The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-11-05
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
N. Y. state Fair Discus sion.

and the part of opening the discussion
assigned to Mr.. Harris Lewis of IIcrki
mer County Mr. Lewis said he did no
propose to speak in favor o? soiling pc
Sc, but his remarks were intended to appl,
to grass growing regions, where grass
was natural, and to such soling crops a
could be proftably grown in connection
with pasturage To soil stock undo
present circumstances, with labor high
land ordinary, and mix from l. to :
cents per quart, the laborcr should worl
for nothing and board himself. On high
priced lauds, near cities, aud whore labo
was reasonable, it might do to soil excu
sively but he proposed to discuss it onl,
as it was connected with pasturage. II,
was wise dairyman who could tell ex
actly when pastures were yielding an in
sufficient amount of forage. But whei
the COWS show shrinkage in milk, thet
they needed more feed, and if neglected
they will lose flesh also. In true dairy
district grass can be grown more cheapy
than any other feed, but Us an adjunct he
had found hucer0e to be the best of al
soiling plants on land adapted to it. Ii
likes best sandy or light soil, and il
there is water eight inches or so below it
so much the better Its habit, too, is tc
monopoize the soil or leave it. Sowr
broadcast, it requires Is lbs. per acre
in drills, from 10 to II. He preferred
broadcast seeding. 1t is highly relshed
by all stock animals, and will make four
growths year each of two feet or more
and it can be cut as easily as rye. There
Is one piece of lucerne in Oneida County
which had grown los inches in one sea-
son. 1t will not produce quite as much
milk as some of the natural grasses, but
nobody will object to the quality of the
milk.
Next for soiling purposes, he prefers
orchard grass. For convenience it had
better be sown near the barn, on under
drained and subscilcd land Sow at least
three bushels per acre--be.ter more than
less, Fertilize near the surface, and not
deeper than the cultivator will work it !;
make the ground rich-very rich and
seed In the fall. After the first year you
can cut it twice, and after that four times,
if you keep it rich. Surface manure
there is no danger from cvaporation-he
did not think it would exceed , per cent
at any rate. Cut before it fairly gets in.
to blossom if not, it quickly changes in
to woody, tibrous matter. On rich land,
when well established, two feet of growth
can be obtained at cutting 1t comes
on, too, when the cows need it, and be-
fore you can get feed for them from fod.
der corn. Always cut before it blossoms,
and if you don't need it just then, cure it
for feed in the early spring, and your
second cutting will even yet be earlier
than sowed corn. This first cured cutting
will be dried grass-not "hay''-and no
cooking is needed to improve 1t, but some
roots fed with it will supply all the sue.
culence needed. Had done better with
the dairy in March in this way than any
dairyman in Herkimer County. From
an experience of % years he had found
that no roots equalled the American i'm.
proved imperial sugar beet-it was long
name. but some Of the roots grow long
also. He had raised A tons to the acre,
and 1t comes nearer to supplying the sue.
culence of the grass than anything he
knew of, and at the cheapest rate. As
to the amount to feed, he was governed
in part by the character of the cows a
peck, on the average, does well, but some
will take half busnc. Next to this
sugar beet in value was the Yellow Globe,
and for young stock, the Mammoth Red.
Tie once bought a toothless old COW for
81, giving about two quarts of milk
daily on feed of hay and grain lie
gradually changed her food to roots sugar
beets), and in two weeks her yield rose to
Az lbs of milk daily, and she made 700
lbs. OF cheese that season, while the aver.
age in Herkimer County is less than 300
lbs. lie kept the COW five years, in hopes
to raise a heifer from her, but unfortun.
ately her calves were "all of the other
SEX" He finally sold her for the same
price she cost him, and on a change of
feed she died soon after. But anybody
else could do as well as he had done, and
one point was to weed out all the non.
paying COWS in the dairy-and in dairy
of thirty, there would usually be several
such constantly draining the profits from
the good cows, Give them away, or hire
some one to take them. Give your good
stock all the good grass they will cat,
furnish comfortable quarters, plenty of
light and air, treat them as kindly as YOU
would your family, and you may expect
to do well. But it is cruel to feed old.
woody, fbrous hay, which COW cannot
digest nor assimilate, Grass, grass, and
plenty of it, is what your COW need,
In answer to questions, Mr.. Lewis said
the beets should be sown Just as soon -,
the ground was in order. They will not
run to seed the At year, though carrots
will. Can get second growth of orchard
grass by the last of June. Don't think
frequent changes of pasture are good.
Lucerne does not change rapidly to woody
fibre. In seeding to clover he prefers
the large kinds
MIR. +. d. Curtis preferred the small
kinds of clover for pasture or hay. The
value OF grass was in its foliage, not in
its stalks. The large kinds had few side
stems or leaves until late in the season, a
long and worthless stalk and a small head.
For enrichlng the land the large kind is
the best, as the roots go down in proper
ton to the top. But it does not start as
early as the small kinds and is wasteful
for hay; it lodges, rots, and furnishes a
mass of material of little use. As to
orchard grass, it has great value for soil
ing; it will stand drouth better than any,
thing he knew of, as it has great mass
OF ibrous roots going down several feet.
otiii TWO cautions are necessary as regards
meadows-it ripens too early to be grown
with timothy, and when too ripe, it is
almost worthless for fodder, and hence