Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-09-21
THE TIME FOR soILINe MILoH COWS.

Those who have Lot comnenced-(A Aug
ust 2Oth)-soiling milch cows with corn
fodder, or grass, should do so at once. The
flow of milk should be kept up through the
month of August, and until time for turn
ing in the afterfeed Many have parts of
meadow lands broken, and planted to corn,
and who will not be able to turn in cattle
until the crop is harvested. This will make
it so late for the aftermath to be consumed,
that if the cows get no extra feed now and
up to that time, a considerable loss will be
had in allowing the cows to shrink. The
month of August, and first part of Septem-
Der, is usually hot and dry, and grass in
pasture fails. When the flow of milk is
checked-even for a short time-it is diff
cult to bring the yield up again, even with
abundant food This will have been OBJ
served by every one who has had the care
of stock
We have seen slow and awkward milk
er, in few days, materially injure COW
for milk, and so much SO, that when after
wards milked by first-rate hand, could
not be brought back again to the original
standard in several weeks. tits important
that milch cows, have an abundance of fresh
and nutritious food The tall rank grass
in pastures, that has been rejected, in now
dry, and is incapable ofproducing the best
quality of milk, to say nothing of the de-
crease in quantity by compelling the cow
to consume it. Next to green clover, there
is no green food that produces better re-
suits in milk than corn fodder
1t should be cut in the morning and al
lowed to wilt, and then fed in the stable
When fed in this way, every animal gets
its share, the food is not tramped upon, and
wasted, and master cows have no chance
to injure the underlings, as often happens
when out door feeding is resorted to.
Cows fed in stable do not seem to be so
uneasy and troublesome, as they sometimes
are when fed in the field If feeding but
once day is determined upon, the better
time is to put them in the stalls between 3
and 4 o'clock, P NJ The feed, of course,
should have been deposited in the boxes or
alley previously, so that sufficient time will
be had for feeding before milking. When
ready for the pail, the animals are quiet,
good natured, and will give their milk more
freely than when fed after milking, as is
practiced by some. ',"
Many think great saving is made by
not that waste to feed las results from turn
ing stock upon meadows, when they tram.
pie down and destroy, often, quite as much
as they eat There is some labor and in,
convenience, in feeding aftermath in the
stall, and yet, when the grass is good,
moving machine will soon cut enough for
a large stock. Those that have patches Of
meadow lands plowed and put to corn and
other crops, or where it is not convenient
to turn stock until late in the season, will
do well to adopt the plan of culturing and
soiling cows in the stable
We are not sure but meadows would be
improved, by feeding the afterfeed in this
way, since the tread of cattle upon the
lands would be avoided, and the grass in
patches would not be taken down so close,
and roots Of timothy pulled up, as some
times obtains when stock is turned upon
the aftermath
Of course, meadows to be managed prop
erly, ought not to be pastured at all, and
but one crop taken from the ground unless
treated regularly to top dressing. But
this is considered impracticable by most of
our dairy farmers, who believe that more
profit is realized by cropping the aftermath,
than would result to the land by leaving it
to decay, for the purpose of renovating the
soil and furnishing food for the successive
crop. If any of our friends have made
any tests in reference to the comparative
merits of moving aftermath, rather than
cropping it, as an Improvement for mead
ow lands, we should be glad to hear from
them on the subject - Utica Herald.