Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-11-24

Of straw or rowen; in the afternoon two
quarts of fine feed and peck Of roots, with
seven pounds of hay for the last feed.
Now it must be well understood that moth
ing comes out of COW but what has been
put into her, in some form. The value OF
her manure, when neither gaining nor losing
weight, is less than the fertilizing material
contained in her feed, only by the amount
withdrawn in her mik-provided all Of her
manure, liquid as well as solid, is saved and
none Of it allowed to waste. This refers to
the pure dung and urine only, without refer
ence to bedding or composing material that
may be added.
It is well understood that the liquid ex
crement Of farm stock is equal in fertilizing
value TO the solid We say this is well I'M
derstood, but we mean that it is fact that
ought to be well understood and no man is
fit to be a farmer who does not know it and
govern himself accordingly.
II follows from the facts mentioned, that
the manure Of COW, liquid and solid, is ca
pable Of furnishing plant food enough to
produce all the feed she consumes, providing
that only the butter is taken, and the skim
milk is fed back to the COW, or 10 other stock
not sold of the farm.
Now it is known that the natural fertility
Of any agricultural land is equal to the pro
duction Of a certain crop yearly, without
manure. For instance, Mr.. Lawos found
that without manure the land Of his farm
was able TO give an average annual crop Of
fourteen bushels Of barley annually, for up
wards Of twenty years.
If, then, to this natural productive power
Of the soil we add fertilizing material from
every COW sufficient to grow all the feed she
will consume, we shall receive back, one
year with another, as much more than enough
to feed that COW as the natural productive
ness Of the soil adds to the productive power
of that cows manure. The COW feeding
herself from the product Of her own manure,
we get a surplus every year, which can be
used to feed an increased number Of cows.
Thus dairying, properly managed, gives us
continually improving farm.
But we can do even better than that as
we can (and usually do) do worse. That is,
we can, by the use Of bedding and compost
ing material, such as muck, leaves, road
scrapings, roadside sods, etc. etc, add still
more to our manure pile, and consequently
to the productiveness of our land.
Still greater and faster progress can be
made if we find Gas Mr.. Champion, of Shell
don, says he fnds) that by feeding, say
twenty dollars worth Of purchased feed
(shorts or meaD TO each COW, we can get
more than the same value Of butter in excess
of previous production, The fertilizng
power of that rich feed is added to the ma
nure heap, and goes to increase stll more
the productiyeness Of the farm. As moth
ing eats like interest so nothing grows like
money at interest, and money so expended
is netting its ten, twenty or fifty per cent. in
the increased productiyeness Of the farm.
Experience shows that the action Of stable
dung upon muck, leaves, sods and other
similar composing material, is such as to
greatly develop their immediate fertilizing
power by causing them to ferment, and by
fermentation TO become soluble and avail
able as plant food. Now here is a great
source of profit to the enterprising farmer.
Let him take his daily sixty pounds of solid
dung per cow, let him add to this his equal
value of urine properly absorbed by bedding
or otherwise, let him mix these two with as
much more good swamp muck, leaves OF
sods, apd what does he get Let us add it
up for a winter say one hundred and eighty
days
Fure COW dung. .........,....',. 1880 pounds
Absorbed urine ...--........... 1880 pounds
Composted muck, etc............. 2iGo0 pounds
Or twenty tons Of fertilizing material from
every COW, each pound of which is equal in
fertilizing power to pure dung, aud which
therefore, aside from the natural fertility OF
the soil, will, when applied to the land, pro
duce feed enough for two cows. And it has
/ Hoo, I,,o