The Cecil Whig., 1872-08-03
Soiling Farm Stock.

Although much has been said and writ
ten in proof of the advantage OF soiling
cattle instead of allowing them to gather
their food for themselves while roaming
/ over the fields, the practice is far from
being as general as it should be. A writ
er in The Plantation thus speaks OF this
subject with reference to the South: =.
"Tbere are so many advantages i'll soil
ing. or feeding farm stock in stables and
under sheds in Summer, rather than Craze
them at large, that the practice is certain
to become common in the South at no dis
tant day. Mr.. Rham (high English au-
thority) says: "A cow or OK requires from
two to three acres Of pasture or meadow &c
feed it all the year round, allowing por'
ton for hay. But by raising clover iu
Germ, sainfoin, tares, and other green crops
three COWS or more can be fed with the
nroduce of one acre, especially if portion
is in turnips and other succulent roots
Tins the straw of the white crops is con
yerted into excellent manure and the lane
kent in a state of fertility. The above
statement shows five-fold increase OF pro
duction per acre. That is to say, in plaf
of Giving two and half acres to grazt
cow wear, IA part being in meadow, Ave
quantity of land, by soiling, will keimes
cows twelve months, giving Cheese,
the quantity of milk, butter, the same
and five times more manure grazing it
area of land. When stocb bpings should
is unavoidable that their good deal of
befoul, from day to dsaten. 1t is GER
grass, which will nothis excrement as is
tain that so much h1nmerous bugs, in all
consumed by veshpport their lives, not
our fields, goeSs In this way large
agricultural .itle manure is lost. When
share OF owe may receive small re-
the bugSr bodies are not devoured by
} turn, Igs, and the organic matter car
othei indefinitely, till all is consumed
, rapport animal vitality. On Southern
, ms the loss of animal manure is very
.reat, as we now manage, Or rather neg
ect, these things. All know that our
working stock-mules, horses and oxen. |
our cows and sheep-are seriously annoy !
ID my many insects, such as blood suck |
ng flies, botbees, gadflies, ticks, &c. In
, quiet, cool, we'll -bedded, ventilated, and
stable, with fair allowance of |
nutritious heritage, given quantity Of food
will return twice the given in flesh and |
strength to all Cattle (using the word |
cattle in its old English sense as apply !
ng as well to horse and sheep as to neat
cattle, y that can be realized when exposed
out in open fields. In plain words, our |
farm stock receives to little protection and |
care, alike in Summer and Winter Indian |
corn, which cannot be grown to any ad- !
vantage in England, is our best soiling
plant. Clover, and all the best perennial
grasses are available for the same purpose.
Cutting these by Ii orsepower, and hauling
forage on cheap railways, and manure
back on the same track, the cost of haul |
ing both stock food and plant-food, will be
small. Hence, under the
sound doctrine of rich land, of large pro- /
luction alike of vegetable and animal
growth. of healthy stock, and the minim-
i'm Of injury done by insect enemies, with
all labor saving machinery brought to per-
lection, the depicting practice, with little
Dr. no restitution, must come to happy
end. 1t is not the right way to have cows
and other stock dropping their exorements
On the food which they are to eat. 1t is
not the right way to let bugs consume this
food of agricultural plants. 1t is not the
right way to permit swarms of biting flies
md other pests to torment our useful
if we can prevent 1t. 1t is not
the right way to call ourselves either plant
ers, farmers, or husbapdmen, when we
neither plant, farm, nor husband anything
Is our work ought to be done. We may
be, possibly, great land-killers, great mule
md cattle-killers, great grumblers at kind
but we are not first-rate cult
rators of the soii''