The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-11-29
Stock Feeding with Fruit Culture.

Stock feeding is peculiarly adapted to
compensate for the fertility carried OF
in fruit crops, and fruit culture and
stock feeding may proftably be joined
together. This is especially true OF the
larger fruits, such as apples, pears,
peaches, plums, cherries, etc. These
fruits, after being properly planted and
the trees grown beyond the risk OF pos
sible injury, viii be benefited II the
orchards are pastured by young stock'
and especially with calves or sheep:
Calves and sheep are fond of fruit, and
wormy, early fallen fruit will be eaten
before the insects escape to the earth'
ther,to burrow till the next season. We
). CoHlown many old orchards, the fruit
yheese$h had become worthless from the
T GEsessioss Of the sarculio, to be en-
firely renovated, large e'e5cellent
fruit, after three years pasturage OF
calves. One large apple raiser, who
markets many thousand barrels per
year, and pastures calves. sheep and
pigs in different orchards, informed us
that the increased quantity and quality
of fruit wogld much more than pay for
llthefood the seaDimals would consume
if it werepu, chased; besides, he finds the
growth upon this stock a large item OF
profit. He said he had one year pur-
chased ten calves, two months old, and
placed them in ten-acre apple orchard,
which was under the plow, for the pur-
pose of promoting the health and growth
of the trees, and did not furnish much
pasture. he therefore fed each calf one
quart of oats and two quarts of mid
dlings per day for four months, begin
ming the first OF June, and in October
sold them for stock calves, at profit Of
SIS on the lot, over and above the cost
Of calves and food. They were estimated
to weigh on an average 500 pounds per
head. These calves picked up all the
wormy fruit as fast as it fell, and their
growth was most rapid after the defec-
tive fruit began to fall.
We know one dairyman owning large
orchard, who, instead Of pasturing
calves, turns his COWS into his large ap'
pie orchard as soon rs the defective fruit
begins to fall. To prevent them from
reaching apples upon the lower limbs or
from injuring the trees, he has devised
a convenient method of tying the head
down to the level Of the position IN
which they ordinary hold the head when
not grazing, Aleather clasp threeinches
wide is buckled around the foreleg with
an inch ring sewed upon one side, and
rope tied about the horns of proper
length with a snap in the lower end tt
snap in Ito the ring on the leg clasp.
tbs eioesJnoS zsquire the .ssEsS1nela
her heads.rr-HnN IN at6ral position, bu,
prevents Id reaching for fruit, ano
| it can be unsnapped in a moment H(
finds COWS the best for consuming th1:
wormy fruit, especially if there IS con
siderable of it; and as his princlpa
stock is dairy COWS, he saves the expense
and the trouble OF keeping young stocs
or calves, and thus can devote ali th'
keep of his farm to dairying. He keep
no other stock except horses and hogs
He thinks that dairying and fruit cul
ture are peculiarly adapted to eacl
other, for ths labor OF dairylDg and fr7ll
culture do not at all conflict. The appl
crop especially, comes to market in tn
fall, when the dairy is at its lowest dc
mand for labor.
Pigs ave well adapted to stone frnlts
as they will eat ikcir fruit while calve
) will not. Sheep are also good stock fc
old orchards, as they eat almost an
kind of fruit, and their droppings are
excellent fertilizer for fruit trees. Lare
orchards may also furnish much gree
soiling food for stock, and thus BRING
considerable %oiit outside Of fruit. Ii IL
farm is nearly all devoted 10 fruit, sto'
. may yet be profit: =; for after using {
the food grown III IN the farm purcnas
. food may be used with a profit on t
growth, beside the manure produce
, = Stock feeding is the cheapest method
E producing the compensating fertility
u the fruit carried off year by year. A
il it matters not how large OF how SIN
,e may be the orcharding, some branch
" stock feeding should be carried on
~ - auxiliary to fruit farming. As grass
~ king. the whole business may be SUI
Il med up in four words-grass, fruit q
stock.