The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-01-19
Advantages Of Selling.


good things were said. He commenced
ing and referred TO the ridicule that
was showered upon him by his Neigh
bors In bis efforts to popuarize the sys.
tenn and now he had the satisfaction Of
knowing that he was ahead of bis asso-
ciates and bis generation as well In this
respect. When nineteen years Of age
he commenced farming and in regard
to his practice said: IL began farming
on an old farm OF 100 acres, that had
been rented for fifty years, and had
been skinned until there was little left.
On this farm there were seventeen
fields, and over 600 rods of what was
once fence, although not over 40 rods
were in good repair. In July the pas
lures became short and the cattle
breechy. Farm work was crowding,
and there was no time for fence build
ing. Finally, in desperation, we put
the cattle in the barnyard, but an old
cow bossed the whole yard and nearly
killed heifer. Then we put them in
their stalls. We began cutting clover,
and, to my surprise, saw how little
land was required to keep them; they
could not eat over half square rod per
day per head. This showed me there
was by soiling 800 days feeding in an
acre. had only twelve head of cattle,
but these twelve head required Of hay
and pasture sixty acres year. This
left me but forty acres for marketable
| crops. find that FIVE acres per head
is about the average requirement per
year throughout the country. work
ed along by sowing rye in the fall and
corn in the spring until 1875, when l
became a full fledged soiler. Every
year added improvements to the sys-
tenn. Ny stock thrived beyond oil tx
pectatien. began removing the old
fences until, instead of seventeen felds,
l had but seven. bought Cooley
dreamer, put up an icehouse, which
was the first IN the county on farm.
The neighbors laughed still more, but
l sold my butter to the Clifton Springs
Water Cure for fifty cents a pound;
then l laughed also. My herd went on
increasing, and in 1875 added a flock
of coarse wool sheep, and they alao
came in on the soiling system. In 1877
or 1878 l first read of ensilsge, put in a
silo, and for three successive years l
was able to keep an average OF thirty
five head of full-erown stock from the
products OF thirty acres, instesd Of
twelve head on sixty acres. This left
me seventy instead OF forty acres for
marketable crops"
He then told how to proceed. "Sow
piece of land to rye in the fall. Plow
all the land in the spring that you in
tend to soil. Sow oats and peas (two
bushels of peas and one of oa,s), three
bushels per acre, on land heavily ma
nured. In estimating how much land
you will require, figure three-fourths of
a square rod day per head. One
square rod or less is all cow can eat,
but make liberal allowance. Say you
have Is head; that will require IL
square rods per day, or n per week
say 30, or half an acre. Then pillow
several acres every Saturday afternoon,
and put it in oats and peas, which will
give you succession. A week is
about as long as soillng crop is good.
Later, SOW corn and sorghum. The
latter is one of the best soi.ing crops,
next to oats and peas, and is better for
late sowing, as it will grow in hotter,
drier weather.
"Shut the cows in the stable day
times, and turn them out nights in an
orchard or small pasture.
"Feed four times a day-mornipgs
when you put them in to milk, at noon,
at o'clock and O'Clock. Feed only
what they will eat up clean. Great
mistake is often made by feeding 100
much at time, and not often enough.
A cow that is given too much at a time
breathes on it for while, and nothing
will induce her to eat it after that ex-
cept hunger. And this is one thing that
has led TO some disappointment in the
system. Cows have been taken from
pasture and fed soiling crops and then
shrunk in their milk. What they do
not eat up clean should be thrown to
the hogs"
Mr.. Peer advocated ensilage for win.
ter feeding along with soiling for sum-
mer. He then spoke of the bugbesr of
extra labor in soiling and explained it
as follows: Twenty head of cattle can
be soiled at total additional expense
OF 81 per day. What benefit do you re-
ceive for that dollar?
"In my case it is nearly doubled the
acreage of my farm for marketable
crops, giving me 20 acres instead of 40.
At the same time the number of farm
stock has increased from - to 35.
With hay and pasture these 30 head
would have required, at acres per
head ITO acres. The forage capacity
OF my farm was, therefore, increased
from 60 to It's acres, or 115 acres. To
this add the 30 acres increase for mar
ketable crops, and we have total in.
crease of 145 acres for an expenditure
of 81 per day for extra labor of soiling.
"Nor is that all, for my cattle more
than doubled their yearly production,
and my land devoted 10 marketable
crops almost doubled in productiveness.
Is this great advantage not worth 81
per day expended in extra labor to soil
35 head on hundred acre farm2n