The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-01-27
agricultural department.
:
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN


Inc name vi t1dTTlb heWlS IN lduiiihi
with the dairymen of the United States.
The quaint, pithy, and sometimes extrav.
a CANT sayings which seem to tumble off
both from his pen and tongue, are often
going the rounds Of the press, and are
read and remembered. | have not placed
his name at the head of this article with
view OF writing out complete history
Of his farming operations, but | propose,
simply to relate few facts Of his farm
nagement which have recently seen,
that | thought might interest the dairy
readers of the Lire Stock Journal, and
all the more so because of his being well
known.
On the second Of September | stepped
OF Utica, and going a few rods to the
west, rounded in at the gate of our
friend to pull latch string which knew
was always out. | found Mr.. Lewis. as
fear every agricultural writer could
not be found, in his COW stable, practcing
what be breaches; to wit, soiing his
COWS with grass in the place of fodder
corn,
HIS FARM
Mr.. LIS farm lies on the north side Of
the Mohawk river, and extends from the
rivers bank far up into rising ground.
1t contains l40 acres. twenty-five Of
which are on the river fats, and the rest
rises rapidly and is otherwise uneven.
The fat land is perpetual meadow, self.
sustaining by reason of the annual over
Aow of the river. On the north and up
per end are fourteen acres Of timber and
eighty acres Of pasture. The space be-
tween these extremes is occupied with
the dwelling and farm buildings, an apple
and pear orchard, little grain-raising,
and with soiling crops. On this territory
are kept thirty. four cows, two Short-horn
bulls, twelve head Of young cattle and
three horses, filty-onc head in all.
HIS MODE OF soILING.
The COWS are literally soiled through
all the dry part of the season, otherwise
so large a stock could not be maintained
on such an amount of land. The soiling
is done with the native grasses and or.
chard grass. Mr.. l.. insists that this is
cheaper and better than fodder.corn Ii
probably requires more land but less Ia
Dor than growing corn, and extends over
wider range Of the season. The result
is also better. lie thinks green fodder.
corn contains TOO much water, that it is
not relished US well, and does not pro-
duce so much nor SO good milk as grass
Accidentally, while feeding green corn
he dropped some dry hay within reach Of
the COWS just as they had finished msa
Of the corn, and he noticed they ate il
greedily.
Taking the hint from this circumstance
he afteTward gave them light fodderine
of dry hay after each meal of corn, ant
found i; was always relished and was vel
paid for by an increased product Wher
the corn was wilted, the hay was not de
sired. lie finds that when the corn il
fed wet it dminishes the flow Of milk
and that witcd corn will produce NOR
milk than unwlted. Grass, be alst
fnds,is better wilted than fresh and give
the poorest effect when wet. These ar,
noteworthy facts. Corn is generally fec
green and often wet. If better result
can be realized by partial drying an,
willing, it is worth while to DO SO. Mr.
i. holds it as an item of some account il
favor Of soiling with grass, that he ca
cut and partially cure it for day o
more beforehand, TO feed through storm
weather, with much more convenienc
and safety than he can corn.
IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING Ut THE FLoN
OF MILK.
His cows are yielding large amour
Of milk for the season. In his herd h
has six two .year.old heifers, two faro,
COWS, aud two that are nearly dry. Thes
ten cannot be counted as equal to NOR
than half COWS, which would make hi
whole equal to twenty.ninc orduar
cows. Their daily aggregate yield i
about 200 lbs, or twenty. four lbs. pc
COW daily. This is considerably mon
than the COWS Of Herkimcr are averag
ing, but it is not as good as it might G
ought to have been. The severe and NJ
usually early approach of drouth in Jun
alarmed Mr.. il. about his winter supply
and he cured and stored away in his bar
his early grass intended for soiling. II
cows, in consequence, shrank in the
yield, and he cannot restore their formt
flow by any after-feeding. lie is Statistic
now that it would have paid him bet.t
to have kept up the flow by soiing whe
the drouth began, as it would have el
abled him to maintain larger yield a
terward The shrinking in June has ell
tailed loss all the rest Of the seasc
greater than the value Of the hay whic
was saved
QUALITY or MILK.
The milk Of his dairy is very iiue a
vorcd and evidently very rich, But
is unSi'tingly distributing nineteen. tive
iicths Of its extraordinary richness am9l
the patrons Of the Frankfort cheese ia
tory | have found, by curding equ
quantities Of milk taken from the cans
the different patrons Of a cheese factor
and, after draining oil all the whey eva
Grating the curd to dryness, that t
poorest yield OF curd stood to the best
6 IL to IL, making the poorest wor
twenty-iour per cent. less than the be
The milk from Mr.. LIS dairy is as 90
as the best, aud there is no sort Of i,
tice in his mixing his milk pound
pound with that Of scantily.ie da
that will require two pounds more
make one pound Of cheese Such vi
difference in the value of milk does or,
injustice so some Of the patrons of aim
every cheese factory, aud some more
act method OF determining the value II
by simply weighing, ought to be adopt
RAISING AND FEEDING BETS.
| was very much Interested with
LIS skill in beet raising. He has raj
roots for over twenty wears with vary