Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-20


Necessity sometimes cOmpels farmers
to conduct their operations with greater
skill and closer economy than they are
ordinarily in the habit Of practicing; this
usually results in larger profits likewise.
We are led to this remark, says the Rural
Ne,o Yorker, by rejecting that very
many farmers are, at the present season,
anxiously taking an inventory of the
amount Of fodder on hand, and a very
great number are feeling somewhat dis
NAL over the prospect OF having to pur-
chase largely in order to put their stock
on to grass in good condition. From
widely separated portions Of the country
complaints reach us of scarcity of fodder
One correspondent from Wisconsin writes
that there is not enough feed in that see
ton to carry the stock through In
Western New York we know that a
large percentage of the farmers will be
compelled to purchase, and largely too,
if the season is ordinarily late. 1t is a
fact that the Northern States have expert
enced an unusually severe and protracted
winter and scarcity of fodder this
spring is one Of the results thereof
Naturally, farmers who are thus short
of fodder resort 10 means for saving It,
and for feeding it with greater profit
which, had they practiced all winter,
would have left them now well filed mows
of hay to sell to their more unthrilty
Reighbors. When the prospect of having
to buy stares one in the face, it is curious
how soon he will discover that clean, well
kept straw, cut fine and sprinkled with
ground oats and corn, and wet, is cheaper
and better feed for horses than hay alone );
even cut hay, fed with ground grain, is
found IL be more economical than the
pure hay diet And the teams apparent
" feel as well, and lose nothing in flesh
ander the new system.
al must 60 to cutting my fodder or buy
hay" is the frequently uttered remark
among farmers this spring And we will
predict that those who do cut fodder will
get their stock through to grass an as good
condition AS those who feed much larger
quantity of long hay The point is this ,
by cutting, all the fodder is clearly eaten,
more easily digested, and by judicious
admixture of finely ground grain, more
nutriment is extracted from given
amount Of food than would be if it were
fed coarse, or without any preparation.
The same course Of feeding pursued
with cattle in stables will result in equal
saving. Roots should be added to the
diet Of all animals in the spring, and es-
peeially with cut feed 1t is economy,
doubtless, for farmers to have potatoes 10
feed some Coarse mill-feed can also be
used with profit on cut hay or straw
If farmers can resort 10 a method Of
feeding in the spring when circumstances
compel them to use their best judgment
in order to make their fodder as avail.
able as possible, which in point Of econo
my and profit is an improvement on that
they usually practice, then why not
adopt it for the entire ioddering season 7
Put your system of cutting fodder and
feeding ground grain and roots into
practice all winter. Feed in stables or,
at least, from good Managers, nothing is
then wasted the manure is richer, and
you may have hay to sell instead of to
buy; or what is better, you can winter
more stock, make more manure, and rs a
rnnseouence increase y0ur crops