The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-22
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elaborate and extensive than that adopted
by MIR. Mech, it is true but, except in
cases where the surplus steam of mill
could be carried into the barns and stables,
and utilized there at small cost, 1t has
been generally abandoned. IL has been
found that the labor and fuel necessary to
convert coarse fodder into useful articles
OF food, bring the cost Of the TODD thus
prepared up to point beyond the price of
more nutritious and finer materials, which
40 not need the effects of steam. Good
English hay, moreover, which can be used
to advantage in chopped feed, is not i'm
proved by steaming. And corn-fodder
and straw can be more economically pre-
pared with hot water in well covered
box, in which the fodder, mixed with meal
and shorts, is allowed to soak and soften
1or few hours, than by the use of
steam apparatus. Steaming, as a part of Il
pure system OF farming, is rapidly being
abandoned in the preparation of chopped
feed, and | learn from the reports of the
Highland Agricultural Society that it is
unnecessary in the feeding of roots. /,
having been found that the roots, when
raw, are more nutritious to cattle than
when steamed six heifers and four steers,
the former two, the latter four years old,
were selected on the goth of February.
1888, and led on steamed and raw food.
alternately, weighed, and an accurate ac-
count kept of their cost, expenses and
condition. For the purpose of the expert
ment they were divided into two lots, the
heifers, three in each lot, and the steers,
two.
1.-THE heifers were allowed as many pur-
ple-topped Swedish turnips, topped, rooted,
properly cleaned and cut into pieces, so
that they could get them into their mouths,
as they could consume, with pounds of
bruised beans. and 20 pounds of potatoes,
each beast per day, in addition to the tur-
nips, with pounds Of straw EACH
"The steers were allowed as many of tine
same sort of turnips rs they could eat, with
4! pounds of bruised beans and 80 pounds
of potatoes each beast per day, with
pounds of straw each. That is to say, the
food Of the steers and heifers was the same
only with this difference; that the steers
were allowed l. pounds Of beans and 10
pounds of potatoes more per beast than the
heifers each day
Zone lot of heifers and one of steers was
put upon steamed, and the other lot of
heifers and steers was put upon raw food"
both lots, the cattle on steamed as well
as raw food, were fed three times day, at
daybreak, at noon, and lastly an hour be-
fore sunset"
1t was soon discovered that the cattle fed
on steamed food consumed considerably
more turnips than those fed on raw food:
the steamed food being "a cwt. IA lbs. of
turnips for twenty eight days of two cattle,
about 1876 pounds per day, and the raw food
being 10 cwt. for the same time, about l40
pounds per day.
1t was also found that the cost of keep
;po tba ha;r 60
ed food was So Y3 while the cost of keep
ing the same heifers on raw food for one
week was SO CO, giving an additional cost
on the heifers fed on steamed food of 81 81
per week.
The estimates on the feeding of the steers
arrive at similar results. The loss on one
steer, fed on steamed food, being eighty-two
cents, while the profit on one steer, fed on
raw food, was SO Al.
These facts are worthy of careful con.
side-ation, and should not be overlooked
by the farmer in this country, where labor
and fuel are so expensive that they cannot
possibly be devoted to work of increasing
the amount of food consumed, with any
hope or expectation of profit. They can
only be used to advantage in reality when
by them the amount can be reduced in guam
tty and improved in quality.
In examining the records of many agri.
cultural societies which have been placed
in my hands, and in reading the essays
which have been prepared by enterprising
farmers, both in this country and IN Eng
land, have been peculiarly impressed with
the zeal with which the system of feeding
cattle by soiing has been defended. The
late Hon. Josiah Quincy has left on record
some very careful experiments in this BUSH
..rS1h III.
self that it is really profitable to the far
mer and beneficial to the cattle. think,
however, in country like ours, where
pasturing is comparativly cheap, TIE weight
of evidence is against it. 1t may answer
pretty well for the feeding of cows near a
milk market But it seems to me it can
not be employed in the manufacture of but
ter and cheese, in which business we are
obliged to compete with remote sections of
the country where hay and pasturage can
be obtained at a very moderate cost.
submit the following estimate of the
comparative expense of soiling and pas
turing 20 cows from June LIST to November
18th, five and a half months-which has
been furnished me by an intelligent friend,
who is deeply interested in the subject OF
agriculture.
In making this estimate, he has taken II
acres of land-the amount specified for this
number of cows, by the advocates of soil
ing. lie has considered that land in con-
dition to support these cattle would yield
2 tons of hay to the acre. He has estimated
the price of pasture land at the average
rates of good land of this description, and
has allowed acres of this land for the sup
port of each COW. He has endeavored 10
take fair expense of man per month,
including his board, and has allowed for
the manure of the cattle all that is claimed
for it. lie considers that good pasture
will support cattle properly, and has omitted
all comparisons of the health of animals
confined and at large in the summer season
and of the quality of the milk yielded un.
der the different circumstances. He has
estimated the cost of pasturing rather above
the average, and has charged no expense of
litter against soilng. And here follows his
estimate,
Land required for soiling 20 cows from June
to November 10, ~ months, l, acres
Value OF hay which might be grown on
this land-thirty-four tons at $40 per
ton, standing. ....................... tJlO
Labor or feeding, etc, one msn at $50
per month, including board. .....,.... .ld3
Aggregate expense of soling. .............s5 oj
or, By manure, as estimated ,.,.....''....2Oo
Pasture, so acres at $50 per acre ....... $1,000
Interest on cost or pasture. ...............,l44
Annual repairs ON fences,..,, '''''''''.'' IL
Expense OF pasturing. ....,..,,,,,,,....,,,..slSi
Balance due on account of soiling over pas
turing siol
He does not take into tins account the
interest on the cost of the II acres of land
used in soiling, nor the loss of the land for
the supply of winter forage, nor the expense
of converting the droppings Of the cows
into 5000 worth of manure; neither does he
calculate the expense of cultivating the II
acres of land.
l cannot speak from experience, Mr..
President, but | am satisfied from what |
can learn by the experience of Others that
soiling, except for small business and in
a convenient spot, is no legitimate part of
farming II rather bplOnrs TO the Injuries