Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-06-27
farmfrs' Column.
Selling Cows.

AAAAA6 WV"
Pasturing cattle cannot be made
profitable upon any land that costs
more than $50 an acre. As the value
of land increases, it is necessary to in
crease the return for it, and this can
only be done by spending more labor
upon it. 1t is labor that gives value
to everything. Fifty tons Of iron are
worth only $1,000 or a little more;
but when this iron is changed by
skilled labor into a locomotive, it is
worth $I5, 900, or even more than that.
1t is precisely the same with farmers
fields. If five or six acres are used to
pasture one COW which makes return
of $40 for the use of the land, equal to
So or 81 to the acre, the land is worth
one-fifth or one-sixth as much as if
the COW were fed upon one acre for
the same length of time.
Where a farmer pays 500 an acre
for his land, then it is clear that he
gets very small return for his outlay
when he uses his fields for pasturing.
The only method by which the land
can be made profitable is by keeping
more stock upon it, and this can only be
done by growing soiling crops and
cutting them for feeding. The most
important result of this system is,
that by keeping more stock more man
ure is made, and the land is made
richer and able to produce larger
yield.
Another advantage is that by cult.
waiting the land it is not necessary to
divide it into fields as for pastaring,
and fences may be dispensed with. A
portion Of the farm only is used for
pasture, and that alone needs to be
fenced. This fence, too, may be made
portable, 80 that it c.n be be easily
moved from field to field as pasture is
changed from year to year. This
pasture may be used for two or three
years, and being we'll MANFRED by the
cattle kept on it, which are fed upon
crops cut from other fields, can be
brought under cultivation and yield
very large crops for few years until
it is again seeded and brought into
grass
The crops grown for soiling are rye
sown in tt fall, orchard grass, clover
and corn. These furnish succession
of green fodder from early in May I'M
til the winter puts stop to out door
feeding. Rye is fit for cutting in May,
orchard grass follows it. The rye be-
ing cut off is followed on the same
ground with early sweet corn, which
is removed in time for a crop Of millet
and part of the rye ground is put in
late corn, which is used off in time to
sow the ground again to rye. Thus
each acre in rye will yield two or three
crops, amounting, on the whole, to ten
or twelve tons of green fodder, one ton
Of which is able to feed twelve COWS
for three days, and one acre of which
is sufficient to support one COW the
whole year.
For winter feeding, crop of man
gels or sugar beets is required and as
one acre will easily produce twenty
tons, and a COW will consume three
tons in four months, one acre will sup
port seven cows through the winter
with moderate quantity of dried corn
fodder, hay, straw and sufficient grain
food to keep her in the highest produc-
tive condition. Orchard grass is the
most certain dependence for the pas
ture. 1t grows quickly after having
been eaten down, and furnishes late
feeding in the fall while it makes the
best of hay, with the single exception
of clover.