The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-06-13
SOTLENG CATTLE.

ularly to those who own smali farms. and
are uoder the necessity of e~conomising in
a rigid dergec, IN order TO support their
families.
The principle and economy in soilinc
is this a half an acre of land can e@asilJ
be made to furnish green food for a COW
or a horse during the season, till it be-
0 mes I, cessary to commence with winter
feed in December, while it requires from
an acre and a half to two acres Of pasture
TO keep the same animal.the same length
of time. Besides this great saving Of
land, the manNre of each animal sotled Is
worth the interest on two acres Of land at
$50 per acre, ovel what it would be on
the common pasturage system IooIset
a portion Of this advantage, VIC must take
into the account the labor it requires to
cut the green fodder and feed it out daily;
auu yet | am inclined to believe this labor
is no more than a fair equivalent for the
saving of time in driving stock to pasture,
aud keeping the fences in a condition far
more expensive than the selling system
requires. Indeed, on this system, fences
MAY he dispensed with altogether, except
the farm enclosure and roadaiies.
Fencing materials are now Lecoming
an item of greet expense to all farmers,
not only in the materials themselves, but
also in the labor of building the fences
and keeping them in god repair. More
over, the waste land that fences occupy
(Which is very considerable on the soil
ing system may all be cultiyated-an
stem of considerable Importance on small
farms, where the land ia divided into
small fields.
To adopt this system with the best re.
suits, the land from which The green fod-
der is to come should be adjoining the
barn, level aud very fertile and with the
abundance of manure that is procured by
soiling, there is no difficulty in making
the land rich and productive.
The best article for soiling is cloyer,and
Eext to this are corn sown in drills or
5roa3c t, oats, millet, rye, sugar cane
{sorghum), barley, Hungarian grass, and
thy variety of grass that grows tall and
luxuriant which is relishei by stock.
Sweet corn Is the best to sow for soil
inc. | have used a kind called "Darlings
prolific" which is well adapted TO this
purpose, on account Of its thrifty growth
and its tendency to tiier, or throw out
humorous suckers. 1t may be sown at
any time from May 18th to July. It is
best to sow it in drills about IS inches
apart with a seed sower. Cattle are kept
LII much better condition by soiling them.
They are often turned out to pasture. too
early in the spring, before the grass is
sufficiently grown to afford them enough
to satisfy their hunger, and If there hap
pens to be an early drouth they can no.,
thrive, and they Will hardly get over the
effects Of a bad winters keep before they
enter upon another. On the soiIing svs-
TEN, a drouth does not seriously affect the
stock, as their supply Of fodder is always.
green, succulent and abundant.
Independent Of all the considerations Of
economy that | have named, COWS give
much more milk when soiled, md Weld it
more regularly than when pastured aud
the waste of time, aud the worrying of
0 " in driving them to distant fields in
warm weather, are avoided. Wat can
be more Injurious to a noble COW than to
send an unteeling boy to drive her a half
a mile to pasture every day during the
summer, with the thermometer often up
to 800, while, perhaps, she is worried b.
a dog, or pounded with a club, because
she does not happen to suit In her gait,
or otherwise, her driver? Milk, when thus
heated by improper driving OF cows, does
not produce s much cream a. it does uo-
der other circumstances, which is Il good
Butter made from the milk Of soilcd cows
does not have that oily appearance which
is SO often the case ii waru weather, when
COWS are driven to and from their pasture.
Nor is there any difficulty in butter "comr
ing" 10 the warmcst weather, when solled.
A farmer in Waltham, Mass, is said to
have made last season $3.50 lbs. Of butter,
from the milk of four cows, in thirteen
weeks, fed on green fodder-chicfy grass,
and corn sowed broadcast. The COWS
were not out of the barnyard during that
time. Two Of the animals were heifers
only two years old, which had calye, in
the spring, and the whole Of the milk of
one Of them was taken by her calf du-img'
six weeks out Of the thirteen, and some
of the milk of the other was used in the
family 4; from which circumstances it may
be said that the four COWS should not be
rated at more han three ordinary ones.
a yard should be connected with the
barn, Of a tie proportionate to the mum
her Of cattle soiled. For a half dozen cows,
about a quarter Of an acre is necessary,
so that the weaker ones may not be an
noyed bythose hat are stronger and more
pugnacious. They should have an open
shnd 70 IL nndnr In stnrnn mnnthnr Dr.