tn
the yards; and a better heritage coming in.
the quality of the pastures is improved. The
sour, coarse grasses of the unreclaimed low
lands are also brought to the barn and
stacked outside, to be used for lttcring the
stalls. All the refuse straw is saved for the
same purpose.
The large barn is placed upon a side hill,
with yards all around it. Spacious apart
ments are thus afforded for the different
kinds of stock, and also places of deposit
for the various materials to be converted
into manure, in the different stages of their
decomposition or manufacture. The yard
on the north side of the barn has been dug
out from the side hill, and has a bank wall
to prevent the caying in of the road above