Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-06-27
AgrituIturd Department,
Soiling Cattle.


those who own small farms, and are under the
necessity of eeonomisng in . rigid degree in
order to scpport their families.
The principle and economy in soiling is this:
half an acre of land can easily be made TO
furnish green food for a COW or horse during
the season, till it becomes necessary to com
meuce with winter feed in December while it
requires from Gn. acre and half to two acres
of pasture to Keep the same animal the same
length OF time Besides this great saving of
land, the manure of each animal soiled is
worth the interest on two acres of land at $50
per acre over what it would be on tire com
mon pastulage system. 10 Offset o portion OF
this advantage, we mnst take into the account
the labor it requires 10 cut the green fodder
and feed it out daily ; and yet am inclined
TO believe this labor is no more than q fair
equivalent for the saving of time in diving
stock to pasture, and keeping the fences u a
condition far moro expensive than the sojlng
system requires. Indeed, on this system, fences
may be dispensed with altogether, except the
farm enclosure and roadsides.
Fencing materials ale now becoming an
item Of great expense to all farmers, not only
in the materials themselves, but also is tie
labor OF building the fences and keeping them in
good repair Moreover the waste land that
fences occupy (Which is very CONSIDERABLE or
the soiiigg system may all be Cultvated-an
Item of considerable Importance on small farms
where the land is divided into small fields
To adopt this system with the best results,
the land from which the green fodder is to
come should be adjoining the barn, level and
very fertile and with the abundance of man
ure that is procured by soiling, there is 10 diff
Guilty in making the land rich aad productive
fhe best article for solling is clover aud
next to this is corn sown in drills or broad
cut, oats, mlIet, rye sugar cane (sorghum)
barley, Hungarian grass and any variety Of
grass that grows tall and luXuriant which is
relishctf By stock.
Sweet corn is the best to SOW for selling
I have used kind called Darlings prolific" I"
which is well adapted to this purpose on &C
count of its thrifty growth and it's tendency 10
tulsr, or throw out humorous saCte-s. 1t may
nc sown at any time from May 18th to July.
1t is best to SOW it in drills about Is inches
apart with seed Sower. Cattle are kept in
much better coDdiJion By soiiing them. They
are often turned ont TO pasture too early IN
the spring before the geasS is sufficiently grown
TO afford them enough to satisfy their hunger,
and if there happcnt to be an early drouth
they can not thrive, and they will hardly get
over the effects of c bad winters keeping before
they enter upon another On the soiiing sy5.
TEN, q drouth does not seriously affect the
steck, as their supply Of fodder is always
grcea, succulent and abundant.
Independent Of all the considerations Of
economy that / have named, cows give much
more milk when soIled, and yield it more re-
guariy than when pastured, and the waste Of
time and the worrying of cows in driving them
to distant fields in warm weather, are avoid.
cd. What can be more injurious to noble
COW than to send al uufceling boy to drive her
half mile to pasture every day during the
summer with the thermometer often up to so
degrees, while, perhaps, she is worried by
COG, or pounded with club, because she does
not happen to suit in her gait, CT otherwise.
her Cri7er? Mix, when thus heated by i'm
proper driving Of COWS, does not produce as
much cream as it does under other Circnm
Stances, which is a good argument in favor Of
the soling system. Butter made from the
milk of soiled COWS does not have that oily
appearance which is SO often tho case in warm
weather, when cows arc driven to and from
their pasture Nor is there any difficulty in
butter coming" in the warmeSt weather,
when soiled
A farmer in Waltham, Mass, IS said 10
have made last season 389 los. of butter, from
the milk Of four cowo, in thirteen weeks, fed
on green fodder-chicdy grass, and corn sowed
broadcast The COWS were not out Of the
barnyard during that time. Two Of the mi
mails were heifers only two years old, which
had calves in the spring and the whole Of the
milk Of oQe OF them was taken by her calf dur
ing six weeks out Of the thirteen, and some OF
the milk Of the other was used in the family /;
from which circumstances it may be said that
the four cows should not DO rated at more
than the ordinary tnes.
A yard should be connected Uita the barn,
of size proportionate to the number Of cat.
tie soed For half dozen COWS, about o
quarter of an acre is necessary, so that the
weaker ones may not be annoyed by those
that are stronger and more pugDacous. They
should have an open shed to lie under in
stormy weather during summer and in Novem-
Der they should be housed in their stalls at
night.
On this system OF feeding, large quantities
Of roots can be fed to advantage. Indeed, let
no man think that he can derive the greatest
possible profit from his live stock who does
not grow root crops. Roots arc the key tc
all successful farming in England, and they
are almost as important here. Carrots stand
at the head Of the list here, but turnips ii
England. Every mich COW should be fed q
halfa tushel Of carrots, at least, daily, fron
November to June, or some other equivalent
root that does not affect the milk-T. D
MIYER, Cor. ofthe Gsnssss Farmer.
Clinton, \. \.