American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-01-18
Che farmers department,
Wintering Stock,

The English agricultural papers
are still discussing the best means oi
wintering cattle and sheep iii seasons
like the past, when, owing to the
great drouth, there is scarcity OF
of fodder, turnips, &c. In the No
yember number of the Gencsee Far
n,er we gave some extracts from the
remarks made on the subject by en-
inent farmers in different parts of
England. The question how TO win
ter horses, cattle and sheep most
economically is one of great interest
to American farmers at this time,
and though We may not be abe to
adopt the recommendation of Eng
lish farmers, we may get some hints
that may prove useful.
"The yomminous reports from
many counties which we have pub
lished during the past few weeks,
while they indicate how general the
loss of the turnip crop and the fail
ure of the young clover plant has
been throughout the southern and
midland counties Of England, are yet
not generally definite and precise
enough in the specifications which
thew offer Of the treatment which, in
the absence of their usual food, the
live stock of the farm Is, during the
coming winter, to receive. Probably
Mr.. Stratt0n statement that he has
found his cattle on straw and four or
five pounds of oats apiece a day to do
as we'll as they used to do on hay and
turnips, is the most practical contri-
button that has been made to the
discussion, and to this agrees Mr..
Curriers' recommendation made at
the recent meeting of the Worccs-
ter Agricultural Society. Mr.. Curt
Ter has no turnips very few mangcls,
and very little hay, but he has good
crops OF straw; 50 that he may be
considered this season, as he no doubt
is at all times, a good model farmer,
What, then, is his remedy for the
difficulties in which he is placed :
lie finds that he can buy good Irish
oats, weighing 80 pounds a bushcl
for 20s. per quarter 80 cents pei
bushell / and Of these he has been Civ:
ing his lambs a quart aday; and tho
they have but little to cat from tho
bare pastures, he find that they arc
looking remarkably well. lie car
keep them for Id. per day on these
oats, and if he chose he could do the
same with maize Indian corn. !.
Ele could afford to give his cows
n peck of maize per day, and by this
means he could keep them at the
rate of As. Sd. per head per week
but if they liked to keep their stock
bit better and get them fatter, they
had nothing to do but to cut THEN
bean stray into chaff,, put it into q
large vessel by the side Of the engine
and wet it, adding toit SO much corn
per COW, and then they had n muci-
lage that would feed them and get
them fat. In this he did not think
there was more expense incurred than
that which attended the growth OF
turnips. The same system might
be adopted with regard to their cart
horses.
Mr.. Curtler then alluded to the
difference of price between oil-cake
and maize, and wanted to know
whether one pound of oil-cake wa,
worth two pounds Of maize or of oats?
He thought there was no spretence
forkeeping up the former at the price
for which it was sometimes sold, and
farmers ought to determine, having
found substitute, not to buy it, so
that in time the price would be bro t
down to what it ought to be. Oats
and maize for sheep and cattle, and
for horses, and mixed with barley
and wheat if they chose, would be
proper for stock during the winter,
and it would be found that this could
be supplied at a less price than tur-
nips could be grown. ."--Genesee Far
TVer.