The Lake County star., 1877-11-22
1Hs FAR M.
Improved Methods of Wintering
Cows.


Mr.. Linus w. Miller, of Stocton, N.
Y, an experienced dairyman, advo-
Gates in pamphlet entitled, Meal
Feeding and Animal Digestion" a
system of feeding cows during winter,
which involves the use Of but three
quarts OF meal per day. He asserts
that this amount of good Indian meal,
fed under proper conditions, is more
than the equivalent for all the good
hay cow can be coaxed to eat-that
the animal does not need to have its
stomach distended with q great bulk of
woody fibre, which imposes upon the
system large amount of extra me-
chanical work, both in the process of
digestion and remastication-that, in
brief, bulk in food is not advantageous
but to the contrary and that nutriment
in food governs the condition and
health Of the animal, and that conden-
satiOn of nutriment Is true economy.
Mr.. Miller has conducted physiological
Investigations into the functions Of the
four stomachs of the COW, whence It
appears that meal follows the same
course as herbaceous food, and stays
longer in the rumen than coarse food,
while it also digests more thoroughly
than when the energies of the stomach
are divided between meal and coarse
herbage.
Whatever may be the correct theory
in this regard, results of actual practice
appear to bear out Mr.. Miller's views.
The report of committee appointed
to examine into the system by the
Western New York Dairyman's Asso-
citation, shows the following facts !:
The examination was conducted upon
Mr.. Miller's herd of Chatauqua county
native cows, the average live weight
of which was 800 lbs. The herd were
fed exclusively upon corn meal for
seven weeks, each animal according tn
its digestive capacity, making an aver
age of about three quarts of meal per
day for each cow. The animals did
not ruminate, did not manifest SO
much desire for food as cows fed on
hay alone in the usual way, a little less
than they will eat, showed no signs
Of unrest or suffering; and at time of
going back to hay the cows had neither
lost nor gained flesh. After returning
to hay, their stomachs filled and ru-
minating went on normally, healthy
calves were dropped, and when turned
to grass the animals took on flesh
faster than those wintered in the usual
way. Their daily yield of milk was 10
lbs., 3 o., or one H., IL OF. per COW
more than that of any other herd sent
to the same cheese factory.
AS regards the economy of meal
feeding, Mr.. Miller points out that one
bushel of corn, ground and tolled, will
last an ordinary sized COW of 900 lbs.
weight, IL days, and is equal to 240 lbs.
of hay. Corn at 60 cts. per bushel is
therefore the equivalent of hay at SIS
per ton of 1000 lbs. And whe}e It can
be had at that rate the cost Of winter
ing the animal will range from 81 to
$40, according to coldness and length
of the foddering season. But hay as a
rule costs at least $40 per ton, and fre-
quently much more. Hence the esti-
mated saving by meal feeding Is placed
at from $5 to $40 per animal, according
to the respective prices of corn and
hay.
The best way to buy farm is to take
a jaunt in cheap wagon, or on horse
back. Possibly some real estate agents
might give anybody q good start.
Strike Off at either hand where you
see an inviting road or lively hilltop,
and flow right into the house that suits
you and pop the question. Faint
heart never won a fair landscape nor a
good farm of its own. The place to
buy is the one you fall in love with,
and feel as though you could spend
your life on-the one that by its needs
and possibilities will coax the most
faithful work out of you.. Tell the
folks you have taken O sudden liking
to their place-and will they sell it?
Never fear Of offending anybody in
that way. We are just as well pleased
to be bantered for trade In our prop
erty as we are to have the hand of q
daughter asked in marriage-though
we may not express much satisfaction
in either case. The farm buyer, after
he gets little used TO the business,
may scatter q great amount Of equable
In this way, and during
weeks travels will get string of farms
to 90 home and talk with his family
about, and think whether he really
wants to make change or not. In
for farm wouldn't look for
q finished place, where nothing can be
done TO improve anything, and would
rather pass those places where much
has been done foolishly. The price Of
an elephant never can be cheap
enough for the man who wants, final
ly, to possess handy little farm with
his own stamp OH 1t.
A gardener found the wireworm SO
I'm every part of the garden
he was set to cultivate that he could
scarcely grow potato or carrot with
out its being rendered useless by 1t;
and among the various things he was
led to adopt as preventives, SCOT ap-
peared to be the only effective remedy.
This he applied to potato crops in the
manner: The drills were
got ready I'm the usual way, and the
sets laid at the bottom of each drill
the SCOT was then put down upon them,
in quantity sufficient to cause the
drills to assume quite black appear
ance. This being done, the drills were
closed In the ordinary manner to the