Middletown transcript., 1907-02-09
THE FARM, GARDEN AND DAIRY

The soiling system of managing cattls
is to feed within the barnyard limits,
carrythe food to the animals and savs
tile nnannre. dispensing with The aid oi
pasture. Whether pasturiug or soiIinp
is the more profitable is yet to be deter
mined, as climate, soil, markets and local
conditions cannot be ignored. Those
who practice the soiIing system are few
in number, but they ciaim that the sys-
TEN dispenees With fences, enriches the
soil. enables larger crops to be grown and
concentrates the efforts within limited
space. The system demands greater Ia.
Dor and incurs heavier expense, but the
profits from soiliug, however, are much
greater In proportion to the land so ntiIiz-l
ed and the capital invested Tie old adj
age that good clover and timothy grass
tgreef1 is the food for the mich COW
cannot be disregarded, although there is
no objection to the dry material, which
contains less wafer and nearly all Of the
nutritious matter, hat there is i dietary
consideration which cannot be overiook-
ed. Tie purity 81 the products Of the
dairy demand that the animals have pure
water at all times, proportion of green
food and exercise The latter desideratum
is an impossiblity under the soiling system
while cleanliness, TO be strictly enforced,
demands labor that but few dairymen are
always willing to bestow It is possible
that the pasturage' and soiiing systems
may be combined, inorder to derive the
greatest benefits to be secuted There are
many objections to both methods,
through each has its supporters. and every
one Should be willing to.adopt plan that
improves on either.
Tie preservation Of manure is one of
The sources Of profit in q soiling system,
The yalne Of manure depends upon the
manner upon which it is preserved and
the quality Of matter from which It is
created. EotWo manure heaps are alike
in composition, nor are the results from
manure Uniform, as many suppose. Farm
ers may not always be in position to con
trol the quality Of the feed they allow,
but whether it be good or bad, it is inn
portant that all manure be carefully pre-
served In order that 1t may benefit the |
farmer and enrich the soil. On nearly all |
farms the manure and litter are thrown I
in heap on the barnyard, the cornstaIks |
and straw being added to increase the
bulk, and to assist in absorbing the liquid |
and volatile substances. Il is we'll /
known fact that no manure can supply
plant food until it undefgees a change |
and returns TO its promitiye element. In
its first form the original sub
stances combine, creating salts and yola-
tile matter III the soil the salts decom
pose and the volatile matter is either alb
sorbed, lost or assists in creating salts.
As the manure must undergo these
changes in the harnyard, the energy Of /
the materials.in assuming new forms is
made manifest b, the presence OF heat.
which implies decomposition, but
decomposition Is moi only fbe tearing
asunder OF the atoms, bus the creation Of
new substances thereform IN the::crude
condition such materials aud straw are Of /
no value until decompossd, az they are
ii water. All plant foods must
become insolable The object 10 hsaping
the materials, or spreading them Id the |
barnyard 70 be tramped, IS to have them
become fine aud thoroughly disintegratsd.
Nature, through chemical agencies, BY
the interchange Of atoms, performs her
work in much better manner than can
be done arsifcislly, and the process Of de-
cay is the farmers methed Of rendering
the materials In the mannrss heap fine.
soluble and ready Tor use 50 plant foods.
Soiling leads to careful preparation, but
while the manure is made fine and solu.
ble ii must not bs overlooked that the
process is 3 gradual one, and hence every
rain that satufates the heap carries downs
ward the soluble parts as soonsas the ma-
nnre is decomposed The iet-black liq- /
uid-that flows of the heap is the richest
Of the farm, and IS Il passes away the
ready plant food which is dissolved in il
Is lost, leaving behind macs of matter,
often supposed to be the most valuable +
because OF its bulk, but which really ie
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