The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-07-17
Selling or HOUSEKEEPING Stock.

mllch COWS are Kept on such food they
soon lose condition and yield very little
milk. and they are constantly looking
for water to mOisten the contents of
their stomachs. The falling off in the
milk is not the only evil resulting from
feeding on a parched pasture, for the
cows suffer in condition and become
liable to many diseases.
The farmer who manages his grass
land properly-lays it down in good
heart, with a judicious selection of the
best permanent grasses, and keeps it
perfectly free from weeds, and COM
bines housekeeping stock with pastur-
ing, is generally successful in keeping
his stock in good condition throughout
the year. The frequent repetition of
cereal crops exhausts the soil, as it re-
moves the ingredients which are neces-
sary for forming the straw and grain,
and unless a compensation is given in
the shape OF manure, the soil soon be-
comes too much impoverished to yield
a grain crop. The old erroneous habit
was to lay down the exhausted and
weedy soil with grass seeds, and the
produce was generally what might have
been expected, a poor crop of grass
and an abundant crop of weeds. In
order to prevent the evils resulting
from such system of management a
rotation of crops has been established
by the most intelligent agriculturists.
The whole art of rotation consists in
suiting the crops to the nature of the
soil, and SO varying them from each
other that, while the greatest amount
of produce is raised off the land, the
soil does not become impoverished and
unfit to produce different kind of
crop. A cereal crop extracts large
quantity of phosphate and nitrogen
from the soil. Returning the straw in
the shape of barn-yard manure will re-
store the salts which have been ex-
tracted, while the nitrogen may be re-
turned by growing green crops. While
this compensation is being made, a
crop of provender for cattle may be OBJ
tanned from the soil, and the interven-
ton of a naked fallow rendered un-
necessary. The farmer who grows
root crops for feeding his cattle, sheep,
etc., in winter and early in spring, and
clover, vetches, rye, corn, etc., for use
in spring and summer, will be able to
keep his stock in first-rate condition
and his land in good heart.
1t has been proved by experiments
that the same number of animals may
be maintained by soiling, in equally
good or better condition, on something
less than half the quantity of land that
is required to support them in pasture.
1t is well known that very considera-
BILE portion of the produce of a pas
ture field is rendered unfit for
food by the tramping of the an
finals, and the effect of their drop
pings, whereas, when the grass,
ETC., is cut, and consumed by stock in
houses, sheds or yards, all this waste
is prevented, and instead of wandering
over land sOiled by their droppings,
ETC., they consume their food quietly in
an agreeable shade, where they are
safe from the attacks of flies and from
other annoyances. When properly
soiled, cattle improve much more rap
idly than when pastured. This is ac-
counted for by the quietness with
which they enjoy their food and drink
without having to travel long distances
in search of them.
Another advantage gained by
HOUSEKEEPING consists in the great in
crease in manure obtained by the sys-
tenn of soiling as compared with pas
turing. When the cattle are pastured
the manure is, in a certain degree,
lost; no doubt, to a certain extent, it is
beneficial to the land on which it falls,
still it is comparatively of little value,
because much of it is lost by evapora-
ton, and the part that remains is not
evenly distributed, and the heritage
grows SO rank in the spots where the
droppings decay that the cattle and
sheep refuse to eat it. When cattle
are house-fed, all the manure both
liquid and solid is preserved, and in a
fit state to be applied to the soil at any
time that will suit the convenience of
the farmer. 1t is we'll known that the
manure made by house-fed stock is of
excellent quality, and always has
very beneficial effect on the SOIL
Western Rural.