The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-06-14
GIre Garuter.
soiling Cows.

Pasturing cattle cannot be made profit
able upon any land that costs more than
$50 an acre. As the value of land in
creases, it is necessary to increase the re-
turn 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 little
more; but when this iron is changed by
skilled labor into locomotive, it is worth
$4,000, or even more than that. 1t is
precisely the same with farmers fields.
If five or six acres are used 10 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 OF one
sixth as much as if the cow were fed upon
one acre for the same length of time.
Where 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 manure is made,
and the land is made richer and able to
produce a larger yield.
Another advantage is that by cultivating
the land it is not necessary to divide it
into fields as for pasturing, 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, 50 that it can 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 well 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 the fall, orchard grass, clover and corn.
These furnish succession of green fodder
from early in May until the winter puts a
stop to outdoor feeding. Rye is fit for
cutting in May, orchard grass follows it.
The rye being 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 fod-
der, 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, a crop of mangels or
sugar bcets is required and as one acre will
easily produce twenty tons, and COW will
consume three tons in four months, one
acre will support seven COWS through the
winter with a moderate quantity of dried
corn fodder, hay, straw and sufficient grain
food to keep her in the highest productive
condition. Orchard grass is the most GER
tain dependence for the pasture. 1t grows
quickly after having been eaten down, and
furnishes late feeding in the fall, while it
makes the best of hay, with the singh ex-
ception of clover.