The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-01-18
'Whe EARN.
AN IMPROVED MARYLAND FARM.

proved Maryland EARN y from the Janu-
airy number of the american Farmer, will
not fail to interest our intelligent agricul-
such an establishment must. have for man
of advanced ideas and an intelligent view
of farming, than any other pursuit can
give.]
Mr.. C. E. Coffin, of Muirkirk, Nd,
whose sketches of the history of the Short
Horns in the american Farmer have been
read with much interest, and of whose own
fine herd of that invaluable race notices
have occasionally appeared in these pages,
is not only spirited and successful breed
er, but also an enterprising and systematic
farmer. We passed a day last month at
his farm in Prince Georges county, and
some items connected with its management
will, we are sure, be found interesting. 1t
consists of about 100 acres, nearly all clear
ed land, and we remember it some few
years ago grown up, very much like most
of that around it, in weeds and sedge; a
considerable portion of it covered at times
with surface water, and, at others, baked
and cracking under the torrid suns of sum-
mer. Now, however, all is changed; and
neatness, order and fertility prevail. A
considerable space is in meadow, the bal
ance under careful cultivation. A large
portion of the place has been underdrained
with tiles, the ditching having employed
one man exclusively for the last four years,
and two extra hands for the past year.
There are kept on the farm about fifty
head Of short-horn cattle, some six head of
horses and mules, and swine varying in
numbers from fifty to one hundred. Be-
sides the manure accommodating from this
stock, the land receives from the stables of
Muirkirk Iron Furnace, that from about
fifty more horses. 1t is therefore moi sur
prising that the unproductive old fields
now TEEN with ample and remunerating
harvests.
Mr.. Coffin follows system of partial
soiling. His cattle are not Stalled, but
are turned out every day in the year, when
the weather is not inclement, for fresh air
and exercise, into lots OF modern extent,
where they are provided with long forage
and have access to water.
The crops grown for soiling purposes
are, in the order in which they are con-
sumed, first rye, then orchard grass and
clover, then OATS sown in succession, then
sowed corn and lucerne. For winter con-
sumption great crops Of mangold wurtzels
and Swedish turnips are grown. The cat
tie are fed night and morning in the stable
After the first crop of grass is cut from the
meadows and the aftermath has grown suf-
ficiently, they are put upon it, and this is
the only pasturing done. Lucerne is most
highly esteemed by Mr.. Coffin, who pro-
poses to increase the area given to it. 1t
is not only very nutritious and productive,
but the cattle are extremely fond of it, pre-
ferring it above any other forage. 1t is
grown here in drills and cultivated to keep
down the weeds. This year there were
four acres in mangolds and eight in Swedes
the yield of the latter approaching 5000
bushels. Flat turnips are also raised, but
not in such large quantities, their nutritive
value being considered less than that of
the other roots. Large quantities of fod-
der corn are grown, which is both fed
green and cured for winter.
A convenient and commodious barn has
recently been erected by Mr.. Coffin, from
plans furnished by Col. Waring of New
port, r. l. we'll known as farm and drain
age engineer. The building has three
stories, its dimensions being A by 100 it,,
not including the engine room, and its
height from the foundation to the ridge
pole about 60 feet. Each floor can be reach
ed by wagons or carts, the barn being built
with one end against hill. The upper
floor besides giving accommodation for seed,
tool and meal rooms affords immense stor-
age room for hay-probably of the capaci-
ty of 200 tons. The space is unbroken by
bays, and four horse wagon can be driven
through and unloaded on any part. The
floor is of two inch stuff, so laid that no
dust can go through. On the middle story
or floor the cattle are kept. AT one end
there are three large square stalls for the
bulls. Facing passage way, which runs
through the middle of the barn its entire
length, are two rows of stalls for the cows
and along the sides are square pens for the
calves and young heifers. The Cows,
which stand in pairs upon d platform
slightly raised above the passage ways, are
not confined in stanchions, but by halters
affixed to rings sliding on rods at the side
of the stalls. The fronts Of the stalls are
cut out to allow of the projection of the
animals heads over the feeding troughs.
Between the rows of stalls and the pens
along the sides of the barn there are pass
age ways, in the floor of which at short in
tervals are trap-doors. through which the
excrements are thrown into the celler be-
low. The pens and stalls all have their
floors inclined to the passage ways, and all
the liquid manure flows Immediately
through apertules made for the purpose,
and falls upon the solid materials in the
cellar.
On the same floor with the stock is a
steaming room in which, in large watts heat
ed by steam, is cooked the food for the
calves and hogs. The former get cornmeal
mixed with a little oil cake, the latter meal
alone. The older cattle get no grain at all,
and the cooking of their food is entirely
discarded as tending to make them delicate
and liable to disease. Each ANIMAL how
ever, receives half bushel of roots, besides
little mill stuff, night and morning.
The entire cellar of the barn, except one
end, is used for the manure. This, as no.
ted, is thrown down through the floor
above and the urine runs down continual
ly upon the piles thus formed. Upon each
days accumulation there is thrown sift-
ing of kainit and plaster-the kainit to add
to the potash in the heap and the plaster
to attract and fix the evanescent ammonia
This latter office seems to be well perform
ed, as we noticed in the stable no percepti-
bic odor from the manure below. Carts or