The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-18
Keeping Twelve Cows on Ten Acres.

One of the most successful dairymen in this
country, Mr.. Hiram Smith, of Sheboygan Falls.
Wis, keeps one hundred cows on two hundred
acres of land. feeding them from the products OF
the farm. He purchases extra food, but it is paid
for by feeding the skim milk to pigs and selling
the pork. He soils his cows as well as pasturing
them, and keeps them in warm quarters. thus In
ducing the flow of milk for eleven months from
each cow. Aiming. as he does, to keep the
largest number on the smallest space with profit,
he gives the Prairie Farmer his method by which
ten acres may be made to support twelve cows.
If the land is in good cultivation he suggests
that the ten acres be divided into five twoacre
lots, one Of which should be fenced off for per-
manent buildings, yards and pasture. Two
acres should be devoted, one-half to German
millet (ssed with clover) and half to winter
rye, for early soiling from the 18th of Nav until
the 10th of June. When the crop of rye is re-
moved sow to millet, and seed down to clover
with a little timothy seed added. These two
acres to remain in meadow and for soiling two
years, so that in the second year the land will
| become filled with clover roots, which makes an
excellent fertilizer for the large sweet fodder
| corn, two acres Of which will produce. if the
work is properly done, sixty-tw o tons of green
feed. The green feed should be run through a
feed-cutter. whether green or dry. The VIZ
| acres of corn, with four acres of meadow cut
twice, and two acres of millet and rye, will be
sufficient fodder for twelve Jersey grade cows.
This alludes to the green food they will eat, with
probably a surplus for winter. AS green food
alone is not a sufficient ration, there should be
given each COW daily four pounds of wheat mid
dlings in summer, and four pounds of bran with
four pounds of cornmealin winter, provided one
half the cows come into milk from October to
January, the coming in of the other half being
distributed through the balance Of the year.
Though winter is the season when prices are
usually highest. food under the soiling system is,
of course, more available in summer.
Regarding the manure, it should be taken
daily from the stables, in the winter season, and
spread upon the land designed for corn, while
during the sunmer it should be composted and
| spread upon the meadows after the second cut
ting. In arrangingth ten acres two acres are
allowed for buildings and permanent pasture,
two for German millet and winter rye, two for
clover meadow (which should give two crops in
| one year, two for fodder corn, and the remain
ing two, also, to be in clover meadow. The
estimated weight of the green stuff grown will
provide SIS pounds of green food daily to each
cow for 365 days, bnt it will be necessary to pur-
chase 49, tons of ground grain. which would re-
quire ten acres for its production
1t will be noticed that although the method
arranged for growing enough green food on ten
acres for twelve cows may be put in practice. yet
the fact that the grain must be purchased COM
| pels the use of twenty acres for twelve cows.
But admitting such to be a fact, it is not every
farmer who makes twenty across support twelve
cows. The writer Of the above. by keeping 100
cows on the product of 200 acres, has solved the
problem of supporting a cow on two acres, which
has often been discussed, and the plan recon-
mended, coming from one who has been so sue
cessful, is worthy of consideration.