The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-08-05
THE FARM,

EARLY Cur HAY Annually, as the years
come round, our agricultural papers are full
OF advice about early cutting hay. The
universal recommendation is to cut early.
Early, says one, is not merely before the
blossom natures, but actually before the
blossom appears. We cannot but think
that much of what We read about this
subject is mere ''notion," and not the re-
suit of any acute observation, or well-con-
Gucted experiments as to the value of hay
made from grass of various ages. There is
no doubt that grass left to become dry be-
fore cutting is merely wood, and of little
value.. 1t is indeed but feeding on straw.
But then, where is the man who leaves his
grass stand to this age. Not one in a
thousand. Such advice is thrown away.
For our part we believe that grass cut
iast ass tho flower natures makes the best
hay. While grass is growing there is little
IN the Substance bnt charcoal and water
but at the Towering time those starchY ele-
ments which give value to food are being
formed, and then is the time to prepare it
tor use. But better than all this theoriz-
ing is the experience of those who have
tried this early-very early cutting
Their crop of grass has yielded not any
thing near the same weight of hay to the
acre. But this would not make so much
difference if the stock used less of it. But
the stock eat more. They are not satisfied
with the same quantity, and yet with the
increased consumption they keep in no bet
ter order. In almost every case know of
any one actually cutting hay extra early
they have abandoned the practice, and in
time come to cut it just about full flower
ing time.
We know it has become customary to
rail at popular habits as being but fash
ion of running in old ruts; but we have
often found that there is much more rea-
son in them than people progressively in
clined are apt to think. The public mind
will generally bear little improving, but
IS seldom radically wrong; and we certain
ly think this is the case in the matter of
the best time to cut for hay. In this SEQ
ton we aim to cut just as the flower is fall
ing. and we think this general custom
right t-F0rney's Weekly Press.
FEED FOR Mich Cows. B.W. Is quite
right with respect to feeding cows with
bran and corn meal for milk-the proper
ton is best as he says. two-thirds bran and
one-third meal; but though / would not
feed turnips to mileh COWS, on account
the taste, yet he is wrong about their not
increasing the milk more than quart for
each bushel. Pumpkins are good, and the
seed does no harm if it Is attended to that
a COW has no more than belong to the
pumkins she eats.
1 have tried experiments with pumpkins,
cabbage, swedes, turnips, mangels, carrots
and kohl rabi in feeding for bssf and for
milk, with thousands of tons of swedes
and turnips, and hundreds of tons of man.
gels, carrots and cabbage; my experience
is, swedes make beef the fastest, mangels
next, carrots third, cabbage and turnips
about equal; kohl rabi have only tried for
milk, and that gives a slight taste similar
TO that given by cabbage when cows have a
great many.
For milk, when butter is made, would
not use any of these vegetables excepting
mangels and carrots, and when carrots are
fed with corn meal and hay made from
grass in bloom, the butter is equal to any
made from grass; mangels and carrots fed
half and half with meal and aforesaid hay
give as good results ia favor, butt think
the butter is rather lighter colored accord
ing to the increase of mangels.
Sometimes when COWS are fed with
pumpkins in boxes or trOughs In a yard,
the COWS lying loose, there will be an une-
dual quantity of seed eaten; for instance,
some years ago grew avery large quantity
Of pumpkins and fed them TO dairy COWS
from August till misunderstanding and
night at milking time)-some of the COWS
rejected the seed, but two or three cid
ones went around and licked out
every seed from the dozen or more
boxes where they were left; it did them no
permanent injury. and The only harm at the
time, if it was harm, was that they seemed
to void more urine; they MIXED equally
we'll and were more ravenous for the pdmp-
kins. l gave them all bushel each twice
day, cut up seed and all just as they
came, and the COWS doubled the quantity
of milk and more than doubled the butter.
These COWS had no meal or aught but pas.
ture besides the pumpkins.
In winter any breed Of COWS, old OF
young, living on hay, will double theil
milk by eating two bushels of cut carrots
or mangels per day, but the cows viii carry
| very much more flesh with half that quan-
tity if meal is given with them, and the
milk viii be richer and the butter have q
fine nutty flavor. When cows are fed II
this way it will be difficult to spoil the but
ter, and it does not much matter who is the
dairymaid, SO that she is neat.
J. B. w. may be right tnevertheless for il
depends on how the COWS have been fed til
they had turnips; there are kinds of slopE
which can be given COWS and increase theil
milk SO that bushel of turnips would moi
give an extra quart of milk, and therefore
mention this, and dislike to appear contra
dictory, but with respect to the pumpkin
seed am certain there is deal of unneces
sary trouble taken, for have proved i
over aud over again. When eaten by fowl
to e1 90 IS, it will paralyze them, but if the!
have other food, the few seeds they eat d.
not harm them. Four years ago / put
bushel of seed to dry; some boys wiz
brought their fathers dinner daily to tn
sheds, ate half of them in two weeks, o
about the rate of gill per day or NOR
each, and it did not hurt them.-C g. 4
the Country Gentendn.