The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-06-03
SOiling Cattle.

On this subject the NeD England
Farmer has the following remarks:
On our own farm soiling has been
practiced quite extensively for more
;hen twenty-five years. At first we were
not inclined to recommend the practice
to farmers in general, but only to those
who might, like ourselves, be located
where good pastures all the summer long
are entirely out of the question; but, as
our reading and observation have been
extended, we are inclined to believe that
partial soiling, at least, is practice that
might well be adopted on nearly, or quite
all, dairy farms.
Feeding green food to cattle in their
stalls in summer was formerly consid.
cred advisable only in villages or near
cities where grazing lands were held at
prices too high for ordinary farming pur-
poses, and those writer's who treated the
subject through the newspaper press al
most invariably spoke disparagingly of
the solllng system, except under such
circumstances as we have named. On
comparatively cheap lands, away from
the cities, and especially at the West, it
was believed that the expenses OF soiling
COWS would always far exceed the adj
vantages which might accrue.
But within the past few years, since
the dairy interest has assumed such an
important position among the agricult-
ural industries of our country, it has
been discovered by hundreds of enter
prising farmers in all the Northern and
Western States that feeding COWS at the
stall during portions of the summer sea-
son, for the purpose of keeping up reg
ular and uniform flow of milk, is not
only commendable, but almost an in
dlspensable, practice. During the past
year we have seen urgent appeals from
leading Western dairymen to the farm
ers of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota
and other far Western States to raise
special forage crops for feeding to COWS
in summer, and we no longer feel diff
dent about urging farmers everywhere to
practice this system of summer feeding
to such an extent as each may find prof
liable in his own particular case.
Spring rye, if sowed very thick, say
four bushels to the acre, and cut as soon
as it begins to blossom or a little be-
fore, will, if well cured, make hay that
will be eaten by horses in winter with
fair relish, but we should not recon-
mend its use on a large scale for COWS in
milk, without further trial. We raised
field of it last year and intend to re-
it was not fully successful last year as
substitute for hay for cows 1t probably
stood little too late. What is true of
spring rye is equally true of the winter
variety. Both make excellent green
feed for COWS if cut early enough, but
they are in perfect condition but
short time. We consider both indis-
pensable on all farms where soilng is
carried on, or where one wishes to keep
heavy stock of cattle in proportion to
the number of acres We should not
mix oats and rye together, as they do not
rlpen at the same time. The spring rye
will be several days earlier than the oats,
and if allowed to stand till the oats were
grown would be almost or quite worth
less as feed. Better SOW them separately,
and cut of each what will be needed for
feeding grain, and cure the remainder at
the right time for winter fodder.
Oats, we think, will be liked rather
better by your cattle than rye, although
much depends upon the age at which
they are cut, and the quantity of seed to
the acre. The finer the fodder, other
things being equal, the better it will be,
and the earlier it is cut the better it will
be, if it has nearly reached its full height
and is thoroughly cured.