Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-07-12

is doubtful whether pair should not
also be restricted to two objects so
united. Distinguished is often wrong
ly used by those who are not accustom-
ed to discriminate between two words
of similar NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Early.cut and WelI.made Hay.
/ wonder how many of the readers
of your paper know the value of nicely
cured, early-cut hay, raised on deep,
rich, clean, thoroughly cultivated soil,
where regular rotation is practiced.
/ have cut my grass early for twelve
years, and perhaps a little of my ex-
perience may waken up some who are
yet doubling to see the value of this
practice.
Some years ago / took twelve dairy
cows to winter, providing in the bar
gain with the owner that / might
"strip" them q few weeks, as | wished
10 make some butter for our own use.
The cows were brought here Novem-
ber 17tb, and had not been fed any
thing, getting only what they picked
out of doors The first night my
man stripped faithfully, and got four
quarts of milk. He laughed at me,
and / presume the owner laughed in
his sleeve to think how be had sold
me. CT had allowed him a few dollars
for the privilege of milking them a
while.) Nothing daunted, | told my
man to continue stripping twice day
and l would feed, and my turn to
laugh would come by and by. The
cows were fed early cut timothy and
clover hay, and now and then feed
of Hungarian (cut in blossom); lightly
at first, but, after they got used to it,
all they would eat clean. Ttey had
warm shelter, and water not colder
than 500. They were fed nothing be-
sides what | have stated. In very
short time we were making six pounds
of Dice yellow butter a day and kept it
up for six weeks.
About the first Of last November |
bought pair Of six-ycar old horses.
The man bought them of was an ex-
cellent horseman and the horses were
in extra fine condition ("fxed up to
sell" some Of the neighbors saidJ.
They had been accustomed to grain
three times day, summer and winter.
| gradually diminished the amount Of
grain and increased the hay fed, until
at the end Of one month they were
getting nothing but early-cut timothy
and clover hay Gall they would eat
clean three times dav) and. water,
and thev have had nothing else since.
They weighed the day | bought them
1850 pounds. At the end Of two
months, out OF curiosity, / weighed
them again and their weight then was
2,700 pounds. At the end of another
30 days they weighed 2,3l0 pounds /;
after still another month, $3.50; and
now, after nearly three months, during
which tim we have done our Spring
work, the turn the scales ut 2,7I5.
They are in perfect health and very
fat. An old farmer said, not long
ago, that they were the fatest team he
ever saw They pull the plow, run
ming nine inches deep, as though IL
was plaything. Their former owner
was in my stable, not long since, and
said to me: "It's almost miracle, Ter
ry; but your hay is as good as common
hay and oats" This answers the
question / agreed to answer in my last
as to what / did for oats for my
horses.
am not writing this to brag up my
horses or hay-neither one is for sale !;
but to call the attention Of those who
still let their grass stand too long to
the greater value il would have If cut
early, particularly on clean, thorougly
cultivated and highly manured land.
In regard to the value of such hay for
feeding beef cattle, will give the ex-
perience OF an old and successful farm
er, who has kept steers every winter
for thirty years He said TO me: 81
can put as many pounds Of flesh on n
certain number Of steers In the winter,
in warm barn, with early-cut hay
from ten-acre lot, al those steers had
put on had they run in the lot and
eaten the grass as it grew" Now,
brother farmer do not pass these by ns
big stories. They are "the truth; the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. !"
1--WE speak that we do know" What
ever else you may do, make up your
minds to cut part Of your hay, at
least, early this year, and cure IL
nicely: watch the relish with which
your horses and other cattle will eat IL
next winter and the effect IL will have
on them and you will never go back
to the old way, any more than you
would exchange your moving machine
for scythe or the seli-binder for the
cradle.
Our pratice has been to cut twice
once about the middle Of June and
again about the last of July-and then
| e. N Lid Or Ialntsr for