The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-06-15
Agriculture-East and West.

Our agriculture stretches over such
broad and widely diversified regions,
| that the competition of one region with
another NAV be considered in its effect
! international free trade. The effect of
| Western meat production upon the
same production in the Eastern and
even Middle States, is gradually chang
! ing this speciality into dairying and 9th
er agricultural activities, and the change
is likely to have an unfavorable effect
upon the fertility of Eastern farms.
The old adage No cattle no manure,
no manure no crops" became current
when meat production was the principal
activity of cattle farming. Dairying, as
now practiced, has almost wholly grown
up within the last twenty-five years.
Formerly each farm kept few COWS
for breeding purposes. and incidentally
for the production of butter and cheese;
but the great improvements made in the
quality of dairy products have so i'm
mensely increased consumption, that the
breeding and meat producing part has
been almost lost sight of, and the COW is
treated simply as a machine for the pro-
duction of milk.
Thus the food, in this kind of cattle
farming, beyond the food of support,
is expended in the production of milk,
which, in many districts, is all removed
from the farm, and thus produces a
constant drain of fertility. The COW
that yields 5000 pounds of milk in a
year. would represent beef animal
that should gain 500 pounds in live
weight; and while the milk of the COW
would contain 81 pounds of nitrogen,
the 500 pounds gain in the beef animal
would contain only 11.2 pounds of nj
trogen; and the milk would contain 35
pounds of ash constituents, while the
beef would contain only 20 pounds. 1t
may be said that the milch COW win car
ry off three times as much nitrogen,
and about twice as much phosphoric
acid and potash as the beef animal, and
this shows the difference between the
milk and beef production, and the natu-
raj effect of these two styles of farming
upon fertility. But this view applies
strictly only to cheese-dairying districts,
or to districts of milk production for
city consumption. Where only butter is
sold, and the refuse milk is fed out upon
the farm, dairying compares very even
ly with beef production.
We discuss these points here to show
what must be the probable results of
this Eastern style of cattle farming, and
to show a necessity for Eastern farmers
to consider them in time, and avoid such
depleting effects.
They have an easy way of escape; and
that is, to adopt, IN a modified way, the
English system of feeding a certain
amount of purchased food, containing
in excess the elements which milk pro-
duction exhausts. Two hundred pounds
of linseed or cOtton-seed meal fed to
each COW during the season, would off
set these losses, and would be likely to
nTn0JIpa a nNtIs9 9n0nnnt of milk sniff
cient to pay the cost; and, as five to sew
en- million dollars worth of these oil
cakes are annually exported, it would
seem to be the dictate of prudence to
retain them at home.
But the greatest loss in fertility under
the system of Eastern farming consists
in the almost total loss of the liquid ma
nure produced by farm animals. The
nitrogen. phOsphOric acid and potash,
which 90 to waste upon most Eastern
farms, greatly exceeds any loss in the
sale of milk. They do not seem to be
fully aware of this great waste-prOba-
bly, because they do not think the liquid
manure of so great relative value as it
really is. If they would completely save
and apply the liquid, and make no use
of the solid drOppings, it would decided
ly improve the fertility of their farms.
The cost of water-tight cutters for the
complete saving of both liquid and solid
manure is but a mere triie compared
with the advantages that would result.
Western farmers have hardly begun
to consider the manure question at all.
But as they are quick to see and adopt
the profitable system of dairying, they
will soon be compelled to consider it,
for there is limit to the fertility of the
richest Western soils. There, as in the
East, the question of compensation to
the sol for the loss of fertility in con-
slant cropping, must be met and an
swered. Farmers cannot consider it too
soon.-Nation0I Lice Stock Journal.