Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-06-01
NO.. 100.
CATTLE GRAZING IN SUMMER.
By 4 PRACTICAL FARMER.

By A PRACTICAL FARMER.
! do not profess to write ANYTHING new
or novel upon subject oil such great in
terest to the agriculturist as the grazing of
cattle-thc summer grazing of cattle; but
there is suggestions to be made, and
| improvements to be noticed that may prove
acceptable to even grazers of cattle. The
first point shall make is as to the kind
True bullock-land is land of the very best
tritious and richest -pasturage. 1t gen.
orally consists of fine deep loan of con-
siderable consistency; the herbage a thick
mat of the most valuable grasses, notice.
able for their successional and progressive
growth, by which good pasture is kept
up and retained throughout the summer.
First class lands of this order will rapidly
fatten oxen of great weight without the
aid of artificial food. Lands of second
class quality are far more abundant, and
the sweet. healthy, and nutritious grasses,
they yield are highly valuable for tatten-
ing cattle, but require a careful and judi
cious selection of the animals to be grazed
upon them. No experienced grazier
would stock the lands of this order with
large heavy cattle, unless he was prepared
to supply them with other liberal rations
but the lands of this quality would readily
fatten the smaller breeds of our cattle or
the females of our larger breeds. The
ordinary grass-lands or sheep-pastures
may be adyantageously appropriated to the
fattening of cattle. should the prospects of
attle-grazing appear to be superior to
shcep-grazing. The additional require
ment being the resort to other aids and
lighter stocking, the grass being permit
ted to grow luxuriantly before being
heavily stocked. 1t requires an intimate
knowledge of the land to be able to Craze
it to the greatest advantage, there is so
much dependent upon the local position of
the land, its sits, its aspect, its climate, its
habit of growth, its contiguity to water
streams or river-drainage. Cool, we'll
watered velleys will retain their verdure
much longer than warm, well she'll
tered hill sides. Warm aspects produce
the earliest pastures, and clayey loans
take precedence of porous open loans.
The tar-iamed Lincolnshire marshes
which, tor depth of loan, richness of pas
turage, and the stock they will carry, are
perhaps unsurpassed-do not produce
early pasturage. The Buckinghamshire,
Leicestershire, and other inland counties
precede them in their summer stocking.
A knowledge of land enables the grazier
to determine when to stock it, when to
ease it, when to clear it, and he provides
accordingly. If it is liable to injury from
drought, he will take care to secure good
pasture prior to stocking, and if possible,
retain "good covering" throughout the
summer. On the contrary, if the habit of
growth of the pasture is very rapid, and
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he will stock early, and be very watchful
to keep the pasture in highly nutritive state
by additional stock as required, and to
ease it when necessary. Grazing-profit-
able grazing-does not altogether depend
upon providing good stock and good pas
ture, but much depends upon the care,
Judgment, and watchfulness of the grazier.
The eye of the master graizeth the OK"
is one of our oldest adages, and it is a
true one. Fatting cattle must not retro
grade; they must be kept advancing, and
herein is the greatest requisite for care and
attention, and very often is the grazier in
untoward seasons at his wits end to COM
pass this desideratum, and frequently he
has to put up with heavy losses, both from
excessively dry summers and excessively
wet summers. To prevent such losses i'll
dry summers it is customary with some
grazers to permit field of pasturage to
grow almost without limit, in fact, to be-
come almost meadow in which to turn .he
advanced stock when others sources fail.
In this way, with artificial aids, cattle may
be kept progressing. In wet summers it
is desirable to supply the stock with hay,
straw or like dry food, to counterbalance
the cold innutritious food of wet grasses.
Every grazier in stocking his land is
supposed TO have an eye to the greatest
possible profit to be derived from grazing
! it; there are many graZers, however, who
will in some respects "ride their own hob
bies," and therefore stock their lands ac-
cording to their taste, profits being rather
a secondary consideration: one likes
herd of pure Short-horns, another Here
fords, another Devons, and SO on. But
with this class of graziers we have nothing
to do; we Craze for profit; | shall there
fore endeavor to suggest the best modes OF
stocking and grazing our lands with cat
tie. | shall first take fields of highest
grazing value these should be duly laid
in till good pasture is secured. The first
stocking should consist of good cattle
nearly ready for the butcher; these to put
on to form a rather heavy stocking, and to
be literally fed with linseed cake; in six
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ket, their places to be supplied with others
of nearly equal maturity, to be fed in like
manner, these 1.-TWO runs to be got off as
speedily as possible, | would fill up their
places again with good stores to prepare
them for winter grazing.
This appears to me the best way of
grazing our best lands. l have known
great profit accure from stocking such
lands with poor aged cows, bought in at
little cost. They abide such rich keeping
upon the whole exceedingly well. For
young store cattle it would in the average
OF seasons be decidedly injurious. For
second-rate bullock lands would select
oxen of medium weight, condition and
quality, heifers, OF young cows These
would aid by liberal supplies of cake, and
bring them on to as great perfection as
possible, and when drifted off to market
supply their places with strong poor steers
or heifers to prepare also for winter graz
ing. i would not attempt to get off two
runs of cattle from these lands as rule,
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