The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-08-16
AGRICULTURAL MATTERS.
selllnx or House Fsedlnr stock.

eOAAADk 0F nOWSc E1e0kMK Block.
The frequent recurrence of dry spells
and seasons of drought ought to be suffi-
cient to point out to farmers the neces-
sity of providing succulent food for their
stock, says the Western Rural. The
scarcity of grass in summer and autumn
has very injurious effect on animals
which depend on pasture for food, and
they take long time to recover from the
check which they receive from being
compelled to feed on the dry and sapless
grass of scorched pasture. Wehn milch
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
resulting from feeding on parched pas-
ture, 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 judicious selection of the best
permanent grasses, and keeps it perfectly
free from weeds and com bines house
feeding stock with pasturing, is general
ly successful in keeping his stock in good
condition throughout the year. The fire.
quent repetition of the cereal crops ex-
hausts the soil, as it removes the ingre-
dients which are necessary for form
ing the straw and grain, and unless q
compensation is giving in the shape of
manure the soil soon becomes too much
impoverised to yield grain crop. The
old erroneous habit to lay down the ex-
hausted and weedy soil with grass seeds,
and the produce was generally what
might have been expected, poor crop
of grass and an abundant crop of weeds.
In order to prevent the evils resulting
from such a system of management ro-
tation 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
come impoverished and unfit to produce
different kind of crop. A cereal crop
extracts large quantity of phosphate
the straw in the shape of barnyard ma
nure will restore the salts which have
been extracted, while the nitrogen may
be returned by growing green crops.
While this compensation is being made,
crop of provender for cattle may be OBJ
tanned from the soil, and the Intervention
of a naked fallow rendered unnecessary.
The farmer who grows root crops for
feeding his cattle, sheep, &C., in winter
and early in spring, and clover, yetches,
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. It has been proved by ex-
perlments that the same number of ami
mails may be obtained by soiling in equal
ly 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 considerable
portion of the produce of pasture field
is rendered unfit for food by the tramp
ing of the animals and the effect of their
droppings, whereas when the grass ETC.,
is cut and consumed by stock in houses,
sheds or yards all this waste is prevent
ed, and instead of wandering over land
soiled by their droppings, etc., they con.
sumo their food quietly in an agreeable
shade, where they are safe from the at
tacks of flies and from other annoyances.
When properly soiled cattle improve
very much more rapidly than when pas
tured. This is accounted for by the
quietness with which they enjoy their
food and drink without having to travel
long distances in search of them. Anoth-
er advantage gained by house feeding
consists in the great increase in manure
obtained by the system of soiling as COM
pared with pasturing. When cattle are
pastured the manure is, to certain de-
gree, lost no doubt, to 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 eva
poration, and the part that remains is
not evenly distributed, and the herbage
grows SO rank in the spots where the
droppings decay that cattle and sheep re-
fuse to eat it. When cattle are house
fed all the manure, both liquid and solid,
is preserved, and is in fit state to be
applied to the soil at any time that will
suit the convenience of the farmer. 1t
is well known that the manure made by
house-fed stock is of excellent quality
and always has very beneficial effect on
the soil