The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-31
agricultural.
soiling Advantageous to Dairymon.

The watertown IN. W Reformer has
been furnished with the proceedings of the
Farmers Club at Belleville, in which we find
that the following report on the practice OF
soiling was unanimously approved:
Let five acres be appropriated to pasturing
ten cows during six mOnths, commencing
with the first Of May. One-halt acre may
be sown to winter barley or rye, which can
be commenced being used for feed by the first
of June. This, at one and a half tons per
acre, viii supply the cows 10 pounds day,
which is all they will eat in addition to what
they get from the pasture, and will last to
June Is. One acre of clover, which will be
amply large to commence feeding by the time
tho rye is gone, at two tons per acre, will
last 80 days, or until July Is. 0ne-halt
acre of oats and barley will supply the de-
mand from this &ts until Aug. L. One
of corn, which hasbcen sown early, will by
this time bc ready to feed, which, at a yield
of tons per acre. at 20 pounds per day,will
last 10 days more, or until Sept. 10. Now.
as the barley or rye will have been fed by
june 18th, there will be ample time to raise
a crop Of sowed corn ON the same ground,
which will obtain sufficient growth to be
used by Sept. 10th, and, according to previ-
Gus allowance, will last until Oct. LIST, from
which time until the first of Nov, when the
cows should 90 into winter quarters, half
acre of corn fodder is an ample provision,
and largo part Of it will bc lcii for winter
use.
Now for the winter keeping. In the first
place, they should have good, warm, well
ventilated and well Uttered stables, plenty Of
good water, and be regularly fed. Three
fourths acre Of carrots, at 700 bushels per
acre. would yield SOS bushels; also three
fourths aero Of beets at same rate, 525 BUSH
els. II the carrots should be fed from Nov.
lst, at the rate of one bushel per day for
each COW, they would last until Feb. 10th,
from which time the beets may be fed until
June lst, which is the time the green feed
il TO DO used. Two acres planted to corn at
n Weld of 10 bushels, and three acres sown
to oat,. peas and barley at the same rate
would Weld a total Of 200 bushels, which
would be sufficient to give each COW three
quarts per day during the six months OF win
ter feeding. The pumpkins raised with the
corn could be fed during the month of octo-
Der. Five acres Of grass, at two tons per
acre, together with the straw and corn-stalks,
would supply sufficient fodder for the cows,
together with feed enough for team to do
all the work to be done on the land. The
manure made by these ten cows, IL they
were stabbed nights, ss they should be, dur
ing the summer, and all the time during the
winter, would be 10 loads each, or 100 loads
in all, which, at 20 loads per acre, would
give yor thorough manuring once in four
years. To this add a topdrcssing Of plaster,
and enough nutriment is given to the soil to
warrant the above estimates.
Ton good cows, with such keeping, will
produce yearly average Of butter and cheese
worth at least $40, or a total Of 500, and
the soil, instead OF being impoverished, as II
certainly must be by continued system Of
grain raising, will be constantly increasing
in fertility.