The Magnolia gazette., 1883-03-29
Dairying as a RenoVatOr Of Exhausted
Farms.

To make the advantages of butter
dairying most Efficient, in recruiting an
exhausted farm, the butter should be
made upon the farm, or by creamery
system, so the skim-milk shalt be fed on
the farm. While butter alone makes no
draft upon the soil, milk carries off no
inc nsiderable amount of fertflizing
matters from the fields upon which the
milk-giying animals feed. An average
COW uses annually in her milk about
forty pounds of bone earth, which is
lost to the soil if the milk is carried oil
from the farm for consumption or man
ufacture. This, in time. will impoyer-
ish the soil. because when land lies to
grass, and gets no cultivation or stir
ring, its limited exposure to the ele-
ments will not cause a sufficient solution
of mineral matter to keep up such a
drain, and sooner or later it will fail in
productiveness. Farms from which
milk is continually sold, soon show the
effects OF the draft made upon their
stock of fertil ty, if they are wholly or
chic " devoted to the production of
milk for market, unless man re of some
sort is brought on from sources outside
of the farm. When all the milk pro-
duced upon a dairy farm is sent to
market or to cheese or butter factory,
with no return Of whey or skim milk,
there is not much difference, so far as
recruiting the farm IS concerned. be-
tween darying and any kind o. stock
raising. In view of the ia that when
land lies constantly to grass, without
any stirring or cultivation, the develop
ment of plant food from decomposition
of the soil s too slow, usually, to sup
ply the material for a heavy Gro of
grass, it has proved the best policy for
most da ry farmers not to ketp D the
whoe fam 10 grass or forage plants.
but to cultivate every year consider
able fraction of the arabic land for the
purpose of loosenng and aerating the
soil, to hasten decomposit' on. Such
course improves the productiveness of
the soil faster than to let it lie still too
long, and makes a better division Of
labor and larger annral return than
when the whole farm is devoted exclu-
sively to the production of milk. or to
any other single product, and dmn.
ishes the danger of fatal or distressing
loss from allure. when all is staked
on single production.
v hen worn-out grain farms are turned
into dairy farms. a better thrift sell
dom fails to lie observed, whatever may
be the particular mode o. dair, ing
adopted. When such farms are seeded
down, much better crops of grass can
be grown than OF gra'n notwithstand-
ing grass and grain belong to the same
family o. plants, and hence are expected
to use the same kinds of nutrient ele-
ment in their growth. Then there is a
more certain rel ance to be placed on
crops o. grass than on grain. 1t ismuch
less liable TO injury IRON wet or drouth,
heat or cold, or from hail or storms of
wind or rain. This greater sec, r.ty
against adverse seasons is an uportant
element in favor of dairying, over al
most any other rural industry. In
whatever way we may compare them.
the chances are far better for tie owner
of ia ling grain farm 10 turn his atten
ton to dairying, than to eke out a scanty
and uncertain livel hood in growing di-
minutiye crops of grain. to reduce year
BY year the producing capacity of his
farm still lower and lower Nation II
Lire Sto ;k JOUrRdL