The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-30
Pasturing versus soiIing.

AS Mr. Title bat Titmouse was fire.
quently led to remark, eases do alter cir
cumstances," that worthy young gentle
man no doubt deemed it a very logical con-
clusion that if circumstances alter cases
the reverse also was true. Be this as it
may, the truism is easily applied to the
question of whether It is better to "soil"
or to pasture" Now it is quite likely
many will agree with us that that de-
ponds. If a farmer, or even dairyman,
has a large proportion OF good arabic
land to the number of stock kept, he may
find it preferable to shut his eyes to the
several claimed advantages in favor of
soiling, ana continue the practice, alleged
to be Wasteful, Of pasturing. Where only
a few stock are kept and there is plenty
OF good land to convert into pasture, 1t
does come handler to turn the stock in and
let them Gull their own green food 1t dis
penseS with a considerable amount of Ia
Dor of a methodical character, and per-
haps certain barn arrangements that may
be called for in pracucing Soiling. Change
seems about as distasteful to farmers as
to any other class OF people, and farmer
that has practced pasturing for any
length of time seems to find it difficult
TO make the change to soting.
AS time, however, elapses there are few
er and fewer farmers who have land, good
arabic land, to use wastefully; fewer who
have such land so greatly dispropOrtion
to the number of stock kept. It has been
SHOWN IlAL as lltne passes ana farmers
become diminished in size the practice or
soiling becomes more and more common
more popular. The fact becomes patent
that there is economy in it, that it is bet
ter to substitute that methodical labor,
that we refer to for land. Ordinary
crops are greatly wasted by allowing stock
to trample them in the act of getting their
daily ration of green food. Something as
necessary to stock, summer and winter,
as the salad and other green or vegetable
food is to man. Besides wasting enormous
ly the pasture crops, many OF Whlch &c
not possess the desirable characteristic
that a Bermuda grass pasture does, the
trampling of the soil when very wet OF
even wet, does considerable injury to the
land. Some farmers are thoughuul
enough TO avoid this injurious treatment,
but we are sorry to say there are many
who do not regard it and their stock
may be seen wandering over the pasture
even under a downpour of rain. The COM
bined injury to the crop and to the land
often times is something frightful to the
one who contemplates with due consid-
GRAFTON of its evil consequences. STOCK
should not be outside of their lots dur
ing a rain and for day or two after
even if a first-rate pasture is nearby.
With stock in reasonable proportion to
the amount of land in possession pastur-
age must be esteemed, as 1t undoubtedly
is Wasteful and injurious. Under such
circumstances soiling is a decided econo-
nv. Even in the south, where the farms
have been large and usually with but a
small number of stock the practice OF
SOlling VIII OF necessity De OF widespread
adoption. Labor is cheaper than first
class land, and intensive farming has
come to be recognized as something more
than an expression. The intensive farmer
will of a surety adopt soiling. He will
find himself willing to make his fewer
acres richer and richer, but he will not
be able to bring himself to contemplate
with satisfaction luXuriant crops of Glow
er, grass and whatnot trampled down and
the value of an acre cut down one-half
simply from allowing stock to wander
over such a pasture the live-long day and
after filling themselves in the needed one
hours grazinE Think of the value of a
rich acre of lucern, the product of which
is cut and fed to milk cows in their
stalls and then think how much of IL
would be wasted if the cattle are allowed
to wander over and trample it's luxuriant
growth ito the dirt. We have seen it.
we know whereof we speak. 1t is a
waste for which there is no reasonable
warrant. Selling doubles the acreage.