The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-05-09
Grazing of Stock,

The Deer Creek Farmers Clubmet on Saturday,
May ID, at the residence of MessrS. Sas B. and
George f. Silver. Present Messrs. Archer CPres-
dentJ William Il. Hays (SecretaryD Ball, James
Lee, Lochary, Moores, Munnikhuysen, Rogers,
| Thomas A. Hays, Webster, Barnes, Glasgow, Silas
b. and George Il. Silver.
Messrs Glasgow, Lee and Munnkhuysen, the
committee to inspect the farm reported that they
have already sold rs lambs, averaging 40 lbs. each,
and have 80 left. The pasture aud cattle looked
we'll One lot, wintered on coarse feed, fodder and
straw are doing well. The committee commended
the Messrs. Silver for hauling out manure in the
spring and top-dressing the grass. Altogether the
| farm is in fine condition every way.
| The subject of stock grazing was then intro
duced.
what kinds of grasses will do best at different sea-
| sons of the year, so as to have pastures always
vigorous and fresh. ercad an interesting article
from the country Gentleman, showing that corn and
grass together will put twice much flesh on cat
| tie as corn and hay, and therefore thought that
corn should be fed tocatte while on grass. He did
not approve of turning cattle out too soon, when
the grass is very young. Cattle will fatten pure
clover but it does not last long enough in the fall
For pasturing sheep Mr. Silver said he wanted II
close thick, old sod that the sheep could not tear
| up. He preferred short grass, and said sheep
would do better on land that had not been pasured
| previously. He could see no difficulty in the way
| of cattle pasturing after sheep or with them.
John Moores said grazing was healthy business
good for the land, good for the stock and good for
the community. The most enlightened commun-
titles are those that Craze stock, and the most intel
| lgent farmers are grazing farmers. Its reduced
|
raised unless the land has been previously grazed.
There is more money in grazing than in any other
branch Of farming me only rlch farmers mt we ever
Many farmers think we must have old pasture for
grazing, but Mr. Moores thought it could be done
| without old permanent pastures. Farmers often
sacrifice great portion of their farms BY attempt
| ing to keep up such pastures.
George *. Glasgow preferred to turn his cattle
out us early as they can find anything to pick. If
| turned out early it was his experience that they
were less liable to scour than if kept up until the
| grass is high. He believed it would pay to give
H. }. Rogers was decidedly in favor of giving
cattle little meal when on grass 1t will make
them weigh better for their appearance If fed
some meal they rarely scour. lie has some cattle
which received no meal during the winter, but now
he feeds to 20 steers, two or three times week, ~
to bushels of meal, with y gallons of salt mixed
| with it. This is placed on the thickest sod. The
cattle lick it and waste less of 1t than when fed
from troughs or boxes. The true policy is to feed
some meal all winter and never let your cattle get
poor Mr.. Rogers said he had thought old sod would
it being the richest. Hogs will do better if allowed
to run on grass Sheppard cattle will pasture well
together. Sheep should not be kept on the same
pasture number of years, but should occasionally
be changed to fresh pasture
George Il. Silver said in grazing stock it is inn
portan to have grass that starts early in the spring
favor of orchard grass There is good deal of diff
ference in the quality of grass. Clovers not good
for fattenng purposes. Early in the season it is too
watery and late in the it is dead 1t is better
as hay. Timothy and natural blue grass are good
fattening grasses. Old natural grass he thought us
strong us grain and hay. Sheep want close sod
and short grass. They are not hard on land. OF
they bite closely but it is not economy toilet
them stay so long upona field. They will pull out
new grass, but not old. Short natural grass is as
good for hogs as any other. A sudden change of
cattle from the stables to pasture mot desirable;
and when turned out they should still be fed little
grain.
James II. Ball saidif you have plenty of grass of
season of the year until the middle of June cattle
like clover less than any other grass but when
clover gets older they will do better on 1t. The nat
ural grasses more paatabe to anykind of stock,
even hogs. If it is thick and close stock relish it
more and thrive better 1t than when 1t is high.
The normal food of animals is grass, and cattle
should therefore DO turned out early and fed q
little grain in addition to the grass.
JOS Cowden of Cecil county, said that on their
farm no salt had been used for stock of any kind,
even horses, for five years No difference could be
seen, and they had been complimented ON the ap-
pearance of the stock.
Mr.. Ball suggested that the location of the farm
That the animals gota the salt they needed in the
salt breezes Farther from salt water salt is needed
william webster advocated feeding grain to all
kinds OF stock in the winter and turning out early
The benefit TO the stock will over balance the in
jury to the grass. Two years ago he fed 25 CATTLE
which were sold the last day of May. They were
turned out early and allowed access to a woods
He had heard old farmers say that the buds did
cattle great good. They were fed after being turn
ed out, and put on more fat than during the same
period In the winter. New clover will not do as
much good as old pasture With it there is risk of
swelling and securing. He favored mixed grasses
for pastures and thought orchard grass the best for
early and for late use Would SOW clover, orchard
grass, blue grass or green grass, with timothy
Would SOW clover to improve the land Cattle rel