Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-09-04
Rye for Selling,

A correspondent of the New England
Farmer writes
81 find an extract from the Rural
New Yorker on the subject of feeding
green rye to stock The writer, Mr.. [.
d. G.. Nelson, of Fort Wayne, Indiana,
says he has grown rye for a number of
years, and considers it valuable early
spring and summer feed for all kinds
of stock except mich cows. He con-
siders it his duty to caution dairy men
against its use, as he finds that it i'm
parts very disagreeable odor to the
milk and butter Now 7 consider it
my duty, after a two years trial of
green rye for mulch COWS, to say that 1t
does net impart any disagreeable odor
to either the milk or the butter. [
sowed enough rye last fall, at throe
different times, to give me all that 1
could feed to my stock while it would
be soft and tender. On account of the
peculiarly of the season, this spring it
has not lasted in feeding condition as
long as it would had the weather been
different. The spring was extremely
dry till the 18th of May, so that ther
did not th1cken up, as it would have
done had th re been more rain. and then
when the showers came it heated right
out and was soon to hard for good feed.
Last year [ commenced cutting the 8th
OF May, and had it thick enough to
make a good swath. This year the
first was cut on the Doth of the month.
and II was too thin TO be of the best
quality. The later sowings are much
better. l have cut enough to day.
June 5,-that was lodged, to last prob
ably week. My COWS are very fond
of it. They eat it very much better
than they ever did any kind of millet.
As soon as they commenced eating it.
they increased in their quantity Of
milk to a large degree. And the but
Ter made from them is of a much better
color, and certainly of as good quality
as could be made from any kind Of
feed, except the best pasture
grasses. [ have much faith in
rye as a soiling crop, and shall
continue to raise it in the future. It
lasts but a few weeks at most, but
while 1t IS IN feeding condition. it is one
OF the best crops | raise, Judging by
the Quantity and quality of milk and
butter produced, as well as by the wav
the COWS put itout of sight when it was
ted to them. There can be little risk
IN putting IN a small field of it. for if
1t IS not needed to feed green it can re-
mann Tor seed, and with present prices
OF rye and straw it cannot be q verv
Improbable crop. [ can not conceive
now Mr.. Nelson could have come To
the conclusion that his milk or bntter
was injured by green rye, for it is one
OF the sweetest kinds of feed when
young and tender, as any one can prove
by SIMPLY chewing a stalk of it for .
few moments, and while CUTTING and
handling it it gives off pleasant oder
very unlike the d1sagreeable, pungen}
smell OF green Hungarian grass.
| have just delivered a forty-pound
churning of butter, made this week
chiefly from green rye, and several Of
my patrons exclaimed when the boxes
We're opened, Chow sweet that butter
smells think your COWS have been at
pasture this week :" which was a mis-
take, for [ have not yet turned out at
all, but have fed only hay, grain and
green rye. And the more rye feed, the
better has been the quantity and
quality Of the milk and butter,