The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-16
More on the Hay Question.

A. M. G. of Waitsfield writes: d" l have
five acres Of strong loan land. should
like to get it rich enough to winter six
COWS by using all the manure made from
them on the five acres. l would like to
cut two crops in season. What course
shall take to keep the land in the best con-
dition with that amount of manure Can
anybody repeat such results from feeding
early cut hay as by Scott of Craftsbury
Does it pay to feed meal or bran with
such hay when dairy products are so low 2'
REMARKS BY AGRICULTURAL EDITOR.-
A. M. C.'s ambition is high for beginner,
but if his land is of good quality and
easily titled we believe he can repeat Mr..
Scott's experience, if he will faithfully
adopt his methods in all particulars. 1t
is usually estimated that two tons of hay
will winter COW, but it is not generally
understood that COWS 80 fed can be made
to produce butter all winter in profitable
quality and quantity, without grain. If
we were going to try to winter cow per
acre for winter dairying without grain,
we certainly should want to have about
three tons of Mr.. Scotts "dried grass I"
to do it with. If the land is made rich
enough, well fitted and heavily seeded
with a mixture of orchard grass, June
grass and red and white clover, there would
be no difficulty in cutting three tons to
the acre in three cuttings in any ordinary
season. In fact Mr.. Scott claims to get
about four tons, and this has been repeat
eddy done elsewhere. But of course one
would want good grass land to begin with.
If he had brook that he could turn on
to it after each cutting, or during dry
time. it would be great advantage.
As to a cows manure making her feed
on such land, we have no doubt at all of
it, if all the manure, both liquid and
solid, is saved and carefully used. A
meadow or moving field upon which such
an experiment is to be tried must mot be
seeded with grain. Lst the grass have all
the benefit. After good sward is formed
great care should be taken to preserve it,
and all bare or thin spots that show
should have extra manure and fresh seed
at once. The time to top-dress is imme-
diately after cutting. The manure should
be composted carefully, so as to be fine.
The liquids, if saved in cemented cis-
tern, can be easily and cheaply distri-
buted by sprinkling cart, such as Mr..
Jameson has described. Such field,
from which so much is expected, must be
petted, just as we would pet an extra COW.
As to whether all this will pay, with
butter at "present prices" that dep ends
on what prices are referred to-.he high
prices, or the low prices. Butter is selling
at all the way from sixteen to fifty cents,
according to the report of July 2 in the
Boston papers. A number of Vermont
farmers never get less than forty cents,
and from that to sixty cents for their but
ter, and strange to say this mum Der in
creases less rapidly than the demand, so
that great deal of choice butter is sent
from Pennsylvania to Boston, because the
New England supply is short. Besides
this, good deal of western creamery
butter comes in and is sold in COMPETE
ton with Vermont butter at thirty-five to
forty-five cents a pound, seven at the
present low prices" Ia fact the price is
never low for the best butter.
But if man wants to get into this
"ring" Gas some call it), he must be will
ing to be a learner, and hard student of
how to make it in the first place, and
then how to make the fact kno wn in the
right place. He must be learner not
only until he can make chance lot or an
occasional lot of extra butter, but he must
keep on learning until he can do it all the
time He must be able to get it to market
in the most perfect condition and with the
most attractive appearance. In short, he
must know his business from top to bot.
tom. Then he will be able to select the
best COWS, raise the best feed and the most
of it, feed it the most skillfully, make the
best butter, and sell it at the best price.
But nobody can tumble into such dairy.
ing as this, any more than young law
graduate can tumble into law practice
like Mr.. Evarts'. Farming is big thing
when it is done right.