The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-12-14
Agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN,
Feeding Stock

We remember hearing an Ola FARMER
remark number of years since, that he
ibid not think best t.. keep calves too well
when growing as it would make them
grow larger, and thus it would cost much
more to keep them when they had attain
ed their full size How many of our far.
mers assent to the soundness Of the old
farmers theory We know not, but we do
know that very great number seem to
think his plan worthy Of practice. We
believe that very large proportion Of
our stock never arrive at their natural
and profitable size for want of sufiicien.
cy Of proper care and food when young
and growing. We do not think the con-
trary extreme of pampcring aud forcing
into an an unnatural growth and size adj
visable, that evil is confined to small NUM-
Der of stock raisers. But young ami
NAL should be kept steadily but surely
growing until it shall arrive at its full
size or be fitted for market, and we insist
that this will prove the most profitable
course, and that the animal thus fed and
reared will give the best returns for its
care and keep. A great many of our far
mers stop just so far short of this prohta-
BILE liberal feeding in the winter that the
young animal only lives but does not grow
any during large part Of the year, and
thus, as we think, the food is nearly lost,
Certainly the time is lost, and the young
animal is turned to pasture in the spring
with no increase in size, and so much
lighter as the loss of its flesh daily since
the previous autumn taken to sustain its
life would indicate, and which should
have been saved by little more liberal
and perhaps careful feeding.
Again very large part of the sheep
wintered in the country have very little
increase of wool from the fall until spring,
and not few actually have more pounds
of wool the first of December than at
at shearing time, as instead of any growth
of wool, there is 50 much loss in the health
and strength, that the amount at shearing
time will actually weigh less, than the
first Of the previous December.
One reason why great deal Of stock
is not wintered better is, the hay is often
cut too late. Two tons of hay cut before
the fifteenth of July is worth at least
three tons cut after the Goth of the same
month, the nutritive qualities of the grass
(many of them) turning to woody fibre
as the ripening process goes on. Most
of our best grasses have very little really
nntritive quality when fully ripe, and
what they have are not readily assimilated
by the systems Of the animals consuming
them without some other feed like grain
or roots, fed at the same time, and here
We probably find the greatest value OF
roots as Il feed for all kinds of stock, not
in the amount Of nutrimcnt they contain
themselves, but in their ability to assist
the digestive organs to assimilate, or APP
propriate the amount of nutritivc matter
contained in thestraw or hay fed animals In
connection with them. A very small amount
Of other feed besides hay or straw is great
assistance in enabling all kinds of stock
to keep up healthy growth or condition
during winter, and we think it poor econ
envy to Withhold it. A small allowance o.
roots, or ground feed daily, will promote
the heart or appetite of all animals tC
consume more coarse fodder or hay, and
receive the full benefit thcrefrom.
Aside from the smaller profit returned
by animals poorly fed, such feeding is t
great drawback on the improvement o.
the farm. The manure from animal
poorly fed contains much less fcrtiizinl
power than that from those literally fed
and thus contributing to still further i'm
poverish the owner by lcsscning the pro
ducing capacity of the farm, On tn
very highly cultivated farms in Pcnnsyl
vania and other states, so high a value
placed on the manure from high fed stock
that fattcning animals are kept at an ar
parent los, in the feeding with the expcC
tstion that the improvement Of the farm
from using the manure thus obtained,w
more than compensate for what loss el
sued from the feeding of the stock
We also export every year large quar-
titles of oil meal to England, because tn
farmers there understand, that aside frol
the great value to be Immediately derive
from it as a profitable feed, it is one {
the greatest improvers Of the soil throug
the use of the manure obtained from til
animal to which it is fed. Our spaC
iorbids us charging more on this subie'
this week, but We may recur to it at son
future time.
Our friend c. Il. Dodge sends us Il
following receipt for cordial for scous
calves or sheep, which he says he tri,
aud found perfect success. He rcceiv,
the receipt from the Hon. Geo. W. Sha
of Canada.-Prepared chalk, > or pov
dered catechu, loz; ginger, 4 DIR; or
nm, DR.; peppermint essence, | pint.
Dose for a lamb one tablespoonful
if very bad two, given morning and eve
ing in China tea.
We have not received the New I'm
land Farmer for the last two or thr
weeks. We sadly miss this one of t
very best Of our exchanges. We g
more valuable information from III
paper Oh farming subjects than from mC
others,and We think no agricultural pap
published in New England more wort
Of the patronage of our farmers
OLD ENGLISH CmRsrNAs PLuM Pur
iSG.-1o make what Is termed pou
pudding, take of raSins well stoned, Ct
rants thoroughly washed, one ID. cac
chop pound Of suet very. finely, It
mix with them; add pound of bre
finely crumbled, and just -four enough
chop your suet, three ounces Of sugar,C
ounce and half of grated lemon peel
blade of mace, half a small nutmeg, G
tesspoonful Of ginger, half a dozen og
well beaten; work il well together, put
into a cloth, tie it firmly, allowing ro
10 swell, and boil not less than five hou