The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-11-29
SoilinC Dairy Cows.


Soiling is that system of feeding
cattle in which the animals are de
prived of pasturage and kept in small
Enclosures, food of every kind being
brought to them. 1t especially applies
to the system of cutting and bringing
to cattle roughage in a green state.
The process began in Europe, and had
very natural development. First the
cattle We're tethered and allowed to
pasture within q certain circle indi-
Gated by the rope that held them. As
they devoured the green herbage grow
ing within this circle. the herdsman cut
and brought to them grass and other
food plants from fields in which the
cattle would not be allowed to go. The
Europeans early conceived the idea
that on the recently titled soils produc-
ing grass, and a heavy growth of it,
the tramping of the cattle would COM
pact the soil and make it unproductlve
10y causing the soil particles to pack
so CLOSELY together that no air could
be admitted. The land had by that
time become so valuable and the hold
could not afford to lose the use of sim
gle foot of it. The European herdsman
in the best TILED portions of Europe
learned from experience that lie could
raise more grass on Il piece of land
by keeping it in meadow than by al
lowing it to be used as pasture. This
was i'm part due TO the fact that he
not hi A
at height where it would produce the
best weight per acre. The roots of
such grass struck deeply and drew
nourishment from a thicker layer of
soil than the pasture grasses that were
kept fed close to the ground. 1t will
| thus be seen that the soillng system
has developed as natural result of
| the increased value of land.
The practice is old in Europe, but it
| is new in the United States, especially
in the West. Only OH our most in
| tensively cultivated farms is it being
used to-day. Generally it is introduced
for the purpose of relieving the pas
| ture land from useless pasturage and
adding to the amount OF land than can
|
because the pastures are too far from
the barns to make pnsturing advisable
| noticed that this was the case at
BiltmOre, \. c., where Mr.. Vanderbilt
has herd of 100 Jerseys. At the
time of my visit the pastures We're To-
Gated so far from the barns that il
was not advisable to use them. There.
fore. green frass was daily fed to the
cows In their stalls. Soillng Is profit
able operation if il Is properly conduct
ed. 1t Is very easy however. to make
great mistake in the feeding of cattle
being soiled. This mistake Is in sup
posing that constalks can take the
place of ordinary pasture grass. The
COW. If left TO herself on the pasture
will generally find all the protein FOOD
she needs, because many of our pas
'ture grasses. especially Kentucky blue
grass and Canadian blue grass. ar,
rich in protein and these kinds
of grasses should be cut and fec
in preference to cornstalks. Corn
stalks are. however, n very good par
of the green ration, provided they ar,
not the whole OF II. The most deslra
BILE feeds for cattle being so handled
are cornstalks, grass, clover. alfalfa
and, 20 some extent, roots. includins
bcets, carrots and turnips. Soilini
will continue to increase with the ad
vance IN the price of land. 1t is onl,
one phase of intensive farming. NJ q
Thurston. in Tribune Farmer