The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-05-31
T;mht Skatm+
SOILING CATTLE.

Captain Hawley, Of New Haven, v,
asks:
al. How many acres of land should
be planted with green crops for each
cow during the season of green fodder!
2. Do you recommend keeping cows
confined to small yard and stable, or
is it better to let them have the run of
small pasture a portion of the time,
during the day?
8. What crops do you recommend to
be sown for green feeding!"
To which we reply:
l. This depends entirely on the fer
tility of the land. Ordinary good land,
such as would produce 35 bushels OF
corn to the acre, ought with moderate
ly fair manuring, to produce the food
required by an average cow through
out the season, and something over, to
be cured and slowed away for winter.
1t would not pay to undertake soiling
on any land less productive than this.
A field of double the fertility of this
one that would produce 70 bushels of
corn-receiving double the quantity OF
manure per acre, and skilfully manag-
ed, so as to produce two or three crops
during the whole season. With any
really good land, it should be easy to
keep two cows to the acre, and to store
surplus fodder for winter. On any
land that we considered good enough
to devote to soiling, we would consider
~ acre per head sufficient.
1t will generally be found in the
raising of all crops, but especially with
green fodder, that if the manure and
labor ordinarily applied to an acre are
concentrated on halfacre, more than
double the amount of forage will be
produced, and the land improved by the
treatment.
2. If the pasture is small and is close
to the barn, it will be, so far as the
COWS are concerned, as good as a yard
possibly better-but the animals
should be fed five times day, getting
at each feeding as much as they will
eat up clean, and no more and after
each feeding, they should lie quietly
until they have finished chewing their
cud. This will not give them much
time, nor leave them much inclination
for pasturing. Under system of par
tial soiling, when the cows are fed in
their stalls only twice day (morning
and night,) they will of course need
good pasture. The full benefit OF the
system, however, cannot be obtained
unless they are kept at all times either
in the stable or in small yard, where
the manure can all be collected at short
intervals, applied in systematic way
to the land for which it is destined.
As mich cows require very little exer-
else, and as much of the profit OF soil
ing comes in the form of manure, the
less they are allowed to roam the bet
ter. A coupleof hours daily exposure
to the sun, with the least possible in
ducement to roam, will give the best
result.
3. For the first feeding, before even
grass is long enough for good bite,
rye, sown early in September, on heavi-
" MANFRED land. As the object is to
get stalk and leaf rather than grain,
the richer the land is made the better.
If the cutting is commenced when the
rye is foot high, much of the field can
be gone over second time, and some
even third time. By the time this
crop is finished, grass will be in good
condition for the scythe. This will be
followed by oats, of which good area
should be sown (on land plowed in the
fall, and only narrowed in the spring-to
save time at intervals of about ten
days, from the first moment when pro-
per sowing is possible until about May
LIST. The first crop of oats will follow
the grass, and the ones will come on in
succession until the corn is three feet
high. Early in May, the great soiling
crop (SoUTHERN or WESTERN corn)
should be sown. The first sowing
should be made as early in May as the
season will permit, and successive
paintings should follow, at intervals of
about two weeks, until August lst.
After this date there is not much use
planting it.
For 10 COWS we would devote, if we
were about commencing the practice of
soiling, 10 acres of good land, and an
abundant supply of manure; 5 acres
might answer, butt is always well to
have too much of all kinds of green
fodder Two acres should be devoted
to rye: two to grass two to oats, and
four to corn. If the land were capa-
bic of producing 10 bushels of corn,
we would expect, with ample manuring,
to get enough more than the cattle
would consume to furnish one-half Cir
not alD of their winter supply of long
forage.
The corn should not be allowed to
fruit AS fast as it blooms it should be
cut up and cured, and the soiling forage
should be taken from the next planting.
Grass can be cut at intervals during
the Summer for change, but should
never pass the stage of early blossom
ing.