{"1": {"fulltext": "Kewsed Mmcn\\njB a |\u00c2\u00bb|HWW\u00c2\u00bb BaC i\u00c2\u00bbggBfBRW W\\nSTABLE and SILO CONSTRUCTidH\\nFRANK SHERMAN PEER\\nwmmmmmmmmmmmmutmmmmmmm\\nwB^tamamt\\nWMUUUWIIIlWmlUMHIUIIIlMIMIIBM", "height": "3698", "width": "2389", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.\\nChap.S^___., Copyright No\\nShelL5.2)_l\\nUNITED STATES OF AMERICA.\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0r", "height": "3392", "width": "2237", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3408", "width": "2210", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3408", "width": "2183", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "TESTIMONIALS.\\nThe following are a few testimonials of the first edition published\\nin 1881. The present edition is much larger and better\\nin every respect.\\nFrom W. E. Simonds, Hartford, Conn.:\\nYour book is really a valuable one, I think I know what among\\nthe vast amount of agricultural rubbish is valuable. My mental classifi-\\ncation of your book is alongside Waring s book on Drainage, and I\\nconsider that a very honorable companion.\\nFrom W. G. Markham, Avon, N.Y.:\\nYour work on Soiling is not only well written but exceedingly in-\\nteresting and instructive, and must be a most valuable work, which ought\\nto be read by every farmer and dairyman in the country.\\nFrom Erich Parmly, New York City\\nI am reading your valuable work on Soiling and Ensilage and find it\\nvery instructive. I must put it into practice and get rid of some interior\\nfencing. I have about seven miles of fencing, enough to make a man\\npoor.\\nFrom Wm. Kent, Palmyra. N. Y.:\\nThe best book on agriculture I ever read.\\nFrom Chas. Woolcott, Canton, Ohio:\\nThere is more common sense agriculture in Mr. Peer s work on\\nSoiling than in any book on farming I ever read. It should be a\\ntextbook in every agricultural college and every farmer s son should\\nread it.\\nFrom Country Gentleman, Albany, N. Y.:\\nThe work contains a forcible summary of the arguments in favor of\\nSoiling, together with a concise statement of the author s personal ex-\\nperience, including the arrangement of buildings, both as regards Soil-\\ning and Ensilage.\\nRural Home, Rochester, N. Y.\\n\\\\Ve have referred to Mr. Peer s system of soiling his stock of all\\nkinds on occasions of two visits to his farm. We would advise farmers\\nand dairymen to obtain this book and study it,\\nPhiladelphia Weekly Press.\\nThe book is a strong presentation of a system which must ultimately\\ncome into general use. We hope the book will have a wide circulation.\\nNewark Courier.\\nMr. Peer is a practical man who has made agriculture a study, and\\nby his original and progressive ideas has placed our farming people\\nunder great obligations.", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "Soiling, Ensilage, and\\nStable Construction\\nBEING A REVISED EDITION OF SOIL-\\nING, SUMMER AND WINTER OR, THE\\nECONOMY OF FEEDING FARM STOCK\\nBY\\nFRANK SHERMAN PEER\\nRelating ihe experience of the author, giving the latest\\nand most economical methods of summer and\\nwinter feeding and management of farm\\nstock; also the construction of stables\\nWITH ILLUSTRATIONS\\nPUBLISHED BY\\nM. F. MANSFIELD, New York and London\\nMDCCCC", "height": "3413", "width": "2221", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "Off... \u00c2\u00bbf,;,\\nSECOND COPY,\\n62510\\nREVISED EDITION\\nEntered, according to an Act of Congress, in the year 1900\\nBy FRANK SHERMAN PEER\\nIn the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.\\nCopyright, 1900, by\\nFRANK SHERMAN PEER", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "r\\nDEDICATION\\nTo the farmers sons of America this boolc\\nis dedicated, with the best wishes of the\\nauthor, and with the hope that within its\\npages they may find encouragement to\\npursjc agriculture as a business, instead\\nof leaving the farm for some so-called\\nhigher pursuit", "height": "3413", "width": "2221", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION.\\nThere is little need of a formal introduction to\\nthe subject of soiling-. Most farmers and dairymen\\nare more or less familiar with the subject through\\ninquiries and articles that from time to time appear\\nin the agricultural papers. To others who may\\nchance to peruse these pages, I may say that the\\nwork is designed to answer the following perplexing\\nquestions, i.e.^ How can a farmer enrich his soil in\\na sure and economical manner? how supply his farm\\nstock with the most nutritious food at the least cost?\\nhow obtain a full flow of milk from his cows during\\nthe entire season independently of parched pastures?\\nhow increase the number of farm stock or the acre-\\nage of the farm without buying more land? how may\\nthe Eastern farmers successfully compete with the\\nimmigrant farmers of the West?\\nAn attempted solution to these and kindred ques-\\ntions will be found in the following pages.\\nIn relating my own experience in conducting\\nthis system of feeding, and the wonderful re-\\nsults obtained, I hope my readers will not accuse\\nme of boasting of what have done, or of what\\ncan do.", "height": "3413", "width": "2221", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "viii Introduction to the First Edition.\\nNearly every farmer may practise the system with\\nthe same or even better results. Each vear s ex-\\nperience reveals many new advantages of the sys-\\ntem.\\nI do not pretend that my conclusions will be found\\ninfallible under all circumstances, but I hope to show\\nhow the system was applied to my own farm, that the\\nreader may obtain a clear view of its workings, and\\nbe enabled to carry on the system with such altera-\\ntions as the different conditions under which he is\\nplaced shall suggest.\\nI am not farming for pleasure, although I find a\\ngood deal of pleasure in farming. I follow farming\\nfor my daily bread, and the profit there is in the\\nbusiness. My farm operations are not supported\\nby a profitable business or profession in town.\\nI mention this that my readers will clearly under-\\nstand that although this work contains some radical\\ndepartures from General Farming, they are not\\nto be entertained bj^ the experiences of a fancy\\nfarmer, a book farmer, or a city farmer.\\nI have no apology for presenting this subject in\\nbook form. I humbly acknowledge that it is not\\nwritten at the earnest solicitation of numerous\\nfriends, but because I am very. much interested in\\nfarming as a business or profession, and I would be\\npleased to see more of our intelligent young men\\nengaged in this pursuit.\\nAs a literary writer, I make no pretensions. If\\nthis work is well received, it must be entirely on its\\nmerits as a record of the personal, practical experi-", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0012.jp2"}, "13": {"fulltext": "Introduction to the First Edition. ix\\nence of a farmer; and if the reader finds as much\\npleasure in perusing these pages as it has given me\\nto write them, I shall feel that my labor has not\\nbeen spent in vain, nor the reader s attention claimed\\nfor naught.\\nMaple Lane Farm,\\nEast Palmyra, N. Y., i88i.", "height": "3413", "width": "2221", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0013.jp2"}, "14": {"fulltext": "INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION.\\nThe first edition of Soiling, Summer and Win-\\nter has been exhausted since 1885. I have been\\ntrying- to find time ever since to go over the ground\\nagain and present the work in better form, but the\\nconvenient season has ever seemed to be to-morrow,\\nso that between business cares on the one hand, and\\nthe thief of time on the other, weeks have stolen\\ninto months, and months into years, leaving the\\nwork unfinished.\\nThere was another reason (but I never liked to let\\nmyself admit it) I felt that my work on soiling was\\na little premature, and I have been waiting for a\\nsign that would indicate that it was wanted.\\nI published the 1880 edition myself, because no\\npublisher could be found who had the courage to\\nundertake it. In the mean time, the Farmers Insti-\\ntutes were inaugurated throughout the country, and\\nExperimental Stations in nearly every State are delv-\\ning into every possible nook and corner in a legiti-\\nmate strife among themselves to be the first to mas-\\nter and give to the public the latest ideas in regard\\nto every known subject pertaining to agriculture.\\nSo that, in a great measure, they robbed one of that", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0014.jp2"}, "15": {"fulltext": "Introduction to Second Edition. xi\\nzest and force necessary to sit down to a task of\\nwriting- a book on any agricultural subject.\\nI was subjected to much ridicule for my early en-\\ndeavors to introduce soiling, which was called book\\nfarming and fancy farming, etc. And when, late\\nin 1878, I built a silo, and came out strongly in favor\\nof ensilage, it was thought by many to be the climax\\nof folly, while others suggested that I might have\\ngone wrong in the upper story. In these days\\n(1875 to 1880) I went about the State visiting farm-\\ners clubs, and discussing soiling and ensilage. I\\nwas quite young at the time, just out of my teens,\\nand my views however reasonable they appeared\\nwhile I was before my audience lost much of their\\nforce, I fear, on account of my youthful appearance.\\nHowever, I kept on talking soiling, in season and\\nout, until the Farmers Institutes were established\\nand ensilage at least became a popular theme.\\nEnsilage has produced quite a revolution in farm-\\ning, but that is only winter soiling, and has not\\naccomplished half of what may be done by pursuing\\nthe method all the year round, for, as I have always\\nclaimed, summer soiling has many advantages over\\nwinter soiling, as will be shown further on, so that,\\nalthough ensilage has made such wonderful strides,\\nit by no means represents the best half of the sys-\\ntem.\\nWhy then, it may be asked, has ensilage pre-\\nceded soiling? Principally, I believe, because it\\nwas a new and startling discovery, and required an\\noutlay of capital to begin with. Soon after ensilage", "height": "3413", "width": "2221", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0015.jp2"}, "16": {"fulltext": "xii Introduction to Second Edition.\\nmade its appearance, manufacturers of feed cutters\\nsent catalogues and circulars (advertising their ma-\\nchines) broadcast over the country, agents can-\\nvassed towns, exhibited their machines at fairs, and\\ntold exaggerated stories of the advantages to be\\ngained by ensilaging corn fodder. They said that\\nensilage was a good thing, and that their particular\\nmachine was the only thing. Ensilage being a new\\ndeparture, a new discovery, the agricultural papers\\nwere full of it, and later it became a popular theme\\nfor discussion at the Farmers Institutes, where it\\nwas listened to because it was new and sensational.\\nSoiling, on the other hand, was a question that\\nevery farmer was familiar with. Few could be found\\nbut that had practised it to the extent of cutting\\nclover green, and feeding it to their workhorses in\\nthe barns, or had sown a patch of corn for their cows\\nto be fed over the fence in the pasture field to help\\nout the pasture in a dry season. In doing this they\\nnever discovered anything very wonderful, or strik-\\ning, or sensational, as was the case in the introduc-\\ntion of ensilage.\\nNo one talked soiling, and altogether it had little\\nto force itself upon the attention of the public.\\nSoiling has been unfortunate in not being properly\\nintroduced. No one in all the country has a far-\\nthing to gain out of the farmer by advocating the\\nsystem or encouraging its adoption.\\nI have lived long enough to discover that people\\nwill listen to good advice, and admit that it is good\\nadvice, but if they can obtain it for nothing, it is", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0016.jp2"}, "17": {"fulltext": "Introduction to Second Edition, xiii\\nseldom appreciated, and rarely made use of. I\\nbelieve that if it required an investment of a thou-\\nsand dollars in patent machinery, the soiling system\\nwould long ago have been adopted on thousands of\\nfarms, where to-day it is not practised at all, or only\\ndone by halves. People appreciate everything by\\nwhat it costs.\\nSoiling costs absolutely nothing by way of new\\nmachinery or buildings, other than can be found on\\nany well-equipped farm. I repeat that ensilage\\nwinter soiling\u00e2\u0080\u0094 has produced quite a revolution in\\nagriculture, but summer soiling is as much more\\ndesirable and beneficial than winter soiling or en-\\nsilage as ensilage is better and more economical\\nthan hay and dried cornstalks.\\nAnother hindrance in America to the adoption of\\nsoiling is that our farms, as a rule, are too large,\\nand the rather mistaken notion that if a person can\\nmake money on a hundred acres, he can make seven\\ntimes as much on seven hundred acres. The farm-\\ners and dairymen with small farms will be more\\neasily convinced of the practicability of soiling than\\nthe owners of large farms. Nevertheless, soiling is\\ncoming. I have watched its advancement with\\ngreat interest, although it has not yet become a fash-\\nionable question for discussion at Farmers Insti-\\ntutes; and although the experimental stations have\\nhardly touched upon it, there are unmistakable\\nsigns that farmers of the Eastern States are ready\\nfor it. Last year I had the pleasure of attending\\nquite a number of Farmers Institutes in different", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0017.jp2"}, "18": {"fulltext": "xiv Introduction to Second Edition.\\nparts of the State, and I noticed there was hardly a\\nquestion box opened but that contained one or more\\nquestions bearing directly on the subject.\\nI came home from attending these meetings, and\\nhave since taken up the pen with renewed courage,\\nand feel sure that now I shall have the pleasure of\\ntelling the good news to thousands who, a few years\\nago, had little or no interest in the subject.\\nIn revising this work, I have made but little al-\\nteration in the text and main features of the first\\nedition. I am able, however, to bring to this work\\nmore extensive experience with certain soiling crops,\\nwhich at that time I knew little about. I refer to\\nsorghum and lucern for cattle and rape for sheep.\\nThese I have enlarged upon considerably also a few\\nnew plants are mentioned, such as crimson clover,\\netc.\\nIn winter soiling the principal changes are in\\nhandling the crop and the construction of the silo.\\nI believe I have given due credit to the agricul-\\ntural press and agricultural writers whom I have\\nfreely called upon throughout the work.\\nI have found that re-writing a book is a more\\ndifficult task than producing the original. I have\\nbeen obliged to do this work at odd times while\\ntravelling by rail, stopping at uncomfortable hotels,\\nor while making a winter s trip across the Atlantic.\\nI feel, therefore, as the manuscript leaves my hand,\\nthat it somewhat resembles a clock that the great\\ntemperance lecturer, John B. Gough, was fond of\\ntelling about, to the effect that when its hands", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0018.jp2"}, "19": {"fulltext": "Introduction to Second Edition. xv\\npointed to twenty-five minutes past four, and it\\nstruck seven, he knew it was just one o clock. So\\nwith this work, it matters little how the hands point\\nor how it strikes, if you only understand that it al-\\nways strikes for soiling.\\nI hope this work will prove a handbook and guide\\nto soiling. I have dwelt quite at length upon sub-\\njects leading up to the work, that the fundamental\\nprinciples of the system and its advantages may be\\nfirmly established. This I hold to be more essential\\nthan the methods of soiling themselves, because if\\nthe reader has a foundation that is safe and to which\\nhe can always return, although the conditions under\\nwhich he may find himself may differ materially\\nfrom my own, he will be able to cut a new line for\\nhimself.\\nThis work is, so far as the details are concerned,\\nbut a row of blazed trees through the forest. My\\neffort has been, therefore, more to present the prin-\\nciples and advantages of the soiling system so they\\nshall be clear, unmistakable, and undeniable, and if\\nI shall be so fortunate as to accomplish this in the\\nfollowing pages and impart to my reader the will,\\nmy purpose shall have been accomplished, and his\\nown good judgment may be depended upon to find\\nthe way. In that case he may make mistakes and\\nmeet with disappointments. He may stumble and\\neven fall, but in getting up he will always be getting\\non in the right direction.\\nMany have started soiling, but in a half-hearted\\nway, and have given it up on account of some little", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0019.jp2"}, "20": {"fulltext": "xvi Introduction to Second Edition.\\nhitch in the management. They have become dis-\\ncouraged simply because they failed to see the great\\nbenefits to be gained. Others have tried partial\\nsoiling; in this they have experienced nearly all the\\ndisadvantages and not over a quarter of the benefits.\\nOthers are convinced that it is the thing to do, but\\nare afraid of what their neighbors will say if they\\nshould branch out in any new line. I have been\\nthrough all this the lions in the way are not half as\\nferocious as they look at a distance, and although\\nthere is always a rod in pickle for any man who\\nwould be wiser than his generation, the reward is\\nmore than ample compensation for all such cuts.\\nHe laughs best, who laughs last.\\nSquawkie Hill Farm,\\nMt. Morris, N. Y., 1899.", "height": "3361", "width": "2140", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0020.jp2"}, "21": {"fulltext": "CONTENTS.\\nPAGE\\nDedication, v\\nIntroduction to First Edition vii\\nIntroduction to Second Edition x\\nCHAPTER I.\\nOur Soils.\\nFarming on an Exhausted Soil, 2\\nFarming on Productive Soil, 3\\nFarming on Government Lands, 4\\nCHAPTER II.\\nOur Plants.\\nHow to Feed Them, 8\\nComparative Tables 12\\nBarn-yard Manure, 13\\nGreen Manure, 17\\nLiquid Manure, 22\\nSaving Manure (Plaster), 25\\nCommercial Fertilizer, 25\\nOil Cake and Cotton-Seed Meal, 30\\nCHAPTER in.\\nOur Animals.\\nHow to Feed Them Economically, .33\\nThe Cow as a Machine, 33\\nWhen Insufficiently Fed, 35\\nCHAPTER IV.\\nSoiling.\\nMy First Lesson in Agriculture, 38\\nHow I Happened to Adopt Soiling, 44", "height": "3403", "width": "2096", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0021.jp2"}, "22": {"fulltext": "xviii Contents.\\nPAGE\\nCHAPTER V.\\nAdvantages of Soiling.\\nSaving of Land, -49\\nSaving of Fences, 54\\nSaving of Food, 56\\nBetter Condition and Greater Comfort of Farm Stock, 58\\nGreater Production of Beef, Milk, and Butter, 63\\nThe Increased Quantity and Quality of Manure, 68\\nThe Increased Productiveness of the Soil, .69\\nThe Increased Acreage, 69\\nCHAPTER VI.\\nPartial Soiling.\\nInconvenience of, .76\\nObjections to, 77\\nCHAPTER VII.\\nObjections to Soiling.\\nExtra Labor, 80\\nCHAPTER VIIL\\nSoiling versus Pasturing.\\nExperimental Reports, 85\\nCHAPTER IX.\\nRotation of Soiling Crops.\\nLaying Out the Work, 89\\nCrops for June, 90\\nCrops for July, 92\\nCrops for August, 93\\nCrops for September and October 93\\nCHAPTER X.\\nCutting and Gathering the Crops.\\nNecessary Tools, Etc., 97\\nDelivering to Barn, 98", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0022.jp2"}, "23": {"fulltext": "Contents. xix\\nPAGE\\nFeeding, .98\\nCaution in Feeding, 99\\nManner of Feeding, 100\\nCHAPTER XI.\\nBarn Construction.\\nGeneral Plan, 103\\nObjections to Masonry Basements, 105\\nVentilation, 109\\nWater, .116\\nHandling the Manure, 121\\nManure Shed, 126\\nLiquid Manure, 127\\nThe Mangers, 128\\nCattle Ties, 131\\nCHAPTER Xn.\\nStable Management.\\nIn Winter, 134\\nIn Summer; 136\\nCHAPTER XIII.\\nSoiling Crops\\nRye, 137\\nWheat, 138\\nBarley, 138\\nOats and Peas, 139\\nCorn, 141\\nSorghum, 144\\nSorghum Bulletin Reports, 146\\nNon-Saccharine Sorghums, 148\\nKaffir Corn 149\\nMillet 152\\nClover, .153\\nLucern, r 154", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0023.jp2"}, "24": {"fulltext": "XX Contents.\\nPAGE\\nLucern Bulletin Reports, 156\\nCrimson Clover, 164\\nCow Peas, i68\\nSoja Bean, 170\\nPrickly Comfrey, 171\\nCHAPTER XIV.\\nSoiling Sheep.\\nThe Advantages 172\\nThe Results, 179\\nCHAPTER XV.\\nSoiling Crops for Sheep.\\nVetches, 181\\nRape, 182\\nTurnips, 187\\nCHAPTER XVI.\\nPortable Fencing.\\nWoven Wire, i88\\nWooden Panels, 188\\nHurdles, 189\\nFeeding Racks, igo\\nCHAPTER XVII.\\nManner of Soiling Sheep.\\nLaying Out the Work, 191\\nPermanent Pasture, 294\\nFeeding, 196\\nRotation of Crops, 198\\nCHAPTER XVIII,\\nSoiling Horses.\\nBrood Mares and Colts, 200", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0024.jp2"}, "25": {"fulltext": "Contents. xxi\\nCHAPTER XIX.\\nWinter Soiling (Ensilage). page\\nHistory, 204\\nEnsilage 7 s. Cured Fodder, 208\\nPalatability, 210\\nEnsilage vs. Hay, 210\\nCHAPTER XX.\\nThe Silo.\\nHow Large to Build, .215\\nWhere to Build, 216\\nHow to Build, 217\\nGeneral Plan of Barn and Stable, 222\\nStacking Ensilage, 224\\nCHAPTER XXI.\\nGrowing Ensilage.\\nAmount of Land Required, 226\\nPreparing the Ground 226\\nVariety of Corn, 227\\nHarvesting, 227\\nFilling the Silo, 229\\nPower, 230\\nPressing, 230\\nTime to Harvest 232\\nCovering, 233\\nCHAPTER XXIL\\nFeeding Ensilage.\\nAmount of Ration, 235\\nCost of Production, 237\\nCHAPTER XXIII.\\nSoiling 7/s. Ensilage,\\nComparative Value, 239", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0025.jp2"}, "26": {"fulltext": "xxii Contents.\\nCHAPTER XXIV.\\nConclusion. page\\nSystem, o 241\\nEducation, 244\\nFarmer s Sons, 247", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0026.jp2"}, "27": {"fulltext": "SOILING, ENSILAGE, AND STABLE\\nCONSTRUCTION.\\nCHAPTER I.\\nOUR SOILS.\\nThe great problem of feeding and clothing the\\nmillions depends upon the success of agriculture.\\nThe day has gone by, in the Eastern States at least,\\nwhen a man can farm it, because he does not\\nknow enough to do anything else. There is no\\nbusiness or profession in which a man is obliged to\\nhave such a diversity of knowledge as in farming.\\nEvery day brings him face to face with widely dif-\\nferent questions. There are his cows, their man-\\nagement, breeding, care, feeding, the disposal of\\ntheir product. Likewise his sheep, horses, swine,\\npoultry, bees. Then there are his fruit trees, dif-\\nferent varieties, requiring special care and attention,\\nand special knowledge. There is, as I said before,\\nnot a trade or profession requiring such a widely di-\\nversified knowledge as general farming.\\nOur predecessors who, through ignorance, robbed\\nthe soil of its fertility, left us little in these days of\\nkeen competition but a legacy of unprofitable labor.\\nWe ought to profit by their mistakes, and find some\\nway, if possible, to make our land more productive.", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0027.jp2"}, "28": {"fulltext": "2 Soiling.\\nAny fool can rob the soil of its fertility, but it takes\\na wise man, a professional agriculturist, to win it\\nback to productiveness. If we do not succeed in\\ndoing- this, we shall leave to our children a legacy\\nwhich they will spurn, instead of one they could\\nreceive with rejoicing, and that one must be capable\\nof supplying their increasing numbers and their in-\\ncreasing wants.\\nFarming on an Exhausted Soil.*\\nI regret to say that the history of agriculture in\\nAmerica is any but one to which we may point with\\npride. What, may I ask, has become of the many\\nfarmers throughout the New England States who\\nonce lived comfortabl}^, if not luxuriously? Why\\nare their farms deserted, their houses unoccupied?\\nWe have not far to look for the answer the fertility\\nof the soil has been exhausted, sold in the markets\\nof New York and Boston by the pound, by the bushel,\\nand by the ton. Their owners, failing to find their\\ntoil longer remunerative, have gone West, many of\\nthem, where I presume they have gone on systemat-\\nically robbing the soil, leaving to their descendants\\na heritage of unremitting toil. Still more lament-\\nable is the condition of thousands of farms in Vir-\\nginia and other parts of the sunny South. Here,\\nbut a few years ago, lived a people who boasted of\\ntheir wealth, their refinement, their culture, and\\ntheir chivalry. Why are their once beautiful fields\\nExtract from an address delivered by the author at Albany,\\nN. Y., before the County Agricultural Society in 1S90.", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0028.jp2"}, "29": {"fulltext": "Our Soils 2\\nnow fenceless and deserted? The land remains, the\\nclimate remains, the slaves remain, but the owners\\nare not. The fertility of the soil went before them\\nthey baled it with their cotton, barreled it with their\\nsugar, until naught remains but the barren soil.\\nA few years ago the term out West was synon-\\nymous with bounty and fertility. We were told that\\none had but to tickle the soil with a hoe, and it\\nlaughed a harvest. All this has changed. Their\\naverage yield per acre during the last ten years has\\ndeclined twenty-five per cent.\\nFarming on Productive Soil.\\nHappily, however, this state of things, with a prop-\\ner knowledge of agriculture, is unnecessary. There\\nis a way, not only to maintain the fertility of the soil,\\nbut to increase it. England has been under the plow\\nfor centuries, still her average yield of wheat has in-\\ncreased to over thirty-one bushels per acre, while the\\naverage yield in this country has steadily declined\\nuntil it is only about thirteen bushels per acre.\\nChina, one of the oldest countries in the world has\\nincreased the agricultural resources of the empire\\nto keep pace with the rapidly increasing population.\\nIt is a fact that the heathen Chinee knows better\\nthan we how to preserve and increase the fertility\\nof the soil. If America would close her eastern\\ngates to emigrants who come here, to rob our soil,\\nand let a few Chinamen farmers in at the western\\ngate, we might learn some valuable lessons in farm-\\ning. Fertility means prosperity.", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0029.jp2"}, "30": {"fulltext": "4 Soiling.\\nThere is not a fertile spot on the face of the earth\\nbut that is a prosperous one and a desirable one in\\nwhich to live.\\nThe Condition of Farming at the Present Day.\\nThe problem that confronts the present-day farmer\\nis how to compete with the foreigners who come to\\nthis country annually by the tens of thousands, and\\nwho, on their arrival, our Government sets up in\\nthe farming business, offering to each one hundred\\nand sixty acres of land. The only alternative we\\nhave in competing with these Government farmers is\\nto do one of two things. We must either get down\\nto their level, and work as they work, our wives and\\nchildren constituting our hired help on the farm\\nand in the house, live as they live, half fed and half\\nclothed, go without books and papers, without recre-\\nation for ourselves or an education for our children.\\nThat is one way, but even then we cannot hope to\\ncompete with them on farms that cost us a hundred\\ndollars an acre, and on which we are taxed to sup-\\nport all sorts of charitable institutions, to say noth-\\ning of (as in this State) building state capitols and\\ndigging canals to benefit the adopted children of our\\nGovernment, while at the same time they have their\\nfarms given to them.\\nFarming on Government Lands.\\nA foreigner comes to this country with money\\nenough to pay his fare to some of the Western\\nStates. Uncle Sam gives him a farm,, then he finds", "height": "3382", "width": "2205", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0030.jp2"}, "31": {"fulltext": "Our Soils.\\nplenty of men ready to take a mortgage on it for\\nenough to enable him to purchase the necessary\\ntools, and there you see him a full-fledged American\\nfarmer. It is, indeed, a most serious predicament in\\nwhich the public land policy of our Government has\\nplaced the farmers of the Eastern States. They are\\nnot only made to sell their products at cost and less,\\nbut their lands have depreciated in value fifty to\\nseventy-five per cent., until many farmers in the\\nEastern States have been driven to bankruptcy, all\\nfor the sake of keeping up that boastful, useless,\\nwasteful practice by the Government that Uncle\\nSam is rich enough to give us all a farm, and of\\nsetting up thousands of foreigners annually in the\\nfarming business until competition is so keen that\\nthere is nothing left the farmers in the older States\\nbut unremitting toil. Their sons and daughters are\\nthereby driven from the farm, and their places are\\nbeing filled by foreigners, until we are fast becom-\\ning reduced to the condition of the peasant farmer\\nof the old world. Farmers they are not. They are,\\nmore properly speaking, a lot of land pirates.\\nThey have a good farm given them, and imme-\\ndiately they begin to live on its fertility like a lot of\\nhighwaymen. Have I overdrawn the picture? I\\nwish you might say I had. If you think so, look\\nabout and see how many one hundred, one hundred\\nand fifty, or two hundred acre farms there are in\\nyour county, where the hired man gets about all\\nthe yearly profits, while the owner, with a ten or\\ntwenty thousand dollar investment, and his wife as", "height": "3408", "width": "2172", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0031.jp2"}, "32": {"fulltext": "6 Soiling.\\nwell, work for their board and clothes. Farmers\\nthemselves are largely to blame for this state of\\nthings. They should demand through their repre-\\nsentatives at Washington that the Government put\\na stop to the giving away any more of the public\\ndom^ain, until there is a demand for it at $io or $15\\nper acre.\\nNo other business men would put up with such an\\ninfringement. The United Workmen said prison\\nlabor must cease, because the State was setting up\\nlaborers in competition with them, which it had no\\nright to do, and prison labor ceased. The United\\nWorkmen said to the United States Government,\\nPut a stop to the contract laborers coming to this\\ncoimtry to compete with us, and the law was\\npassed. If an immigrant is engaged to come to this\\ncountry to dig a sewer, the Government at Wash-\\nington sends him back to the country from which he\\ncame. The same United States Government says to\\nthe same immigrant and to every other foreigner,\\nYou come over here, and Unde Sam will give you\\none hundred and sixty acres of land that is to say,\\nwill set you up in the farming business.\\nCome from any nation,\\nCome from any way.\\nCome along, come along,\\nDon t be alarmed\\nFor Uncle Sam is rich enough\\nTo give you all a farm.\\nSo goes the old song. When the country was\\nnew, this could be done without injury to any one.", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0032.jp2"}, "33": {"fulltext": "Our Soils. 7\\nBut that day has long since passed. These Govern-\\nment farmers have increased so rapidly that agricul-\\nture in the Eastern States has been reduced nearly\\nto a level with immigrant farming.\\nThis, in short, is the present condition of agricul-\\nture in the Eastern States. There is left us but one\\nalternative, either to live as the immigrant farmers\\nlive, work as they work, or to cheapen our produc-\\ntion by making one acre produce what now comes\\nfrom four or five.\\nI offer you this solution I bring you in this volume\\na ray of hope. Try soiling.", "height": "3403", "width": "2162", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0033.jp2"}, "34": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER II.\\nOUR PLANTS.\\nHow TO Feed Them.\\nOur plants, like our animals, live, feed, grow, and\\ndie. It is only by feeding them alike liberally that\\nwe can hope to make them produce bountifully.\\nUntil a person comes to consider his growing\\nplants as if they were his growing animals, claiming\\nhis care and attention, and looking to him to supply\\nthem, largely, with the food they must consume,\\nthen, and not till then, is he in possession of the prin-\\nciples that constitute successful farming. At first\\nglance it would seem that the above statement was\\nso self-evident that there was little use of mention-\\ning it, but when we look about a little and notice\\nthe way that many farmers starve their growing\\nplants, even when they do not starve their cattle, it\\nshows that they have never looked at their growing\\nplants in this light.\\nWhat has this to do with soiling? It is the princi-\\npal thing, as a celebrated English general once said\\nin reply to the War Department, which said to him\\nGeneral, it seems to the War Department that\\nthe thing that most concerned you in India was the\\ngrowing of forage for bullocks. Yes, sir; that s", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0034.jp2"}, "35": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. 9\\nthe principal things in carrying on a successful war-\\nfare in India or any other country. If we have the\\nforage, we shall have the bullocks if we have the\\nbullocks, we shall be able to support the men, and\\nif our men are well supported, we shall have no\\ntrouble to conquer the enemy. That s the whole\\nstory. If we will give our greatest concern to our\\ngrowing plants, we need not worry ourselves about\\nthe rest. The animals to eat it will come along\\neasily enough. If you see it in that light, you will\\nfind, by the adoption of the soiling system, that you\\nare able to provide an abundance of food for your\\ngrowing plants in a sure and economical way, i.e.^\\nby the greater production of barnyard manure,\\nplowing under green crops for manure, soiling your\\nplants as well as your animals. But before we pro-\\nceed to discuss the value of barnyard, liquid and\\ngreen manuring as compared with commercial fer-\\ntilizer, let us first consider the comparative value of\\nthe ordinary grain and forage crops, both as a for-\\nage (manure) for our plants and as feed for our ani-\\nmals. This will help to explain some important\\nquestions in regard to producing the most economi-\\ncal plant food and clinch several strong arguments\\nin favor of soiling.\\nGood farming, says Lockhardt, consists in\\ntaking large crops from the soil, while at the same\\ntime you leave the soil in better condition for suc-\\nceeding crops. This strikes me as being the best\\ndefinition of what constitutes good farming I have\\never seen. It is the very science of farming.", "height": "3403", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0035.jp2"}, "36": {"fulltext": "10 Soiling.\\nGood crops make good manure, good manure pro-\\nduces good crops.\\nThe value of grain and forage crops for plant\\nfood consists in the amount of nitrogen, phosphoric\\nacid, and potash that they contain, while the value\\nof forage crops and grains for animal food depends\\nchiefly upon the amount of albuminoids, carbo-\\nhydrates and fat they contain.\\nAnimals, in the consumption of foods, take from\\nthem but a small proportion of their value for plant\\nfood, while the plants consume little or none of the\\nelements that the animals require. Thus, if a ton of\\nfeed, say cotton-seed meal, should be plowed under\\nas a fertilizer, as is often done in the Southern\\nStates, it would be of no more value to the land than\\nif it had been first fed to the stock, providing none\\nof its value as a plant food had been allowed to waste\\nin the manure pile. Some plants or grains are very\\nrich or valuable as plant food, while others are richer\\nin animal food, and again others are valuable for both\\npurposes.\\nThe following tables will furnish the reader some\\ncurious and interesting facts, and some information\\nwhich will assist him, it is hoped, in making a most\\neconomical selection.\\nThe analysis from which the values of the differ-\\nent foods are estimated was taken from the work of\\nDr. Emil Wolff of the Royal Academy of Agricul-\\nture, Wurtemburg, Germany. I believe these ex-\\ntended tables, as prepared by myself, were the\\nfirst of the kind to appear in print in this coun-", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0036.jp2"}, "37": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. ii\\ntry. They represent the average results of numer-\\nous analyses, and are sufficiently accurate for all\\npractical purposes. The original analysis repre-\\nsented only the comparative proportions of differ-\\nent foods as given in loo and i,ooo lb. With these\\nfigures as a basis, I have estimated the number of\\nparts or pounds found in one ton (2,000 lb.) and\\ncomputed the animal food value per ton, estimating\\nalbuminoids at $4, carbohydrates at 80 cents, fat at\\n$4 per hundred pounds.\\nThese estimated values are obtained from the\\naverage prices of the different grains in market, but\\nas the prices vary in different localities and in dif-\\nferent seasons, they cannot be said to be absolutely\\ncorrect at all times. But they may serve to show\\nthe relative values of the different kinds of feed and\\nforage. For instance, if the value of any one article\\nis too high or too low, then all the others are corre-\\nspondingly so.\\nIn calculating the value of the different grains\\nand forage crops as plant food, I have taken the\\nmarket price of nitrogen a^ 15 cents, phosphoric\\nacid at 6 cents, and potash at 5 cents per pound.*\\nThese estimates were made for the first edition. At the\\npresent time, nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash can be\\nbought in certain forms for about one cent cheaper per pound.", "height": "3403", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0037.jp2"}, "38": {"fulltext": "12\\nSoiling.\\nGrains.\\nField beans\\nField peas\\nTares (vetches)\\nIndian corn\\nWheat\\nRye\\nBarley\\nOats\\nBuckwheat\\nPounds of\\nAnimal Food\\nPer Ton.\\n3 d\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2e-a\\n.a (u\\nrt\\nOffi\\n510\\n910\\n448\\n1,046\\n550\\n844\\n200\\n1,360\\n260\\n1,352\\n220\\n1,384\\n190\\n1,332\\n240\\n1,218\\n180\\n1,192\\n40\\n50\\n54\\n140\\n30\\n40\\n50\\n120\\n50\\nc\\nPounds\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a21^\\nOF Plant Food\\nPer Ton.\\n^\u00e2\u0080\u00a2c\\nHri\\nS:2\\nt/i\\n.ti u\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2c\\nfo\\nW\\no^\\nOh\\n$29.21\\n81.6\\n17.2\\n26.2\\n27.38\\n71.6\\n17.2\\n19.6\\n30.91\\n88.0\\n20.0\\n16.2\\n24.48\\n32.0\\nII. 8\\n7-4\\n21.51\\n41.6\\n15 a\\n10.6\\n21.41\\n35-2\\n16.8\\nII. 2\\n20.25\\n32.0\\n15.4\\n9.0\\n24.14\\n39.4\\n12.4\\n8.8\\n18.64\\n28.8\\n11.4\\n5-4\\nGround Feed and\\nRefuse.\\nCotton-seed meal\\nLinseed meal.\\nCorn meal\\nMalt sprouts\\nBrewer s grains\\nWheat bran\\nRye bran\\nRape cake\\np\\nOUNDS\\nOF\\nAnimal F ood\\nw\\nPer Ton.\\n^H\\n3 v\\nrtCU\\nfa\\nfa\\n660\\n352\\n324\\n$42.66\\n566\\n826\\n200\\n37-24\\n200\\n1,360\\n140\\n24.48\\n460\\n894\\n50\\n27-55\\n98\\n222\\n32\\n6.97\\n280\\n1,000\\n76\\n22.24\\n290\\n1,070\\n70\\n22.96\\n566\\n670\\n180\\n35-20 J\\nPounds\\nOF Plant Food\\nPer Ton.\\n90.6\\n32.0\\n73-6\\n15-6\\n44-8\\n46.4\\n97.0\\no.-H\\n56 2\\n32.2\\nII.8\\n360\\n8.2\\n54-6\\n68.6\\n35-4\\nCU\\n29.2\\n24.8\\n7-4\\n41.2\\ni.o\\n28.6\\n38.6\\n24.8\\nDry Forage.\\n(Hay and Straw.\\nRed clover\\nTimothy\\nLucern\\nTares, cut in blossom\\nPeas, cut in blossom.\\nOrchard grass\\nWheat straw\\nRye straw\\nBarley straw\\nOat straw\\nPea straw\\nBean straw\\nCornstalks\\nPounds of\\nAnimal Food\\nPer Ton.\\nis\\nii\\nuffi\\n268\\n598\\n194\\n976\\n394\\n858\\n284\\n706\\n286\\n736\\n232\\n814,\\n40\\n604\\n30\\n540\\n60\\n656\\n50\\n764\\n130\\n704\\n204\\n730\\n60\\n720\\n64\\n60\\n66\\n50\\n52\\n54\\n30\\n26\\n28\\n40\\n40\\n20\\nfa\\n^18.06\\n17.96\\n25.26\\n19. 00\\n19.40\\n17-95\\n7-63\\n6-56\\n8.75\\n9.71\\n12.42\\n14.80\\nPounds\\nof Plant Food\\nPer Ton.\\nSST3\\nc\\n0.=\\n-t! oj\\n.G U\\nbC\\n39-4\\nII. 2\\n31.0\\n14.4\\n46.0\\nII.\\n45-4\\n21.4\\n45.8\\n13.6\\n31.0\\n8.2\\n9.6\\n4.4\\n8.0\\n4.2\\n12.8\\n3.8\\nIT. 2\\n3-8\\n20.8\\n7.0\\n32.6\\n6.4\\n9.6\\n10.6\\n36.6\\n40.8\\n30.6\\n56-6\\n46.4\\n26 4\\n12.6\\n15-6\\n18.8\\n17.8\\n20.2\\n37-0\\n19.2", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0038.jp2"}, "39": {"fulltext": "Our Plants.\\n13\\nGreen Fodder.\\nGrass\\nClover (red)\\nLucern\\nTares (vetches)\\nPeas\\nOats\\nRye\\nCorn\\nHungarian millet\\nSorghum\\nCabbage\\nRape (leaves)\\nRoots, Etc.\\nPounds\\nof\\nd\\nPounds\\nAnimai, Food\\nPer Ton.\\nfa\\nOF Plant Food\\nPer Ton,\\n3 c\\nOK\\nfa\\n.t! V\\n4. M\\no3\\n60\\n258\\n16\\n$5-io\\n10.8\\n3-0\\n9.2\\n66\\n154\\n14\\n4-43\\n10.2\\n8.8\\n2.8\\n90\\n156\\n12\\n5-32\\n14.4\\n3-2\\n9.6\\n62\\n152\\n12\\n4.22\\nII. 2\\n4.6\\n12.2\\n64\\n164\\n12\\n4-25\\n10.2\\n10.2\\n3-0\\n46\\n66\\n22\\n170\\n298\\n218\\n10\\n18\\n10\\n4.14\\n5-74\\n3.02\\n7-4\\n10.6\\n.3.8\\n3-4\\n4.8\\n2.6\\n15.0\\n12.6\\n8.6\\n118\\n50\\n300\\n306\\n30\\n28\\n8.32\\n5.56\\n20.0\\n8.0\\n2.5\\n1.6\\n17.0\\n7.2\\n30\\n126\\n8\\n2.52\\n400\\n950\\n40\\n25.20\\nQ.2\\n2.8\\n8.0\\nPotatoes\\nTurnips\\nField beets.\\nSugar beets\\nCarrots\\nPumpkins.\\n1\\ngo,\\n3\\na\\n$^.64\\n2.50\\n3.38\\n2.90\\n2.56\\n2.21\\n2.81\\n1.20\\n4.78\\n1-95\\n2.26\\nPounds of\\nAnimal Food\\nPer Ton.\\nValue as\\nFeed Per Ton.\\nPounds\\nof Plant Food\\nPer Ton.\\ni\\nfa\\n6\\n12\\n2\\n4\\n2\\n40\\n64\\n22\\n20\\n30\\n26\\n420\\n340\\n182\\n308\\n216\\n56\\n$5.20\\n5-74\\n2.31\\n3-43\\n3.08\\n1.56\\n6.8\\n3-6\\n3-2\\n4-4\\n3-8\\n1,8\\n1.6\\n2.0\\nII. 4\\n6.6\\n7.8\\n5-6\\n$1.96\\n1.05\\nI. or\\n1. 18\\nBarn-yard Manure.\\nThe manure heap is the farmers bank. His\\ndrafts will invariably be honored at any banking\\nhouse in proportion to the amounts of the deposits\\nin his compost pile. But it is a mistaken notion to\\nthink that manure of one kind is as good as another\\nkind of similar bulk. The foregoing table shows\\nthat a ton of clover hay contains $9.75 worth of\\nplant food., a ton of cornmeal only $2.60, while", "height": "3403", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0039.jp2"}, "40": {"fulltext": "14 Soiling.\\nthe same weight of cotton seed meal is worth\\n$23. Clover hay is worth more than timothy,\\nboth as a food for animals and plants. The particu-\\nlar value of timothy hay for horses is that it con-\\ntains a larger percentage of carbohydrates (muscle-\\nforming food), and is, therefore, better for animals\\nrequiring muscular exercise than clover which con-\\ntains more fat. I wish to call your attention to\\ngreen lucern, oats, and peas cut in blossom. Also\\nrye, and especially rape, of which I shall have con-\\nsiderable to say under the head of crops for soiling\\nsheep.\\nThere are many interesting facts to be found in\\nthe tables, which I have not space to enlarge upon,\\nbut which I cannot too strongly recommend the\\nreader (not already familiar with the facts they set\\nforth) to study carefully. By so doing a person\\nmay make his selections of feeds with economy.\\nFor instance, he might well afford to sell corn and\\nbuy oil meal, cotton-seed meal or wheat bran.\\nPersonally I have great dislike to feeding corn-\\nmeal to any degree of excess, even to hogs. Fed to\\ndairy cows, I believe, it has done a great deal to\\nruin what might otherwise have been a good dairy\\nanimal by making it a beefer. By feeding it to\\ndairy cows before their calf is born, the calf is\\nbrought into the world with a greater tendency to\\nfatten than its mother had. And afterward, when\\nthey reach their maturity, it helps them along in the\\nsame direction toward completing their ruin as high-\\nclass dairy cattle, while in beefers it makes tallow", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0040.jp2"}, "41": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. 15\\ninstead of meat, and in the hog, grease instead of\\npork. Oil cake, old process, can usually be bought\\nfor $5 per ton more than the price of corn. It is\\nworth $13 a ton more as a food for animals, and $14\\nper ton more for manure. Cotton-seed meal shows\\na still greater difference in value, and is worth about\\nthree times as much both as animal and as plant\\nfood.\\nNo one can be found, except perhaps commercial\\nfertilizer agents, but will admit that no commercial\\nfertilizer was ever made that takes the place in the\\nsoil of barnyard manure. Says Prof. W. A. At-\\nwater Stable manure contains all the ingredients\\nof plant food. It is a complete fertilizer. Nor is\\nthat all. It improves the texture of the soil; it\\ntends to regulate the supply of moisture, and it\\nhelps to set free the stores of inherent plant food\\nwhich every soil contains. That is the whole story\\nin a nutshell. And if every farmer would commit\\nit to memory, and do his utmost to increase its\\nmanufacture on his own farm, it would save not\\nthousands biit millions of dollars that are now yearly\\nspent in the purchase of artificial fertilizers. A\\nton of oil cake fed and made into manure is worth\\nas a manure, according to the table above, $20.40.\\nTake the same amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid,\\nand potash in a ton of commercial fertilizer, and it\\ncannot be bought for less than about $30 per ton.\\nIn other words, a ton of oil meal is worth as much,\\nton for ton, as a fertilizer as any commercial brand\\nthat can be bought for $30. That amount of money", "height": "3403", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0041.jp2"}, "42": {"fulltext": "i6\\nSoiling.\\nwould buy at least two tons of bran. So I might\\ngo on through the whole list of farm grains and\\nby-products, and set them up beside commercial\\nfertilizers, and in point of economy it makes a very\\nbad showing for the latter, as will be seen by the\\nfollowing table\\nClover hay\\nOil cake\\nWheat bran\\nCotton-seed meal\\nFertilizer A\\nFertilizer B\\nFertilizer C\\nPounds\\nOF Plant Food\\nPer Ton.\\n1\\nNitro-\\nPhos.\\nAcid.\\nPotash.\\nOh\\ngen.\\n39-4\\nII. 2\\n36.6\\n$9-78\\n90.6\\n32.2\\n24.8\\n20.40\\n44.8\\n54-6\\n28 6\\n12.28\\n98.0\\n56.2\\n29.2\\n23.00\\n45-0\\n200.0\\n90.0\\n23-25\\n65.0\\n200.0\\n.33\\n25-55\\n70\\n250.0\\n40.0\\n31.00\\nc\\n*J O\\ntr,r~\\n^lO.OO\\n28.00\\n15.00\\n24.00\\n30.00\\n32 00\\n37.00\\nThe amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and\\npotash given in commercial fertilizers is estimated\\nby the analysis given on the sacks. The cost per\\nton in the last column is the price the fertilizers are\\nsold at. I have given to the nitrogen, phosphoric\\nacid, and potash found in the fertilizers the same\\nvalues as in the hay and oil meal. The real value\\nof the hay and oil meal compared with commercial\\nfertilizers in the above analysis is seen at a glance.\\nIt makes the strongest possible argument to the econ-\\nomy of barnyard manure. We still have in the oil\\nmeal and the clover hay its value as an animal food\\nbesides, as Professor Atwater says, barnyard ma-\\nnure is a perfect fertilizer, which few, if any, com-\\nmercial fertilizers ever claim to be. Every farmer", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0042.jp2"}, "43": {"fulltext": "Our Plants.\\n17\\nadmits, no doubt, that it is desirable to get as much\\nbarnyard manure as possible, but he says that he\\ndoes not know how he can possibly keep more stock\\non his land, which will not support what he already\\nhas as they ought to be supported. How then is he\\nto keep any more? We shall see later on that it is\\na very simple trick.\\nGreen Crops for Manure.\\nThis chapter might properly be called Soiling\\nOur Plants, And it is to help answer the question,\\nHow enrich our farm in a sure and economical\\nway? It may not be convenient for some of my\\nreaders, in adopting soiling with a view of obtaining\\na greater amount of barnyard manure, to be able to\\nbuy the additional number of animals that may be\\nsupported by such a system of feeding. He may\\nalso be, like the author, opposed, even if he had the\\nmeans, to buying commercial fertilizers. Not only\\nthat, but one of the first lessons taught the person\\nwho attempts to soil is the importance of having\\nrich soil on which to grow his soiling crops. If he\\ncannot buy the cattle to make the manure, or if he\\ncannot buy the manure, he can at least grow it, and\\neven after he has the cattle bought, he will always\\nfind it greatly to his advantage to have on hand as\\nmuch green manure as possible, to plow under every\\nyear. Although this subject perhaps belongs further\\non under the management of soiling crops, I have\\ndecided to put it in here with the question of man-\\nures in general, especially as it fits in very well after", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0043.jp2"}, "44": {"fulltext": "1 8 Soiling.\\nwhat has already been said in regard to barnyard\\nmanures, etc.\\nOrdinary barnyard manure, says Mr. Harlan in\\nhis most excellent work on Farming with Green\\nManure, contains ten pounds of nitrogen, five\\npounds of phosphoric acid, and twelve and one-half\\npounds of potash. By referring to the above table,\\nwe notice that a ton of green rye is worth just about\\nas much. I have seen some wonderful results in the\\nimprovement of land by plowing under a crop of rye.\\nI once rented a piece of land seven acres adjoin-\\ning my farm, that had for a great many years been\\nused in connection with the Methodist parsonage of\\nthe place. Every minister that came took from it\\nall that he could during his three years or less, so\\nthat finally it would hardly grow mulleins. The\\nfirst season, it was in grass. We drew the whole\\ncrop to the barn in two loads and a half, about as\\nmany tons. We plowed it up and sowed it to rye,\\nplowed the rye under the next spring and sowed it\\nto Hungarian millet plowed that under and sowed\\nit to wheat, and harvested thirty and one-fourth\\nbushels per acre the next season, and cut from it the\\nfollowing 5^ear at least ten tons of hay. No other\\nfertilizer was used. I have also had equally won-\\nderful results with following rye with oats and peas,\\nto be plowed under for wheat, instead of summer\\nfallowing.\\nLand in a good state of cultivation will produce\\nfrom five to eight tons of green rye per acre. A ton\\nof green rye contains nearly ^3 worth of plant", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0044.jp2"}, "45": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. 1 9\\nfood, and which amount of fertilizing- material will\\ncost nearly double that price in the form of com-\\nmercial fertilizer.\\nDr. Hamlin says: When we compare it (rye)\\nwith barnyard manure, its greatest value as a green\\ndressing becomes apparent. I have seen fifteen\\ntons per acre growing on the 8th of May, and this\\nwas ascertained by careful measurement.\\nThis makes indeed a very cheap fertilizer, viz.\\nseed, $2, and interest on the value of the land\\nfrom October until May (eight months), $4, or a\\ntotal cost of only f6 for fifteen tons of green\\nmanure. The same amount of barnyard manure\\ncould not be bought, drawn to the field, and spread\\nfor less than $20. The great advantage of rye is\\nthat it occupies the ground late in the fall and early\\nin the spring, so that little time is lost by using it\\nto plow under, but of this point I will speak later\\nunder the subject of soiling crops. Oats and peas\\nmake one of the very best green crops for manure.\\nHungarian millet grows quickly, and is without\\ndoubt one of the very best quick-growing green\\nmanure crops for the Northern States. It is worth,\\ngreen, to plow under, $4.78 per ton. Twelve to fif-\\nteen tons to the acre is a fair crop on good soil.\\nThe value of clover as a crop to turn under is well\\nknown, but a crop of millet is quite as good, and can\\nbe grown quicker and at less expense.\\nThe great economical feature of green manuring\\nis that it is delivered on the spot, evenly spread, at\\nsuch a trifling cost. Sixty pounds of seed should", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0045.jp2"}, "46": {"fulltext": "20 Soiling.\\nproduce twelve tons of green millet, containing near-\\nly $60 worth of manure, and that is not at com-\\nmercial fertilizer prices either.\\nCow peas are largely grown in the Southern States\\nto reclaim the worn-out tobacco and cotton soils, and\\nits value for this purpose is incalculable. My per-\\nsonal experience with it has been limited to two or\\nthree trials. The following interesting information\\ntaken from the United States Bulletin, No. 16, shows\\nus why the cow pea and other leguminous plants like\\nclover, etc., are particularly adapted to plowing un-\\nder for green manure (by E. W. Allen)\\nGreen manuring, or plowing under green crops\\nraised for the purpose, is one of the oldest means for\\nimproving the fertility of the soil. It was advo-\\ncated by Roman writers more than two thousand\\nyears ago. Its advantages are many. It furnishes\\nthe surface soil with a supply of fertilizing materials,\\nincreases the humus and improves the physical quali-\\nties and tilth of the soil. As a humus former, green\\nmanure stands next to barnyard manure. Green\\nmanuring may be used to take the place of more ex-\\npensive fertilizers. It is in this latter use that it\\nfinds its widest application. In attempting to ex-\\nplain how the fertility of the soil is maintained by\\ngreen manuring, when the crops plowed under re-\\nturn to the soil only what they exhausted from the\\nsoil to produce their growth, the author of the bul-\\nletin, Mr. E. W. Allen, says: The question has been\\nsolved by one of the most important discoveries yet\\nmade in agricultural science. It has been found", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0046.jp2"}, "47": {"fulltext": "Our Plants* 21\\nthat certain plants can feed upon the nitrogen in\\nthe atmosphere and store it up in their tissues. As\\nthey grow they take their phosphoric acid and pot-\\nash from the soil. It is believed that plants are en-\\nabled to get this nitrogen through the activity of the\\nlower forms of life, bacteria or microbes. They\\nproduce or cause to be produced little nodules or\\ntubercles on the roots. Through these tubercles\\nthe plants get their atmospheric nitrogen.\\nThese discoveries throw a new light on green\\nmanuring and on plants best adapted for that pur-\\npose. They recommend it more highly than ever\\nbefore as a soil renovator and a cheap means of\\nmaintaining the fertility.\\nIt will thus be seen that it is possible to manure\\nthe soil with nitrogen of the air, which is free and\\ninexhaustible, and thus save buying this most ex-\\npensive element, which as stated above, costs from\\n15 to 20 cents per pound, while potash and phos-\\nphoric acid cost only 5 to 7 cents and even less.\\nSpeaking of the cow pea as a fertilizer, the same\\nauthor says It responds readily to the application\\nof potash and phosphates. An acre of cow peas at\\nthe Louisiana Station yielded 3,970.38 pounds of\\norganic matter, containing 64.95 pounds of nitrogen,\\n20.39 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 110.56 pounds\\nof potash.", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0047.jp2"}, "48": {"fulltext": "22\\nSoiling.\\nLiquid Manure.\\nThere is perhaps no one thing in farm economy\\nin the United States where there is a greater waste\\nthan in regard to this most valuable fertilizer.\\nMan)^ farmers have brooks running through their\\nbarnyards, or have them situated on side hills,\\nwashed by rains and water from the roofs of their\\nbarns.\\nThe following table shows the number of pounds\\nof nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash found in a\\nton of fresh dung and urine, and their comparative\\nvalues\\nDung.\\nUrine.\\nNitro-\\ngen.\\nPhos.\\nAcid.\\nPot-\\nash.\\nValue.\\nNitro-\\ngen.\\nPhos.\\nAcid.\\nPot-\\nash.\\nValue.\\nSheep\\n11. o\\n8.8\\n5.8\\n12.\\n6.2\\n7.0\\n3 4\\n8.2\\n3-0\\n7.0\\n2.0\\n5-2\\n$2.56\\n2.30\\n1-37\\n2-93\\n39-0\\n31.0\\n11.6\\n8.6\\n0.2\\n1.4\\n45-2\\n30.0\\n9.8\\n16.6\\n$9.61\\n7.40\\n2.71\\n2.44\\nHorse\\nCow\\nSwine\\nThe analysis from which the above table is com-\\nputed is also from Professor Wolff, to which I have\\nadded the value as estimated in the previous tables.\\nThe methods used to save liquid manure in this\\ncountry, although rarely ever practised, are by ab-\\nsorbents behind the stock in stalls, and the housing\\nof manure under some kind of shed or basement. My\\nown plan has been to use land plaster freely in the\\ngutters behind the stock, the manure carted to the\\nfields and spread as fast as made during the winter,", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0048.jp2"}, "49": {"fulltext": "Our Plants.\\n23\\nor spread about tinder the basement and str^w stack\\nwhich stands on posts, permitting the stock to run\\nunder it, the yard being deeper under the stack\\nthan elsewhere, with eaves-troughs so arranged that\\nall water from the roofs was carried out of the yard.\\nIn foreign countries, and especially on the islands\\nof Jersey and Guernsey, every farmer has a liquid\\nmanure cistern, and over or near it all the manure\\nof the stable is daily piled or composted. The drain\\nfrom the pile and the wash of the yard is collected\\nin this cistern, and from there pumped into carts\\nfor this purpose, and distributed usually on the\\nmeadows. The Jersey and Guernsey farmers are\\nthe best agriculturists in the world, and they would\\nas soon think of going without a stable for their cat-\\ntle as without a liquid manure cistern. I think we\\nmake a great. mistake in this country in not having\\nsuch cisterns.\\nIn applying liquid manure, it is always greatly\\ndiluted by allowing the eaves of the barn to run in\\nthe same cistern, or water is otherwise added.\\nWhere they obtain several cuttings of lucern for\\ninstance, a dressing of liquid manure is put on after\\neach cutting, and the results are something magical.\\nA man with one horse cart, it is claimed, can pump\\nand deliver to the field, if within a quarter of a mile\\nof the barn, dressing for an acre. I doubt if one\\nman could deliver and spread more than one-half of\\nthat amount of solid manure in a day. Where wind-\\nmills are used, they may be used to do the pumping,\\nhaving two carts, one being pumped full while the", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0049.jp2"}, "50": {"fulltext": "24 Soiling.\\nother is being emptied. Should the cart be filled\\nbefore the drivers return, and run over, it runs back\\ninto the well. I do not think of any one thing in\\nfarm economy where there is a greater chance for\\nsaving than in this one question of liquid manure.\\nI believe it will pay a better return on the invest-\\nment than any one thing that can be recommended.\\nThe German proprietor of eight acres, referred to\\nby James Wilson, in Ten Acres Enough, who\\ntransformed the neglected and exhausted soil into a\\ngarden of immense productiveness and great profit,\\nstarted with a capital of $3 and four pigs. The\\nmanure of this small number of stock was collected\\nin a buried hogshead, there reduced to liquid man-\\nure, and applied by means of a wheelbarrow. The\\nresults from this small beginning were so remark-\\nable that he soon added more stock, sinking a brick\\ncistern in the barnyard, into which the liquid man-\\nure from the cow and two horses was conducted, to-\\ngether with the wash from the pig pen and yard.\\nThe manure heap, always under cover, was\\nthoroughly saturated by means of a pump in the cis-\\ntern, and by means of a hogshead on wheels the\\nliquid was distributed over the ground.\\nThe reason why liquid manure cisterns are not\\ncommon in this country is simply fashion. I believe\\nit is not too much to say that we waste as much\\nevery year by not securing the liquid manure as we\\npay for cpmrnercial fertilizers to take its place,", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0050.jp2"}, "51": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. 25\\nSaving Manure (Plaster).\\nWe are told that during the fermenting process\\nin the manure heap, carbon dioxide gas is given off,\\nand likewise ammonia, simultaneously with the de-\\ncomposition of the materials constituting the heap.\\nThese two substances will at once combine to form\\ncarbonate of ammonia, which is very volatile. Now,\\nwhen land plaster is added, the carbon dioxide con-\\ntained in the carbon of ammonia will unite with the\\nlime composing the plaster, forming carbonate of\\nlime and the sulphuric acid which was previously\\ncombined with the lime in the plaster will now be\\nset free, and will at once unite with the ammonia\\ncontained in the carbonate to form sulphate of am-\\nmonia, which will not volatilize, as was the case\\nwith the carbonate.\\nCommercial Fertilizer.\\nOvCr alphabet is composed of twenty-six letters or\\ncharacters, which we arrange so as to express thou-\\nsands of words. The botanical alphabet is com-\\nposed of fifteen letters or elements, which, being put\\ntogether in various forms, produce every known\\nplant.\\nMost of our artificial manures are special ferti-\\nlizers and supply the soil with only part of the plant\\nfood required. Let us suppose, for example, that we\\nwish a certain field to produce a crop of wheat, and\\nthat in prder to grow that crop it wiU require five of", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0051.jp2"}, "52": {"fulltext": "26 Soiling.\\nthe fifteen elements that constitute the vegetable al-\\nphabet; to spell wheat, let us represent these five\\nelements by five letters of our alphabet, as W, H,\\nE, A, T.\\nIf any one of these letters or the elements which\\nthey represent are missing in the soil, the combina-\\ntion is incomplete, nature fails to spell the word, and\\nour crop is a failure.\\nHow is a farmer to know which one of the letters\\nis missing? By analyzing the soil. Yes, but how\\nmany farmers are in a position to do this? Besides,\\nit must be done not only with each succeeding crop,\\nbut in different fields for the same crop. You say\\nthis is impossible. Certainly it is. Even if it were\\npossible, the analysis of a soil is little or no criterion\\nas to its ability to produce a crop. It may show by\\nanalysis that a certain soil is abundantly supplied\\nwith all the elements necessary to produce a crop of\\nwheat, and still the land be unable to grow wheat,\\nbecause, although the soil contains all the elements,\\none or more of them (though in great quantities)\\nmay be in an insoluble state, so that they are not\\navailable to the plants. Therefore, even if analyz-\\ning the soil were practicable, it does not tell what\\nwe want to know.\\nThe application of complete fertilizers is a step in\\nadvance, because if the soil is supplied with all the\\nelements necessary to produce a crop, one is more\\ncertain that the missing or deficient letter or ele-\\nment will be supplied.\\nWe will say in the case of growing a crop of wheat", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0052.jp2"}, "53": {"fulltext": "Our Plants.\\n27\\nthat all the letters or elements are present and avails\\nable except T, and that that letter represents potash\\nwhich can be bought in various forms for about 4\\ncents a pound. The soil being already abundant in\\nall other elements, the application of a complete fer-\\ntilizer is a most extravagant practice. You pay $30\\nto $40 per ton for a high-class complete fertilizer.\\nApply it to the land in this case, and all the value\\nit has is the potash it contains, worth $4. Pay-\\n^^g $35 ton to get $4 worth of fertilizer is a rather\\nexpensive luxury, to say the least. The nitrogen and\\nphosphoric acid are practically wasted, because the\\nsoil has an abundance of these two elements already.\\nThus it often occurs that the application of a little\\nlime or land plaster, salt or wood ashes, produces\\nequally as good results side by side with fertilizer\\ncosting $60 per ton. It is not because, as some\\nfarmers suppose, that commercial fertilizers are\\nworthless, but because the soil already possesses all\\nthe elements contained in the fertilizer except some\\nsimple one that a much cheaper element can supply.\\nI do not condemn commercial fertilizers, but they\\nare too expensive. I have experimented with them\\nseveral times, and have never but once or twice ob-\\ntained sufficient additional returns to justify the\\noutlay. I look at them as too much of a lottery, too\\nmuch guesswork. In a cold, backward season, I\\nhave had good results in a hot, dry season, a posi-\\ntive damage.\\nIf I knew just what each of my fields was deficient\\nin, and could supply it without buying a lot of other", "height": "3398", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0053.jp2"}, "54": {"fulltext": "28 Soiling.\\nelements of which my soil has already an abundance,\\nit would be different. But I do not know that, and\\nhave no way of finding it out with any degree of\\ncertainty. Therefore I shun the purchase ol com-\\nmercial fertilizers, and put my faith in barnyard\\nmanure, which I know, as Professor Atwater says,\\nis a complete fertilizer, and I believe him when he\\nadds, as already quoted It improves the texture of\\nthe soil, it tends to regulate the supply of moisture,\\nit helps to set free the stores of inherent plant food\\nwhich every soil contains.\\nNext to barnyard manure in point of economy\\nis green manuring, especially when the former is\\nscarce and must be hauled to any great distance.\\nCommercial fertilizers are too expensive for their\\nmanurial value, as compared with grain and forage\\ncrops plowed under or fed to stock.\\nYou may take the analysis of any brand of ferti-\\nlizer selling at $30, go through the table of compara-\\ntive values, and pick out a grain or a forage con-\\ntaining as high a percentage of nitrogen, phosphoric\\nacid, and potash, that you can buy in the markets\\nfor $15 to $20, or which you could grow for less than\\na quarter of that sum: two tons of clover hay, for\\ninstance, that can be bought for, say, $10 per ton,\\nand grown for less than half of that amount, contain\\nnearly as much plant food as a ton of commercial\\nfertilizer that will cost $30.\\nIf a ton of fertilizer that contains 45 pounds of\\nnitrogen, 200 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 90\\npounds of potash (which is about the average anal-", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0054.jp2"}, "55": {"fulltext": "Our Plants. 29\\nysis) is worth $30 (which is about the average price\\nof fertilizers of that grade), then a ton of clover hay-\\nis worth nearly $15, a ton of wheat bran about $16,\\na ton of oil cake $30, while a ton of cotton-seed meal\\ncontains as much plant food, ton for ton, as a $30\\nfertilizer, and can be bought for $6 per ton less.\\nThat is their value, or what you would have to pay\\nfor the same amount of plant food if bought in the\\nform of commercial fertilizers, to say nothing about\\nthe value of the grains and forage crops as a food\\nfor stock. Say nothing about the increased value of\\nplant food as supplied in barnyard manure above\\nany form of commercial fertilizer. Put it the other\\nway about.\\nIf a ton of clover hay contains plant food to the\\nvalue of $9.78, wheat bran $12.28, oil cake $20.40,\\ncotton-seed meal $23, then a ton of commercial\\nfertilizer that sells for $30 is worth only about $23;\\na ton of fertilizer costing $37, about $30.\\nIf you say that I have put the value of commer-\\ncial fertilizer too low, then all values set down in\\nthe tables are too low. If, on the other hand, you\\nsay that the forage and feed have been given too\\nhigh a value as manure, then commercial fertilizers\\nhave also been given too high a value. They are\\nboth figured on the same basis.\\nSelling grain to buy fertilizer seems to me such\\nan extravagant way.\\nWhen we pay $30 for a ton of commercial fertilizer,\\nthe money goes off the farm. When we grow an equal\\namount of plant food and retain it on the farm, we", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0055.jp2"}, "56": {"fulltext": "30 Soiling.\\ndouble its value. Nothing has gone off. We have,\\non the other hand, created or made that much\\nmoney.\\nThe amount spent in this State (New York) yearly\\nfor commercial fertilizers is over $6,000,000, the in-\\nterest on which would pay for the extra labor of\\nsoiling every cow in the State, or building a liquid\\nmanure cistern on every farm, the saving of which\\nwould perhaps equal tlie amount paid for commer-\\ncial fertilizers. To the farmer who would enrich his\\nfarm in a sure and economical way, and to the farmer\\nwho puts his faith in barnyard manure and would\\nattain the greatest possible amount at the least pos-\\nsible cost, the soiling system, as we shall presently\\nshow, affords just those conditions and advantages.\\nOil Cake and Cotton-seed Meal.\\nBefore closing this chapter on manures, I wish to\\ncall the reader s attention to a by-product, that in\\nthis country at least is in no way appreciated. I refer\\nto oil cake.\\nYou will notice by the foregoing tables that oil\\ncake is worth $37.24 as a food, and $20.40 as a ferti-\\nlizer, while corn meal is only worth $24.48 as a\\nfood, and $7.16 as a fertilizer. In other words, it\\nwill take a ton and a half of corn to equal the feed-\\ning value of a ton of oil meal, and three tons of corn\\nmeal to equal the oil meal as a fertilizer. There is\\na small percentage of plant food lost in the con-\\nsumption of food by cattle. Its combined value", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0056.jp2"}, "57": {"fulltext": "Our Plants.\\n31\\nper ton as a food and fertilizer is, therefore, oil meal\\n$57.64, corn meal $31.64, a difference of $26 a ton\\nin favor of oil meal. The English farmer who\\nknows and appreciates the value of oil cake is buy-\\ning- ninety per cent, of the total that is manufactured\\nin this country, paying freight on it to our seaboard,\\nand then across the Atlantic and into the interior.\\nThousands of tons per month leave this country for\\nforeign ports.\\nThis is no speculation on my part oil cake or oil\\nmeal is one of the very best of foods. Why it is so\\nslow in finding favor with American farmers, I can-\\nnot say. As a food for fattening sheep or beef, corn\\nmeal is no comparison. It produces the finest\\nflavored mutton, the tenderest beef with the great-\\nest amount of lean in proportion to the amount of fat,\\nand it makes meat instead of grease. A field of\\nturnips fed off to sheep with a ration of oil cake en-\\nriches the land for a whole rotation of crops. It\\ncannot obtain much from the roots, for they are\\nninety per cent, water to start with. Any one who\\nhas ever tasted English oil-cake-fed mutton will\\nagree with me that it is as much superior to corn-\\nfed mutton as is possible to imagine.\\nOil cake may seem expensive at $28 to $30 per\\nton, but it is the cheapest fertilizer you can buy.\\nCotton-seed meal is another by-product, although it\\nis not to be compared with oil cake as a food, be-\\ncause it is not relished as well by the stock, and if\\nfed in too large quantities sometimes produces in-\\njurious effects. However, it is a good wholesome", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0057.jp2"}, "58": {"fulltext": "3 2 Soiling.\\nfeed, and as a fertilizer none can compare with it.\\nIt should be fed sparingly, but nevertheless should\\nbe used on every farm. Sell corn and buy oil meal\\nor oil cake, and you will make a good bargain every\\ntime.", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0058.jp2"}, "59": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER III.\\nOUR ANIMALS.\\nHow TO Feed Them Economically.\\nNow that we have considered our soil and its fertil-\\nity, our plants, and how to feed them economically,\\nwe will have a look at our animals. Then we shall\\nbe better able to understand and appreciate the ad-\\nvantages of soiling. These are some of the princi-\\npal lessons that the soiling system teaches. These\\nlessons were taught me by a force of circumstances\\nagainst which I fought desperately, and were\\nlearned from the end backward. I have, therefore,\\nin this plea for soiling, reversed the order with the\\nhope of leading the reader up to the subject from\\nthe foundation.\\nAs the quantity and quality of the forage depends\\nupon the fertility of the soil, in like manner does\\nthe condition of our farm stock depend upon the\\nquantity and quality of the food which the soil pro-\\nduces.\\nThe Cow as a Machine.\\nA cow is but a machine for the production of beef,\\nmilk, cheese, or butter. Sheep are but factories on\\na small scale, for the production of wool or mutton.\\nThe horse is but an engine for motive power, either\\ndraught or speed.\\n3", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0059.jp2"}, "60": {"fulltext": "34 Soiling.\\nWhen we come to consider our plants as depend-\\ning upon us, like our animals, for their food supply:\\nwhen we come to consider our animals as so many\\nmachines or factories, and ourselves as the proprie-\\ntors of so many mills, and as truly a manufacturer\\nas the man who runs a cotton or grist mill: when\\nwe consider that all these mills are dependent upon\\nthe fertility of the soil, we have mastered the funda-\\nmental principles of farming. Whether we require\\nof our animals beef, milk, butter, cheese, wool, mut-\\nton, or motive power, the raw material from which\\nthese things are produced is simply the food these\\nanimals consume, and, as in any other mill or fac-\\ntory, the profit realized by the owner is what these\\nanimals can be induced to consume beyond the\\namount required to sustain life, and heat the blood,\\nand supply waste.\\nAn engine requires, say, ten pounds of coal per\\nhour to produce power enough to sustain itself in\\nmotion. The profit to the owner will be found in\\nthe amount of coal it can be made to consume in\\nexcess of the ten pounds to a point where the con-\\nsumption of coal cannot be utilized in the engine.\\nRepeated experiments at home and abroad have\\ndemonstrated that it takes two per cent, of the live\\nweight of cattle or sheep per day to live. A cow,\\nfor instance, weighing i,ooo pounds requires twenty\\npounds of hay or its equivalent to heat the blood\\nand supply the waste. The profit or economy in\\nfeeding that cow will be, therefore, as in the case of\\nthe steam engine, found in the amount she is able", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0060.jp2"}, "61": {"fulltext": "Our Animals.\\n35\\nto digest and assimilate above the twenty pounds\\nshe must consume to propel herself. Of course,\\ncattle, sheep, and horses, like the engine, have a\\nlimit beyond which it is a waste of material, to say\\nnothing of the injurious effects and risk to the ma-\\nchinery. Fuel fed to an engine already blowing off\\nsteam might better have been consumed in a bonfire.\\nForage in excess of what an animal can digest and\\nassimilate might better go into the dung-hill direct.\\nThe art, and science, and economy of feeding,\\ntherefore, is to feed up to an animal s fullest capac-\\nity.\\nThis seems like a very simple question, and one\\nthat should be so self-evident that it requires no\\nmention, but when we look about and see the thou-\\nsands and tens of thousands of farmers whose policy\\nseems to be to see how little they can feed, instead\\nof how much, one is reminded that it is a point that\\nis seldom practised. Just here lies the great advan-\\ntage of the soiling system. It provides, as we shall\\npresently show, an abundance of rich succulent\\nfood, so that a cow can feed up to her full capacity\\nevery day of the year.\\nWhen Insufficiently Fed.\\nIt is not only absolutely necessary, in order to feed\\na cow economically, which is another name for feed-\\ning abundantly, that she should be fed up to her\\nfullest capacity, but she must begin there and keep\\nthere. If she is not started there, it is not only\\ndifficult but more expensive to get her there. She", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0061.jp2"}, "62": {"fulltext": "36 Soiling.\\nshould not only have all the raw material she can\\nconsume and digest, but she must expend the least\\namount of muscular labor to acquire it consistent\\nwith health. We shall notice this point further un-\\nder Objections to Soiling.\\nWhen animals begin the season in good flesh, it\\nmust be maintained by abundance of food. Failing\\nto supply it, either one of two things happens.\\nThey either stop short in their product, or draw on\\nthe stored energies of the system, which are, as R.\\nS. Thomson says in Science of Farming, reab-\\nsorbed into the blood and burned in the place of\\nfood. If the deficiency of food continues, the mus-\\ncular substances will also be attacked and absorbed.\\nThis process will continue until the animal can no\\nlonger obtain from its tissues material to produce by\\nits combustion sufficient heat and energy to maintain\\nthe vital processes, and the animal dies. Another\\ngreat difficulty in the pasturing system is, the ani-\\nmals, cows in milk especially, begin to draw on their\\nstored materials long before it is usually noticed.\\nThey go on giving a good flow of milk on pasture\\nwhich is insufficient to sustain them, until the first\\nthing the owner knows his cow is a skeleton, and to\\nget her back again will require the cost of all she\\nhas hitherto produced. Getting a cow up into con-\\ndition which has once been lost, while she is milk-\\ning, is a very long, stern chase, and a very expen-\\nsive undertaking, as any one knows who has tried\\nit. Better dry her off and begin again next year,\\nand not only have her up at the beginning, but keep", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0062.jp2"}, "63": {"fulltext": "Our Animals. 37\\nher up through the year. In order to accomplish\\nthis at the least possible expense, the soiling system,\\nwhich provides an abundance of rich, succulent food\\nthe year round, will be found to meet every require-\\nment.\\nIn feeding farm stock, it is the liberal hand that\\nmaketh rich. Withholding will not enrich nor giv-\\ning impoverish. With this hypothesis, the soiling\\nsystem is in perfect harmony.\\nLooking at a cow as a machine, and a sheep as a\\nwool factory, we see the importance of not only\\nfeeding liberally, if we would be economical, but of\\nproviding the animals with food so that they are put\\nto the least wear and tear to obtain it. The food\\nwhich is consumed by a cow to replace and replen-\\nish the wasted tissues caused by laboring all day to\\ncollect her food, is by the soiling system put to a prac-\\ntical advantage and a profitable one as well. I shall\\nbe able to illustrate this point more fully further\\non under the chapter devoted to soiling sheep.\\nThe rearing of calves for dairy purposes is a sub-\\nject to which I have given much attention, and al-\\nthough I cannot enter into the details or give any-\\nthing like a complete treatise on that subject here, I\\nmay say that for supplying growing calves with an\\nabundance of rich, succulent forage at a time of life\\nwhen they require the highest development of those\\norgans which constitute the machinery of a dairy\\ncow, there is no system of feeding to accomplish\\nthis end like a well-conducted feeding of green for-\\nage to them in their stalls.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0063.jp2"}, "64": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER IV.\\nSOILING.\\nMy First Lesson in Agriculture.\\nIn 1874 I found myself in possession of an old farm\\nin Wayne County it seemed as if I had secured a\\nprize. I had lived on this farm until I was ten or\\ntwelve years of age, and after that spent most of my\\nschool vacations upon it. This was in the sixties,\\nwhen agriculture was booming and such land was\\nworth $150 per acre. In those days, this particular\\nfarm enjoyed the reputation of being one of the very\\nbest in the county.\\nAfter taking possession of the farm some ten or\\ntwelve years later, I was greatly surprised at the\\nchange that had taken place, not only in the general\\nrun-down appearance of the place (which was not\\nto be wondered at on a farm that had been worked\\non shares for fifty years), but in the matter of the\\nfarm s ability to produce.\\nI discovered that the number of cattle that it once\\nmaintained in such prime condition had been re-\\nduced by half, and that the flock of sheep which was\\nonce the pride of the former owner had disappeared\\nentirely. My disappointment reached its climax,\\nhowever, when my first wheat crop from a field", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0064.jp2"}, "65": {"fulltext": "Soiling. 39\\nconsidered one of the best on the farm was a failure.\\nAs a lad I had driven the old Wood and Manny\\nreaper in this same field in grain so heavy that I\\nwas often obliged to stop the machine to enable the\\nman who sat standing on the platform to fork it\\noff, as it came on the table faster than he was able\\nto dispose of it, and at the rate of about forty\\nbushels per acre. Of course, I expected, from my\\nformer knowledge of the farm, to get good crops\\nfrom all of the fields, and from this particular field\\nsomething extra. Imagine my surprise and disap-\\npointment when it produced but fifteen bushels of\\nwheat per acre, and wheat of inferior quality at\\nthat. This revelation was more than discouraging.\\nLike most people, I have met with many disap-\\npointments and much heavier losses since then,\\nseen fondest hopes and most substantial looking air\\ncastles fade away like mist, but I was young then,\\njust past my teens, and I took this disappointment\\nvery much to heart. Such a wreckage as seemed\\nto fall about me that day, I have never since experi-\\nenced. The situation figured out with the following\\nresult\\nStatement Showing the Cost and the Profit and Loss of\\nGrowing Fifteen and Forty Bushels of Wheat Per\\nAcre.\\nFifteen Bushels. Forty Bushels.\\nDr. Cr. Dr. Cr.\\nTo fitting the ground $5.00 $5.00\\nTo two bushels seed at $1.10 per\\nbushel 2. 20 2. 20\\nTo interest at seven per cent on one\\nacre 8.75 8.75", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0065.jp2"}, "66": {"fulltext": "46 Soiling.\\nFifteen Bushels. Forty Bushels.\\nDr. Cr. Dr. Cr,\\nTo harvesting and drawing to barn 1.75 2.00\\nTo threshing, etc. at six cents per\\nbushel go 2.40\\nTo marketing, one and one-half cents\\nper bushel 22 .60\\nBy cash for wheat at $1. 10 per\\nbushel $16. 50 $44.00\\nTotal $18.82 $16.50 $20.95 $44.00\\nBalance 1 6. 50 20.95\\nLoss per acre .$2.32\\nGain per acre $23.05\\nThere were sixteen acres in the field. This made\\na total loss of $27. 12, while there would have been a\\nnet gain of $368.80 had the field produced forty-\\nbushels per acre, which it ought to have done. The\\ndifference per acre in cost of growing forty bushels\\nover a yield of fifteen bushels is only $2.13 per acre,\\nwhile the difference in income would have been\\n$27.50 per acre. But this $2.13 does not begin to\\nrepresent the actual loss; saying nothing about all\\nthat labor being thrown away, the wasted plant\\nfood that was in the soil that must be returned, and\\nthe wear and tear of team and tools, etc. The seed-\\ning as may be expected failed to catch, and this was\\nby far the greatest loss of all, a loss that no arith-\\nmetic can figure out. There was the loss of the\\ntimothy seed sown the fall before, and the clover\\nsown in the spring, and the labor of putting it on\\n(no very small items). But the further damage to\\nthe land itself, which, as I said before, is incalculable,", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0066.jp2"}, "67": {"fulltext": "Soiling. 41\\nwould undoubtedly have all been avoided had the\\nland been in a higher state of cultivation. It is a\\ncase of To him that hath shall be given, and from\\nhim that hath not shall be taken away even that which\\nhe hath.\\nSad and disappointing as was the above result, I\\nhave long since looked back upon it as a most for-\\ntunate occurrence, and one of the best lessons in\\npractical agriculture that I ever received.\\nFrom the day I made those disappointing figures\\ndated a complete change in my notions and methods\\nof farmihg. I had absorbed all I knew about farm-\\ning, as a lad, while living on and visiting the old\\nplace.\\nWhat had become of the old farm that was once\\nknown as one of the best in the county? The sun\\nshone as brightly as ever upon it, nor were the\\nclouds less generous or the dews less refreshing.\\nThe seasons also came in their usual rounds the\\nsame as of old. The land was all there, but what\\nhad become of the old farm? It had gone, for I\\nsoon discovered that my other crops were in pro-\\nportion to my wheat crop. I was not able to figure\\nout anything but a loss all the way through.\\nThe old farm as I knew it had disappeared; its\\nfields were as beautiful, its meadows as peaceful,\\nits woodland as delightful, its brook as charming,\\nand its shady lane as inviting as ever, but the old\\nfarm had gone. It had been sold by the pound, by\\nthe bushel, and by the ton, peddled out along the\\nwharves of the metropolis, sent away to foreign mar-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0067.jp2"}, "68": {"fulltext": "42 Soiling.\\nkets, and finally washed into the sea, and this is\\nhow it happened that, as I said in the beginning,\\nthe number of cattle had been reduced by half,\\nand the flock of sheep had disappeared entirely.\\nAnd is this what they call farming? I asked\\nmyself. Is this the most independent life that a\\nman can lead? It seemed to me that this sort of\\nthing was mere drudgery, and of all things the most\\ndependent life a man could lead. I was simply\\nworking for my board and clothes, and running in\\ndebt for the latter on a farm of 127 acres, worth at\\nthat time $125 an acre, representing an investment\\nof $15,875. Is this the most healthful occupation\\na man can lead? It looked to me to be a short cut\\nto a premature grave. Was this the calling that all\\nother men envied, and the source of wealth? It\\nlooked to me as if selling peanuts on the street\\ncorner at a profit was much more enjoyable.\\nIt seemed to me as if there was more independ-\\nence in a ten-acre clearing full of stumps where\\nwheat could be grown at a profit, than in a 127-acre\\nfarm where it was grown at a loss.\\nIn making this general survey of the situation, I\\ncame to the conclusion that the only way of redeem-\\ning the fertility of the soil was the proper application\\nof barnyard manure. Commercial fertilizers were\\nnot the fashion at that time even if they had been,\\ntheir purchase was hardly to be considered, for some\\nof my neighbors who had tried them in gravelly soil\\nsaid that they did not pay. The farm was four miles\\nfrom town, so that the purchase of stable manure was", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0068.jp2"}, "69": {"fulltext": "Soiling. 43\\nout of the question. But there was no use going on\\nwithout manure. Here came the rub. How was I\\nto increase my stock when the few head I already\\nhad were not more than half fed?\\nMy faith from the first was in barnyard manure, but\\nhow to get it, that was the question. I drifted along\\nthrough the first winter into the next summer, when\\npresently I found the solution of the whole question\\nworked out on my own place for me, and in a way I\\nleast expected. The answer to the problem was,\\nSoiling. I was forced into it against my will. I\\nat first fought desperately, but soiling came out\\nahead, as will be seen in the next chapter. I give\\nthis personal experience so that if the reader is one\\nwho finds himself in a similar predicament (and I\\nknow thousands of my fellow farmers are or are\\nvery near it), the}^ may take heart and find some re-\\nlief in the same direction, and, instead of rebelling\\nagainst the way in which fate seems to be leading\\nthem, turn squarely about and go the way she\\npoints. I give this experience afso-for the benefit\\nof the farmer whose faith is in barn5^ard manure in-\\nstead of in commercial fertilizer. He will see, as\\nperhaps no other can, how his fondest hopes may be\\nmore than realized, i.e.^ how he can manufacture\\nfive times as much barnyard manure as formerly\\nand keep the same amount of ground under cultiva-\\ntion for marketable crops. How he can always be\\nsure, beyond any doubt, that he is returning to the\\nsoil yearly more plant food than he is taking from\\nit, which means an increased fertility of the soilj", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0069.jp2"}, "70": {"fulltext": "44 Soiling.\\nwhich means larger crops; which means more\\nprofit which means more books and papers, a bet-\\nter seat in the cars, at church, and at the theatre;\\nbetter clothes, more recreation for himself, and a\\nhigher social position for his family.\\nIn a word it puts the man on the road to inde-\\npendence, and shows that a farmer s life after all is\\nnot the most dependent life a man can lead; and\\nthat in spite of the foreigners the Government keeps\\nsetting up in the farming business, in spite of being\\nsmothered by over-production, Jie may still pursue\\nfarming with the respect to himself and family that\\nmen of other professions enjoy, where an equal\\namount of capital is invested.\\nHow I Happened to Adopt Soiling.\\nAs I was saying in the last chapter, I drifted along\\nuntil the following summer. I was very much dis-\\ncouraged. I saw no hope for anything better, I\\ntried to make myself believe that the year before\\nhad been a bad season, an excuse that thousands\\nand tens of thousands of farmers are yearly making\\nas an apology for poor crops; the worst of it is that\\nthey seem to succeed in making themselves believe\\nit. But I have long since noticed that a season too\\nwet or a season too dry affects principally men who\\nhave farms like mine, farms that have been robbed\\nof their fertility. It is usually an apology for not\\nknowing how to farm shifting it onto the weather\\nis the easiest thing in the world, but although I tried\\nto work that excuse on myself, somehow it failed.", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0070.jp2"}, "71": {"fulltext": "Soiling. 45\\nFinally, it carne about the middle or last of June,\\nand my cattle began to get unruly. (I only had six\\nhead think of only six cows and five horses on loo\\nacres of tillable land! No wonder the fertility of\\nthe old farm had gone.)\\nThe old tumbled-down fences were no hindrance\\nto the natural taste for adventure and desire to\\nroam, which became magnified as the condition of\\nthe pasture diminished, and the spirit that entered\\nthe swine, or some that was left over, seemed to fill\\nthem in proportion as their stomachs became empty.\\nThey went wild themselves, and drove all hands\\nnearly crazy. It was just at a time of year when\\nfarm work was driving, and, therefore, no time to\\nbuild fences.\\nIn fact, after a week or two of schooling over the\\nold fences surrounding the pasture, nothing was too\\nhigh for them to get over. My cows, every one of\\nthem, were so proficient in jumping that they were\\nfit to ride across any country to hounds, and as to\\nspeed, any farm lad knows how a steer can run\\nthrough the corn. I remember driving them out of\\nthe corn myself one day, and having them jump back\\nagain in another place while I was patching up the\\nfirst breach.\\nIf there could only have been a precipice where\\nthey could have run violently down into the sea and\\nall have been drowned, I should have been a most\\nhappy spectator.\\nThe sleepless nights, the worry, the anxiety, the\\nmiserable fences that could not be fixed were all", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0071.jp2"}, "72": {"fulltext": "46 Soiling.\\nmore exhausting than a hard day s work after the\\nplow or in the harvest field, and that had to be done\\nbesides. One day I was called from home, and\\nwhen I returned, I asked my man if he had finished\\na certain piece of work I was particularly anxious to\\nhave accomplished that day. No, sir. The cattle\\ngot out, and it took me nearly all the forenoon to\\nget them back again and mend the fence. Did\\nyou deliver the butter to the station this afternoon,\\nas I told you? No, sir. Just as I was starting\\nfor the station, the cattle broke out again, and be-\\nfore I could get them back it was too late to get to\\nthe train. That was the last straw. He told how\\nhe had chased the unruly brutes through the corn,\\nin language that cannot be printed.\\nI was pleased, however, to hear him express my\\nown sentiments so forcibly. I can t stay here, sir,\\nif this thing goes on much longer. I don t blame\\nyou, Pat, I replied. I have a notion to quit my-\\nself, but I can t spare you. There would be no one\\nhere to speak of the brutes as they deserve if you\\nshould go. Shut them in the barnyard at once, and\\nfeed them hay until we can cut some clover. We\\nwill rig up the mower and feed them green clover\\nin the barnyard. They will not jump that eight-\\nfoot barnyard fence, will they, do you think?\\nSure, you will have to lock up the ladder, said\\nPat, whose ready tongue never forsook him, or\\nthey will be climbing over it. Thus we began soil-\\ning.\\nFor a few days the cows were restless and home-", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0072.jp2"}, "73": {"fulltext": "Soiling. 47\\nsick, and evidently pining for a gallop through the\\ncorn, but when we began feeding them green\\nclover and they were thoroughly filled they became\\nreconciled and peaceable.\\nThere is nothing like a full stomach to make a\\ncow the most quiet and contented animal on the\\nfarm. The discontent they manifested the first\\nweek or so made me sorry for them, and if there\\nhad been a place to turn them, they would, no\\ndoubt, have gone out of the yard, and thus would\\nhave ended my experience in soiling. Fortunately\\nthere was no such place. At first we began feeding\\nthem in open racks in the barnyard, but this proved\\na failure. One boss cow would master the whole\\nrack and succeeded in nearly goring a heifer.\\nAgain I was wishing I could turn them out. There\\nwas only one alternative, i.e.^ to fasten them in their\\nwinter stalls and feed them there. This we did, turn-\\ning them out nights. I took care not to let my neigh-\\nbors know about this, for I knew they would laugh\\nat me. Such a thing had never been heard of in\\nthat vicinity.\\nLet me say right here, that I believe it is at this\\npoint that many a man who has tried soiling has\\nfailed or became discouraged. They have at-\\ntempted partial soiling, when they have experienced\\nall the inconveniences and only a small part of the\\nbenefits, and this is the case with everything else\\nthat is half done. As soon as we put the cattle in\\nthe barn, and tied them in their stalls, they began to\\ngain wonderfully in flow of milk and to thrive be-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0073.jp2"}, "74": {"fulltext": "48 Soiling.\\nyond all expectation. I was surprised also at the\\nvery small amount of ground required daily to sup-\\nport them handsomely, and I was still more sur-\\nprised to find that the extra labor required to feed\\nthe cows and cut the clover in this manner was\\nnothing like what I had imagined it would be, and\\nthen it dawned upon me that I might do this way\\nall summer. Why not keep twelve cows instead of\\nsix? Make twice as much manure, and manure\\ntwice as good in quality, which amounts to four\\ntimes as much. That s the thing to do, and the\\ngreatest load I ever attempted to carry in the form\\nof a business enterprise was saddled onto soiling,\\nand I found soiling quite able to carry it and much\\nmore besides. Thus began what proved to be the\\nmost successful and most economical method of\\nfeedinof farm stock. Thus I found a solution to the\\nquestion. How to enrich the farm in a sure and\\neconomical way how to supply the farm stock with\\nthe most nutrious food at the least cost how to ob-\\ntain a full flow of milk from our cows during the\\nentire season, independently of parched pastures;\\nhow to increase the number of farm stock and the\\nacreage of the farm without buying more land.", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0074.jp2"}, "75": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER V.\\nADVANTAGES OF SOILING.\\nThe advantages of soiling over pasturing are nu-\\nmerous. The principal reasons for its adoption\\nmay be found under the following headings: ist.\\nSaving the land. 2d. Saving of fences. 3d. Sav-\\ning of food. 4th. The better condition and greater\\ncomfort of farm animals. 5th. The greater produc-\\ntion of beef, milk, wool, or mutton. 6th. The in-\\ncreased quantity and quality of barnyard manure.\\n7th. The increased fertility of the soil. 8th. The\\nincreased acreage of the farm.\\nThe disadvantage of the system as compared with\\npasturing is extra labor.\\nThe Saving of Land.\\nSays the Hon. Josiah Quincy, whose experience\\nin soiling covered a period of eighteen years: One\\nacre soiled from will produce as much as three acres\\npastured in the usual way, and there is no proposi-\\ntion in nature more true than that any good farmei\\nmay maintain upon thirty acres of land twenty head\\nof cattle the year round. He adds: My own ex-\\nperience has always been less than this, having ex-\\nceeded seventeen acres for twenty head.\\nMr. Henry Stewart, of New York, says: I have\\n4", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0075.jp2"}, "76": {"fulltext": "50 Soiling.\\nkept the same amount of stock by soiling on seven-\\nteen acres that I previously kept on fifty acres.\\nBy soiling, D. J. Powell, of Winchester, keeps 100\\ncows on 100 acres, and he adds that with complete\\nsoiling I have kept fourteen cows on eleven acres\\nthe year around, with the help of a few loads of\\nbrewer s grains and some bran and meal.\\nWhere land is in a high state of cultivation some\\nfarmers claim to keep as many as seven and eight\\nhead by soiling where they were able to keep but\\none by pasturing. I ^think, as a rule, it is safe to\\nsay that, whatever land is required to support a\\nfull-grown animal during the pasturing season, the\\nsame land will support five or six head by soiling.\\nMy own experience has been even better than this.\\nMy farm at Alaple Lane contained just about 100\\nacres of land inside the fences, after taking out roads,\\nlanes, buildings, and woodland. On this loo-acre\\nfarm, before adopting soiling, I was only able to\\nsupport twelve head of stock, which required of hay\\nand pasture sixty acres per year, or five acres per\\nhead, which I find is about the usual amount\\nthroughout the country on good and fairly produc-\\ntive farms. This left fort)^ acres for marketable\\ncrops.\\nAfter adopting the soiling system, the number of\\nfarm stock increased until I had thirteen age cows,\\nfive yearlings, four calves, four horses, two colts,\\nand seventy long-wooled (Cotswold) sheep. Esti-\\nmating 1,000 lb. for a full-grown animal, this was\\nequivalent to thirty-six head. These thirty-six", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0076.jp2"}, "77": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. i\\nhead were supported from the product of thirty\\nacres of land. This was the average for three\\nyears. This left me seventy acres for marketable\\ncrops. It will be seen that while I was keeping\\nthree times as much stock as formerly, 1 did so on\\njust half the land, and at the same time nearly\\ndoubled the acreage of marketable crops. What\\ndoes this mean? It means that thirty-six head at\\nhay and pasture would have required i8o acres.\\nThe capacity of my farm was, therefore, increased\\nfrom sixty to i8o, an increase of 120 acres. The\\nacreage of my farm for marketable crops was in-\\ncreased from forty to seventy, an increase of thirty\\nacres, or a total increase of 150 acres without buy-\\ning a rod of land. So much for the saving of land.\\nIn other words, any loo-acre farm that will support\\ntwenty head of cattle by hay and pasture (and that s\\nabout all it will do unless it is in a very high state of\\ncultivation), that same farm by soiling will support,\\nand in much better condition, 100 head of cattle.\\nSo far as soiling alone is concerned, if you were to\\nbuy a farm to support 100 head of cattle, and your\\nmethod was hay and pasture, you would require at\\nleast 500 acres, to say nothing about grain. Where-\\nas, if you adopt a strict soiling system, as hereafter\\ndescribed, you would be required to buy only 100\\nacres, a saving of 400 acres. Is this not worth an\\neffort? Can you not afford a little extra labor to\\nmake a loo-acre farm support 100 head of cattle in-\\nstead of twenty? We shall discuss this point further\\nunder the head of extra labor. It may be asked,", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0077.jp2"}, "78": {"fulltext": "5^ Soiling.\\nHow can a farm support such a heavy cropping?\\nYou will notice that where I had not quite doubled\\nmy acreage for marketable crops, I had three head\\nof cattle for every one formerly kept. Nor was this\\nall. My stock was not only producing three times\\nas much barnyard manure in quantity, but its qual-\\nity, especially during the summer months, was at\\nleast doubled compared to what it would have been\\nif made at pasture, where it is mostly destroyed by\\nbugs and worms, or makes a rank growth where it\\ndrops, which all cattle shun for a year to come, and\\nwill only eat of it when absolute hunger compels\\nthem. There is another item of saving of land.\\nAll the land occupied by inside fences may be saved\\nand turned to producing crops instead of being a\\nyearly expense.\\nHere is a sample of how the soiling system works,\\nand may be demonstrated by any one who has the\\ncourage to try. May i, 1880, we turned twelve\\nmilch cows to pasture in a field containing four and\\none-half acres. At the end of the fourth week we\\nwere obliged to take them out, as they were getting\\nvery thin and shrinking badly in flow of milk. The\\npasture was exhausted. They were turned into the\\nsheep pasture until June 7th, when we began soiling\\nthem, and the same twelve head were supported with\\nall they could possibly consume for the next four\\nmonths from the product of four acres, making one\\nacre soiled from equal to four pastured, while the\\ncondition and comfort of the stock was so much bet-\\nter, and their yields so much greater, that there was", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0078.jp2"}, "79": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 53\\nreally no comparison between the two systems. The\\nvalue of the four acres pastured at 50 cents per week\\nper head would be $24, while the four acres soiled at\\nthe same rate gave a feeding value of $96, a differ-\\nence in favor of soiling in the saving of land of $72.\\nWhile this question of the saving of land is being dis-\\ncussed, it is to be emphasized that in this particular\\nlies the great advantage of soiling and ensilage over\\npasturage and hay. Experimental stations figure\\nand analyze and show green crops but little better\\nthan hay and ensilage, but little better than cured\\nforage, and they go into hair-splitting discussions\\non this line, forgetting that the great undeniable\\nadvantage that soiling and ensilage have over pas-\\nture and hay is that the soiling system enables the\\nfarmer to increase his acreage without buying more\\nland. This work will not enter at all into the differ-\\nence in feeding value of green and cured forage.\\nThe soiling system gives the farmer such an enor-\\nmous gain in the saving of land that all other\\nquestions are small and insignificant in comparison.\\n-Particular stress is laid on this point, because it\\nis so often lost sight of in discussing this ques-\\ntion, especially by experimental stations. To re-\\npeat, if there was not another single advantage of\\nsoiling summer and winter over the usual way for\\nfeeding, this question of saving of lands is so great\\nand undeniable that the reader need not look be-\\nyond it. However, there are other advantages\\nwhich may be discussed, and several of them are\\nquite enough in themselves to warrant adopting", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0079.jp2"}, "80": {"fulltext": "54 Soiling.\\nthe system, but the one grand object is and always\\nmust be the saving of land or the increased acreage\\nof the farm.\\nSaving of Fences.\\nIn some sections of the old countries where the\\nsoiling system is generally practised, the farmers\\nhave done away with interior and boundary fences,\\nsetting landmarks to indicate lines, and thereby\\nworking every foot of land. Says Mr. A. W.\\nCheever, in The Country Gentleman Another\\ngreat advantage I find in soiling over pasturing is\\nthe saving of fences. None of my mowing or culti-\\nvated fields are pastured at all, so that I have been\\nenabled to dispense with all inside fences, and lately\\nhave been giving up the use of road fencing also.\\nNo farmer will disagree with me in saying that\\nfarm fences are great nuisances, harbors for rats,\\nmice, and vermin, most convenient places for nox-\\nious weeds and grasses, and great hindrances in\\nevery stage of farm work. For instance, if we wish\\nto cultivate two fields adjoining each other but\\nseparated by a fence, we must stop and turn about\\nas we approach the fence from either side in plow-\\ning, harrowing, cultivating, rolling, drilling, reap-\\ning, and raking. Thus in growing a crop of corn,\\nwith a fence forty rods long it would require about\\n1,500 or 1,600 turnings, and for wheat 1,200 or\\n1,400, according to the mode of culture. All this\\nwastes time, besides trampling down the ground and\\ncrops. As Mr. Quincy says, The whole farm may", "height": "3382", "width": "2151", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0080.jp2"}, "81": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 55\\nbe divided and cultivated with precise reference to\\nthe state of the soil, when the plow runs the length\\nof the furrow determined by the judgment of the\\nproprietor. His farm at one time had five miles of\\ninterior fence (equal to 1,600 rods), of which he\\nsays, I have not now one rod of interior fence of\\ncourse, the saving is great, distinct, and undeniable.\\nMy own farm was at one time divided into seven-\\nteen fields, which required over 1,000 rods of inte-\\nrior fence, the interest on the cost of which would\\npay the taxes on the entire property, or pay for all\\nextra labor of soiling twelve or fourteen head of\\nstock, to say nothing of the cost of yearly repairs.\\nI built some 300 rods of fence soon after coming on\\nthe farm. It hardly made a showing compared to\\nwhat was needed. It would have required an out-\\nlay of $1,000 to put all the fences in proper shape,\\nand for what? Simply to keep twelve head of stock\\nfrom destroying the crops. Each field must be\\nfenced, for, by the rotation of crops, each field was\\nin turn pastured.\\nReader, if you are a farmer, don t build another\\nrod of fence until you have given the soiling system\\na fair trial and find it a failure. Says D. S. Curtis\\non the cost of fencing, in the Agricultural Report of\\n1859: The most ordinary plain board fences cost 8\\nto 10 shillings per rod, and more in many places,\\nwhile rail fences are often still more costly. But\\ntaking the lowest estimate, $1 per rod, the expense\\nof enclosing an eighty-acre lot would be $480 two\\ncross fences, one each way, throwing the lot into", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0081.jp2"}, "82": {"fulltext": "56 Soiling.\\nfour twenty-acre fields, would cost $240 more, a\\nlarger sum than the value of the land in many lo-\\ncalities. As Mr. A. E. Stewart says, Soiling ef-\\nfectually settles the fence question.\\nSaving of Food.\\nThe great trouble with cows or any stock at pas-\\nture is that they soon find certain sweet grasses that\\nparticularly suit their taste, and to obtain these\\nthey tramp, tramp, tramp. Notice a lot of cows\\nturned into a field of clover or grass. They drop\\ntheir heads as soon as they are through the gate, and\\nfor a few moments they eat it as it comes. As soon\\nas their keenest hunger is satisfied away they go.\\nA cow sees another cow eating quietly in a certain\\nspot, and she starts over there thinking she has\\nsomething good. They finally find certain small\\npatches in any field where the feed is very sweet.\\nThis they cut down close to the ground, and it is\\nthese sweets that destroy their taste for anything\\nelse. It is like turning a lot of children loose in a\\nbake shop and confectionery store. At first they\\ncan eat ordinary bread and butter, but presently\\nthey throw it away for cookies, after that they\\nthrow away cookies for candy, and, finally, they are\\nalways hunting for candy and cookies. That is a\\nfair comparison to a lot of cows turned into a good\\npasture and allowed to help themselves. Nothing\\ntastes good to them but the very sweetest grasses,\\nand they actually go hungry in the midst of plenty", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0082.jp2"}, "83": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 57\\nand tramp, tramp, tramp, in search of sweets. If\\nyou go into the same field and cut it as it comes,\\nwith a scythe, and feed it to them in the barn, they\\neat the good, the better, and the best, weeds and all,\\nand do well on it. To find that best and sweetest\\nmouthful, they have trampled as much as they will\\neat. They have wasted a lot of energy that might\\nhave been put to a better and more profitable use,\\nseeking it; gone hungry, or next thing to it, be-\\ncause they could not find enough to fill their stom-\\nachs of the best, and come to the barn at night\\nweary and tired. Of all extravagant, wasteful hab-\\nits, the pasturing system has no equal. Tethering\\nis a great improvement in this respect, if the cattle\\nmust go out. Tethering will be discussed more\\nfully later on.\\nThere are several ways in which farm stock de-\\nstroy their feed while at pasture, by tramping it un-\\nder foot, by their dung and urine, and by lying on\\nit. The more productive the pasture, the greater\\nthe loss. Just how much is wasted by these means,\\nI do not know. Some estimate it at one-third,\\nothers at a half. Another item of more or less im-\\nportance is that it is not so exhaustive of the soil to\\ngrow a crop of hay from it as to use it as pasture,\\nespecially if the grass of the pasture be closely\\ncropped, thus leaving the soil more exposed to the\\nsun. All these objections are overcome by soiling.\\nThe food may be cut at just the proper time, when\\nthe leaves and blossoms have reached their full de-\\nvelopment. It is often noticed that, here and there", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0083.jp2"}, "84": {"fulltext": "58 Soiling.\\nin a field, patches of distasteful grasses or noxious\\nweeds are left untouched by the stock, except in\\ncase of great hunger, and allowed to go to seed.\\nThe seed is scattered about the field and pressed\\ninto the soil under the hoofs of the feeding stock.\\nIn time the pasture thus becomes only a garden of\\nweeds. This would never occur were the practice\\nof cutting adopted. Mr. Youatt, an English author,\\nsays, in his valuable work, The Complete Grazier\\nIf a close consumption of plants is the object prin-\\ncipally regarded, it is evident that the benefit to be\\nderived from soiling will be very great for experi-\\nence has clearly proved that cattle will eat many\\nplants with avidity, if cut and given to them in the\\nbarn, which they would never touch while growing\\nin the field.\\nThe Better Condition and Greater Comfort\\nOF Farm Stock.\\nOn this question there is no chance whatever for\\nargument. The difference in the condition of cattle\\nsoiled and those at pasture is decidedly and positive-\\nly in favor of soiling.\\nIn the first place, all animals that chew the cud\\nare particularly adapted to the soiling system for\\nseveral reasons. The very nature of their digestive\\norgans shows that they are best provided for when\\nthey can have their feed in abundance and near at\\nhand. Their habit is to collect their food quickly\\nuntil the first stomach or paunch is full, This first", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0084.jp2"}, "85": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 59\\nstomach is used as a basket or receptacle into which\\nthey store their food. When full they lie down,\\nand it is then that the feeding proper begins.\\nWhen a cow or sheep or other ruminating animals\\nare grazing, they are not, as many suppose, in the act\\nof eating. The}^ are simply gathering or collecting\\ntheir food. The sooner they can do this collecting\\nthe better, because they do not like to begin eating\\nuntil the basket is well filled. Besides, the less time\\nit takes to fill the basket, the more time they have\\nto eat and convert it into the desired product.\\nAgain, if they must waste a lot of energy and mus-\\ncular force carrying themselves about, as they do\\nwhen required to fill their baskets from a scanty\\npasture, that wasted energy, which is all at the ex-\\npense of food, as already shown, might better be\\nemployed in producing milk or butter. After the\\nanimals have filled this first paunch or basket, their\\nhabit, as before stated, is to lie down, and then the\\nfeeding properly begins by bringing up, from this\\nfirst stomach, a cud at a time, which they proceed to\\nmasticate thoroughly, after which it is sent to the\\nsecond stomach, and so on to the third and fourth\\nstomachs, where it becomes digested and assimi-\\nlated with the blood until the basket is emptied,\\nwhen the cow is ready to collect it full again.\\nLooking at the cow as a machine it will be seen\\nthat when she does not have to seek her food by\\nwalking miles for it in the hot sun, annoyed by\\nthe flies, etc., she is able to convert the largest\\namount of feed into the product her owner requires", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0085.jp2"}, "86": {"fulltext": "6o Soiling.\\nat the least possible outlay of her strength, and the\\nmore basketsful of grass or forage she can make\\nway with in a day the more profitable a machine\\nshe must become.\\nA few years ago, when the Mohawk Valley was\\nthe principal dairy section of the State, we are told\\nth^t it was the custom of the farmers and dairymen\\nto cut down all the shade trees in their fields so that\\nthe cows would not be wasting time lying under\\nthem, when, as the owners thought, they should be\\nup and at work. They also had bo)^s going about\\nto drive their cattle up when they attempted to lie\\ndown. They said truthfully that milk was made\\nfrom grass, and a cow was a machine, and she must\\neat so much to supply her own wants. The more\\nshe can be induced to eat in a day the greater will\\nbe her returns to the owner. But they based their\\nreasoning on a mistaken notion, i. e. that a cow was\\nfeeding or eating when she was grazing or collect-\\ning her food. While they were perfectly correct in\\nassuming that their cattle were machines, and the\\nowners profit depended upon the amount of food the\\nanimals could be made to consume above what they\\nrequired to heat their blood and supply their waste,\\nthey were entirely wrong in supposing that a cow\\nwas serving their best interests by being kept on\\nher feet. The next thing is to provide them with\\nthe greatest possible comfort, so that when a cargo\\nis ready for the mill, the mill will be in as perfect\\nrunning order as possible. That is to say, when the\\ncow lies down and the milling begins, she will have", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0086.jp2"}, "87": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 6i\\na comfortable resting-place, clean, dry, and easy.\\nNo one would think of starting a factory with-\\nout first oiling the machinery, and so adjusting\\nits parts that it will run with the greatest possible\\nease. The tie should be such as will enable her to\\nlie in a perfectly natural position. When you have\\nprovided the raw materials and everything is oiled\\nand ready, your cow then is in the best possible\\nposition to do business as a profitable member of the\\nfarm household. With a well-contented mind and\\na well-filled stomach, she can work up several times\\nas many cargoes a day as if her time was being\\nspent chasing about the pasture looking for sweets\\nand fighting flies. At any rate, you, as manager\\nand proprietor of the mill, have done your part, and\\nthere is no excuse whatever for the cow, and no in-\\nclination, you will find, except to do her best and at-\\ntend strictly to business. Nor is the question of the\\ncollection of their food with the least possible labor\\nand a good comfortable place in which to lie down\\nthe only thing that adds to the greater comfort and\\nbetter condition of stock soiled. By keeping them\\nin their stables day-times, they are protected from\\nthe enervating heat of the sun. They are also shel-\\ntered from storms, secured from jumping into fields\\nof growing grain or fruit orchards. They are pro-\\ntected from drinking muddy, impure water and\\nagainst thirst. This last is an item that is not, as a\\nrule, given the attention it deserves. Milk is 84%\\nper cent, water, and a supply of good fresh water,\\nclose at hand, is a very important item, because,", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0087.jp2"}, "88": {"fulltext": "62 Soiling.\\nwhen a cow is turned to pasture, and has to go\\nto a distant part of a field to help herself, she\\nwaits until great thirst drives her to it. Finally,\\nwhen she does go, instead of getting a drink and\\nreturning to business, she overloads her stomach\\nwith water, and stands about in the stream or\\npond until absolute hunger drives her out again.\\nSo she lives on from day to day, eating only\\nwhen she is very hungry, and drinking only when\\nthi rst becomes excessive. The soiling system,\\nwith a good well or spring at the barn, prevents\\nall this annoyance, and is no small matter in add-\\ninof to the comfort and also to the credit account\\nof the animal.\\nLastly, and perhaps most important of all, so far\\nas the animals comfort is concerned, by a proper\\nsystem of soiling the cattle are protected from\\nflies, those awful pests that sap their blood and\\ndrive them to a state little short of frenzy. How\\ncan cattle so tormented be expected to do a good\\nday s work? Living in the best of pastures after\\nthe middle of June is simply living to exist. To\\nshow skeptical people that cattle preferred being shut\\nup in their stables in fly-time, to roaming at will in\\npastures, I have turned my cattle out away they\\nwould go with their tails over their backs until the\\nflies got after them, when back they came to their\\nstalls as fast as they went.\\nIf the reader could see the difference in the con-\\ndition of the cattle soiled and those pastured after\\nthe beginning of fly-time, he would see such a con-", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0088.jp2"}, "89": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 63\\ntrast as would reqtiire no farther argument to con-\\nvince him of its vahie.\\nLook at that poor, gaunt cow as she comes from a\\npasture field after a hard day s work, fighting flies un-\\ntil she is desperate, and sometimes until she has\\ngiven up in despair, too exhausted to battle longer\\nagainst them, or attempt to dislodge them as they\\ncluster on her neck and back undisturbed. Notice\\nher shuffling gait and melancholy face, the picture\\nof despondency, her hair standing on end. Turn\\nout into the same barnyard a cow that has been\\nproperly soiled in stables darkened to exclude the\\nflies she is as plump as partridges after wheat har-\\nvest. She acts like a school-boy from his books,\\neyes bright, head erect, step sprightly, hair sleek,\\nstomach full, and ready for a frolic. This is no\\nfancy sketch indeed, I feel as if I had failed fully to\\nrepresent the great contrast, as I have often wit-\\nnessed it. I feel safe in saying that I think that no\\ncandid farmer, however prejudiced he may be against\\nstabling his cows in summer, would need any other\\nproof to convince him that, so far as the greater com-\\nfort and healthful condition of the stock is concerned,\\nthe soiling system affords the most gratifying results,\\nand adds materially to the profits.\\nGreater Production of Beef, Milk, and Butter.\\nOn this question, there can be but one opinion,\\ni.e., that to produce either beef, milk, or butter, the\\nresult will depend upon the amount of food con-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0089.jp2"}, "90": {"fulltext": "64 Soiling. I\\nsumed, and the profit will largely depend upon fur-\\nnishing our stock with an abundance of succulent\\nfood during the entire year. To accomplish this i\\nindependently of parched pastures and drought is\\nnot a difficult matter by the practice of soiling.\\nThe following testimony as to the superiority of\\nthe system was given by Mr. E. W. Stewart, in an\\narticle in The Country Gentleman We shall\\nfind the same reasons apply in still greater force, in\\nthe slaughter of beef and mutton. Animals in-\\ntended for slaughter should have different treatment\\nfrom those whose value depends upon the develop-\\nment of muscle. Those reared for labor need much\\nexercise, as well as appropriate food, for strengthen-\\ning the bony and muscular system but those in-\\ntended for human food need only so much exercise\\nas promotes health and a vigorous appetite. And,\\nas we have seen, soiling gives a greater command\\nover the supply of food at all times, so when prop-\\nerly conducted it must afford a greater certainty of\\nrapid growth. We have easily grown calves on\\ngreen food fed in the yard, together with skimmed\\nmilk, that weighed 700 lb. at ten months old. We\\nhave uniformly found this system more favorable to\\nthe growth of young animals than pasturing that\\nless milk or grain in addition is required to produce\\nequal growth. And steers and heifers during the\\nsecond year will make a steady and uniform growth\\non the full soiling system, with the liberty of a small\\nlot for exercise. Animals for beef or milk are not\\ngrown for muscular exercise. They need most full", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0090.jp2"}, "91": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 65\\nfeeding-, fresh air, and kind attention. The skilful\\nfeeder has here an opportunity to observe the wants\\nof each animal, and may always supply them.\\nThere must be no standing still if a steer is to gain\\ntwo pounds for every day of its age up to 900 days.\\nGerman and French beef growers adopt largely a\\nstrict soiling system, and produce a higher average\\nweight at a given age, than any pasturing people\\nhas attained.\\nSoiling also offers the opportunity of doing the\\nprincipal fattening in warm weather, when not more\\nthan seventy-five per cent, of the food is required to\\nmake the same gain as in winter. We tested the\\ncomparative effect of soiling and pasturing on the\\nsame class of animals, by putting five two-year-old\\nsteers and heifers, weighing 4,500 lb., into a good\\npasture, while five of the same age and condition,\\nweighing 4,450 lb., were soiled, with exercise in a\\nsmall yard, and at the end of four months, while\\nthose in pasture had gained 625 lb., the five soiled\\nhad gained 7501b., with nothing but green soiling\\nfood, making the two lots equal in kind of food.\\nThe pasture, although good and abundant when\\nthe experiment began,, did not continue through-\\nout equally good on account of dry weather, while\\nthe soiling food was given in equal abundance to the\\nend.\\nMr. Brown, of Mankle, Scotland, tried the com-\\nparative merits of soiling and pasturing in fattening\\nforty-eight steers equally divided. The twenty-four\\nsoiled brought ^377, and the twenty-four pastured\\n5", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0091.jp2"}, "92": {"fulltext": "66 Soiling.\\n;^342, a difference in favor of soiling of ^35, or a\\nprofit of over $7 per head, to say nothing of the sav-\\ning of land and the increase of manure.\\nIn regard to the greater production of milk Mr.\\nStewart relates the most remarkable test of the two\\nsystems, published by Dr. Rhode, of the Eidena\\nRoyal Academy of Agriculture of Prussia. It was\\nconducted through seven years of pasturing, and\\nthen through seven years of soiling. Mr. Hermann\\nis the experimenter. The pasturing began in 1853,\\nand ended in 1859, the soiling began in i860, and\\nended in 1866. From forty to seventy cows were\\npastured each year, and a separate account kept\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0with each cow. The lowest average per cow is 1,385\\nqts. in 1855, when seventy cows were kept, and the\\nhighest 1,941 qts. in 1859, when forty cows were pas-\\ntured, and the greatest quantity given by one cow\\nwas 2,988 qts. The average increased during the\\nlast four years from 1,400 to 1,941 qts. The aver-\\nage for each cow for the whole seven years of pas-\\nturing was 1,583 qts. In the soiling experiment\\ntwenty-nine to thirty-eight cows were kept, and the\\nlowest average per cow was 2,930 qts. in 1862, and the\\nhighest per cow was 4,000 qts. in 1866. The highest\\nquantity given by one cow was 5,110 qts. in 1866.\\nThe average per cow for the whole seven years of\\nsoiling was 3,442 qts. The yield of the same cow is\\ncompared for different years. Cow No. 4 gave in\\ni860, Zi^c qts.; in 1863, 4,570 qts.; in 1866, 4,960\\nqts. Cow No. 24 gave in i860, 3,293 qts. in 1863,\\n4,843 qts. in 1866, 4,800 qts.", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0092.jp2"}, "93": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 67\\nMany of these were the same cows in both experi-\\nments and it will seem that the same cow increased\\nfrom year to year, showing what full feeding will do,\\nand also another important fact, that this full feed-\\ning was conducive to health of the cow during the\\nseven years.\\nDr. Wright says of soiled cows that they will, at\\nleast, equal, if not surpass, those kept in the usual\\nway, in both quantity and quality of milk, and the\\ndairyman, by adopting this method, finds his profits\\nenhanced nearly one-fourth. An English author\\nsays, The cows used to stall feeding will yield a\\nmuch greater quantity of milk, and will increase\\nfaster in weight when fattening, than those which go\\ninto the field.\\nI have made repeated experiments which satisfied\\nmyself in regard to the increase of milk and butter,\\nand with the exception of the first month or two\\n(May and June) I have never failed to get better\\nresults from the soiling system. The author of\\nOgden Farm Papers, in the American Agricultur-\\nist, has a very interesting article on the subject of\\nsoiling, in which he says: The product of cows will\\nbe more in the case of soiling than in the other. In\\nJune I was making a very satisfactory amount of\\nbutter. So were the pasture men all around me.\\nNow that the drought has (in spice of passing rains)\\nbegun to affect the pastures, their product is falling\\noff, and by September will be materially lessened.\\nMy product is increasing week by week, until, from\\nthe same number of cows, it is now more than ten", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0093.jp2"}, "94": {"fulltext": "68 Soiling.\\nper cent, more than in June, and, experience of pre-\\nvious years has shown, it will be fully ten per cent\\nmore m September than it is now.\\nThe Increased Quantity and Quality of\\nManure.\\nSo much has been already said on the question of\\nmanures, that the reader knows what a high value I\\nplace upon that produced in the barnyard, and its\\ncomparison with the costly and uncertain results ob-\\ntained from commercial fertilizers.\\nNo farmer needs to be told that, if he has an\\nabundant supply of manure, he can raise large\\ncrops. The want of it, more than any one thing\\nconnected with farming, makes thousands of farm-\\ners and their families slaves to unremitting toil,\\ndrudging through life, when if one-quarter of the\\nlabor that is spent in trying to subsist by cultivat-\\ning exhausted soils were turned to accumulating a\\nrestorative, independence would take the place of\\ndependence, and the farmer enjoy all the comforts\\nimplied by well-filled barns and granaries.\\nManure is the very life and soul of husbandry. It\\nis the basis of vegetable production, the substructure\\non which the farmer can alone hope to build success-\\nfully. The attainment of manure by the soiling\\nsystem is one of the greatest and most characteristic\\nbenefits to be derived from its practice, and the\\namount which thus naturally accumulates far ex-\\nceeds all anticipation. All who have had practical\\nI", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0094.jp2"}, "95": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 69\\nexperience agree, so far as I have been able to learn,\\nthat the value of the manure made under this system,,\\nwhen properly conducted, is worth at the very least\\ntwice as much- as that made while pasturing, where\\nit destroys as much feed as its virtue enriches the\\nsoil. A great part is lost by falling upon rocks,\\namong bushes, and in watercourses. It is evapor-\\nated by the sun. But the saving of land, of fences,\\nof food, the better condition and greater comfort of\\nthe farm stock, the increase in the production of\\nbeef, milk, and butter, and the attainment of manure,\\nare all subservient and subordinate to the one prime\\nobject and benefit to be derived from the system, i.e..\\nThe Increased Productiveness of the Soil.\\nThe first, greatest, and most important question\\nchat can occupy, the attention of Eastern farmers is,\\nin my opinion, how to restore the fertility of our\\nsoils; and as to the Western farmer, how he may\\npreserve it. If the reasons already given here have\\nnothing in them of sufficient importance to induce\\nthe farmer to adopt the soiling system, the fact that\\nit affords the surest and most economical way of in-\\ncreasing the fertility of his soil should lead him to\\ngive the system a fair and thorough trial. And,\\nagain, to the farmer who wishes to add more acres\\nto those he already owns, the soiling system affords\\na certain means of doing so without buying more\\nland. In my own experience, as already shown,\\nsoiling has nearly doubled the acreage of my culti-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0095.jp2"}, "96": {"fulltext": "70 Soiling.\\nvated land it has increased the quantity of manure\\nthree times, and the quality of the same to five or six\\ntimes the amount produced by the hay and pasture\\nsystem. I find, in looking about, that thirty-six head\\nof full grown stock and seventy acres of marketable\\ncrops (by soiling and ensilage) were about as much\\nas under the hay and pasture system was produced\\nfrom an average farm of five hundred acres. My\\nfarm is by no means in a high state of cultivation\\n(about thirty to thirty-five bushels of wheat per\\nacre). The system has done no more for me than\\nit may do for any farmer who will conform to its re-\\nquirements, which are simple but exacting.\\nFrom fifteen bushels of wheat per acre, and other\\ncrops in proportion, the old farm at Maple Lane had\\nin eight years quite doubled that, having taken thirty\\nand one-fourth bushels of wheat per acre from the\\nsame field that the first year produced only fifteen.\\nThe Increased Acreage.\\nIn older countries the farmers have been obliged\\nto increase the yield of their present possessions by\\ndoubling and trebling the acreage of their farms.\\nAs in crowded cities they add to the capacity of\\ntheir factories and houses by building up story\\nabove story, so the farmers of these older countries\\nbuild up their soil until they are two, three, or four\\nstories high. That is to say, they have increased\\nthe productiveness of their soil, until one acre is\\nmade to produce what formerly required two, three,", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0096.jp2"}, "97": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 71\\nor four acres. There is, I venture, hardly a farmer\\neast of the Mississippi who would not be glad to\\nknow how this may be accomplished. The secret is\\nan open one by keeping a large number of farm\\nanimals, and this is the result of soiling.\\nIn France and Germany soiling is the rule, and\\npasturing the exception, and the number of their\\nlive stock has been greatly increased since the intro-\\nduction of the sugar-beet industry. It is hardly\\nnecessary to add that their soil has increased corre-\\nspondingly in productiveness while under the pas-\\nture system productiveness in America has as stead-\\nily declined, until the average wheat yield is only\\nabout thirteen bushels per acre. Let me show\\nyou what the soiling of thirty-six head of cat-\\ntle did for me by way of increasing the acreage of\\nmy farm.\\nYou will remember that I started with twelve\\nhead, seven cows and five horses. These twelve\\nhead required sixty acres of hay and pasture, be-\\nsides the coarse forage, such as stalks and straw,\\nthat grew on the other forty acres of my loo-acre\\nfarm. (I have gone over this once under the head\\nof saving of land. I wish to emphasize it now un-\\nder this head.) By soiling and ensilage (which is\\nsimply winter soiling), I was able to increase my\\nstock from twelve head to thirty-six. Thirty-six\\nhead at pasture would have required 180 acres, an\\nincrease of 150 acres. At the same time my acreage\\nfor marketable crops was increased from forty to\\nseventy acres, or an increase of thirty acres, making a", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0097.jp2"}, "98": {"fulltext": "72 Soiling.\\ntotal increase of acreage of i8o acres, without buying\\na foot of land; this, added to the original farm, gave\\nan equivalent of 280 acres. These figures are start-\\nling, but there is no getting past them. I am not say-\\ning what I think may be done, but what actually hap-\\npened. If we are frightened when we think of the\\nextra labor it will incur to soil our cattle, just think a\\nmoment. Is it not worth a little extra labor to add to\\nthe acreage of a loo-acre farm another 180 acres with-\\nout buying it? Nor is that all. The same acres under\\nthe soiling system more than doubled in productive-\\nness, as already shown. So that taking the old farm\\nas I started with it, which is about the average of the\\nfarms, I have practically increased my acreage from\\n100 to 500. Do you say that that is too liberal?\\nJust look about you to-day, and see how many 500-\\nacre farms you can find where the system of hay for\\nwinter and pasture for summer is the method, and\\nhow many can you find that carry over thirty-six\\nhead of full-grown stock, and at the same time have\\nunder cultivation for marketable crops to be sold off\\nthe farm over seventy acres? When you show me\\nthat farm, I will show you one that is above the\\naverage. Here lies (both soiling and ensilage) the\\ngreat and undeniable advantage over pasturing.\\nBeside it, all other points here mentioned sink into\\ninsignificance.\\nWhen ensilage first came out, our experimental\\nstations haggled, and contradicted, and doubted,\\nalways looking to the comparative value of hay, or\\ncornstalks, and ensilage, losing sight entirely of the", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0098.jp2"}, "99": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 73\\ngreat advantage, ?.r., that by growing ensilage, you\\nmade one acre produce what formerly required five,\\nsix, and eight. The same is true of soiling. It is\\nthe increased acreage without buying more land that\\ngives the system an advantage so wide, so great, so\\nunmistakable that there leaves nothing more to be\\nsaid. Lately our stations have taken up soiling.\\nMost of them are looking to see how many more\\nquarts of milk are produced by one system over the\\nother. Of course, it is always in favor of soiling,\\nbr^t that is but one of the least of the advantages.\\nOthers talk about the saving of fences, better con-\\ndition of the cattle but the two great questions are\\nthe greater production of barnyard manure, and the\\nstill greater advantage that it enables us to double,\\nand treble, and quadruple our acreage without buy-\\ning more land.\\nDo you say that this is too good to be true? Do\\nyou doubt its practical application to farming in\\ngeneral? Let me show you where a single colony\\nof 1, 200 farmers are all producing much better results\\nthan any herein reported. I refer to the Channel\\nislands, Guernsey and Jersey. The island of Jersey\\nis twelve to fourteen miles long, and four to seven\\nmiles wide. It has a population of 55,000, with 40,000\\nto 50,000 visitors annually. The average size of the\\nfarms is eight acres, and there are about 10,000\\nacres farmed. On this amount of farming land,\\nthere were, according to the last census, 11,891 head\\nof Jerseys and 2,343 horses. This makes 14,234\\nhead of live-stock that are being supported from", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0099.jp2"}, "100": {"fulltext": "74 Soiling.\\n10,000 acres of land, nearly one and one-half head\\nfor every acre farmed.\\nThe principal industry is the growing of early\\npotatoes for the English markets. On an eight-acre\\nfarm will usually be found four or five acres of po-\\ntatoes (followed by a crop of roots the same season),\\ntwo acres of grass, and one of hay, oats, and a patch\\nof tree cabbage as a soiling crop for the pigs. Such\\na farm will carry two to three horses, and seven to\\nten head of cattle, besides pigs and poultry.\\nAll the cattle are soiled the year around except\\nthe cows in milk, which are tethered, that is to say,\\nthey are fastened by a rope or chain to an iron peg\\ndriven in the ground. The tether is ten or twelve\\nfeet in length. They begin at one end of a field, and\\nwhen they have mowed a swath clean the length of\\ntheir tether, they are moved on, and so along across\\nthe field. By the time the field has been fed over\\nin this manner, it is ready to start again at the be-\\nginning. A field is fed over five or six times dur-\\ning a season. Of course, the land is very produc-\\ntive. Three hundred bushels of early partly grown\\npotatoes per acre is about the usual yield. This\\nlittle island, besides principally supporting this very\\nlarge population, exports annually of farm products\\nbetween $3,000,000 and $4,000,000. This io,ccc\\nacres is only a good-sized Western farm. This\\nleads me to sa} that the Jersey farmers are the best\\nand most scientific agriculturists in the world.\\nThey pay from $40 to $75 an acre annual rent for\\ntheir farms, and make a better living off of an eight-", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0100.jp2"}, "101": {"fulltext": "Advantages of Soiling. 75\\nacre farm, as a rule, than any farmers I know of in\\nAmerica do on 100 acres. This shows what can be\\ndone on a fertile soil. This enormous production\\nis principally owing to the great number of farm\\nstock which is made possible by the soiling system.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0101.jp2"}, "102": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VI.\\nPARTIAL SOILING.\\nMy experience in partial soiling is not particularly\\nsatisfactory as compared with a strict soiling sys-\\ntem. It is a step in the right direction, and is just\\nthat much better than pasturing. But, as said be-\\nfore, you get all the discomforts of the system, and\\nonly a small share of the benefits. If you should\\nsee a man cut his hay or ensilage, and bring it to\\nthe barn and dump it on the ground, you would say,\\nWhy do 3 ou not stack it properly? See what a\\ngreat waste and inconvenience. Why do you not\\nrun your ensilage fodder through a cutter and put\\nit in the silo, and do the work properly? Half do-\\ning a thing is never more than starting. Well,\\nthat is how it always looks to me to see a man try-\\ning partial soiling. Take my advice and go the\\nwhole figure. Do it right, as you would do anything\\nelse, and you will, at least, know whether the system\\nis good or bad. You simply do not know how good\\nit is, because you never tried. You can never learn\\nto skate by simply sliding on the ice, or to swim by\\ntaking a foot bath.\\nIt is something of an effort to begin. Your\\nneighbors will probably laugh at you and call you a\\nbook farmer and that sort, but when you make a loo-", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0102.jp2"}, "103": {"fulltext": "Partial Soil\\ning. 77\\nacre farm produce what generally requires 400 or\\n500 acres, you can satisfy yourself with the old say-\\ning, He laughs best who laughs last.\\nI do not mean to advise you to go into the system\\nwith a rush. Go into it gradually. There are little\\nthings that will come up the first year or two that\\nmay discourage you, something you did not think\\nof. 1 shall try to give you my experience and prac-\\ntice, and if you keep near the line, I am sure you\\nwill succeed. But when you do try, put your cattle\\nin the barn and feed them there. Put them in day-\\ntimes and turn them into a small pasture or enclosure\\nnights and whatever you do, do not begrudge a lit-\\ntle extra labor. You cannot get something for noth-\\ning, but you can get more from soiling for the money\\nexpended than anything I know or ever heard of in\\nconnection with farming.\\nObjections to Partial Soiling.\\nOne master cow will occupy a whole rack. After\\nshe has mussed it over and breathed on it for a time,\\nothers will only eat it when compelled to from hun-\\nger. Feeding in the field is little better. The cat-\\ntle drive and hook one another about, and grab a\\nmouthful here and another there, and eat it in fear,\\nwhen they should have it by themselves in quiet.\\nThey tramp upon it, foul it, tramp up the meadow,\\ndestroying the grass and tramping in weed seeds to\\npester you for years to come. One cow sees an-\\nother ten rods away eating something that looks like", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0103.jp2"}, "104": {"fulltext": "yS Soiling.\\na nice stalk or mouthful, and immediately she is\\nseized with a jealous desire to have that same\\nmouthful, and away she dives. If the other is on\\nthe watch, and quick enough, and can run fast\\nenough, she gets out of the way. The most you have\\ngained b)^ this system of feeding cattle is that you\\nhave given them a good stirring up. One has lost\\na horn, another an eye, and by the end of a few\\nweeks the weaker ones that needed the extra feed\\nare mostly cripples, or stand on the outside and\\neat what the others refuse. The cow that gives milk\\nhas shut down, because her principal business now\\nis to chase and fight. Feeding a lot of cows, es-\\npecially those with horns, soiling crops in a yard or\\nfield might do very well if they were being trained\\nfor a football match, but you will find that they\\nwill do better with half the amount fed to them\\nquietly, each in her own stall. Again, by partial\\nsoiling, you miss another great benefit, protection\\nfrom flies, those little pests that drive the cattle\\nto distraction; instead of filling themselves up to\\ntheir fullest capacity so that they can give you a\\nbrimming pail of milk as a reward, they stand in\\na pool of water between a couple of bushes or under\\na thicket, fighting, fighting all day, except when\\nsheer hunger drives them out to seek a few mouth-\\nfuls, and when they do go out to feed, it is for\\nthemselves and not for you. They must do it to\\nget a bit of fuel to heat their blood and supply a\\nnew draught for the hordes of flies that will tap and\\nrob them of it to-morrow.", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0104.jp2"}, "105": {"fulltext": "Partial Soiling. 79\\nAll partial soiling can do is to patch out a poor\\npasture. You have not done away with any of the\\nannoyance or disadvantage, and the questions of the\\nsaving of land, and manure, and fences, comfort of\\nstock, greater production of milk and butter, are not\\nanswered.\\nAll these objections are easily overcome by simply\\nfeeding the cows in their stables. The extra labor\\nof cleaning the stables is compensated, it is safe to\\nsay, several times over in the question of manure\\nalone. Put them in the barn daytimes and turn\\nthem out nights (after milking them), and milk them\\nin their stalls in the morning, thus avoiding all run-\\nning and chasing, and clubbing them with milk-\\nstools, to say nothing about the greater comfort to\\nthe milkers, especially in fly time.\\nBy partial soiling, as was said at the beginning,\\nyou have all the loss and inconvenience of pasturing\\nwith only a small fraction of the benefits; while\\nthe greatest and most important lesson to be had\\nfrom a strict soiling system, i.e.^ greater production\\nof barnyard manure, is lost sight of.\\nLet me admonish my readers who have hitherto\\npractised partial soiling to take just one more step\\nin advance, and you have my word for it that in\\nthat one step you will go from darkness to light,\\nfrom patching an old garment to a new, up-to-date,\\ntailor-made suit which is yours almost for the ask-\\ning.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0105.jp2"}, "106": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VII.\\nOBJECTIONS TO SOILING.\\nExtra Labor.\\nThe only objection to soiling- that any one can\\npossibly make is the question of extra labor. In\\nthe first edition of this work was noticed one other\\nobjection which was sometimes made, i.e.^ lack of\\nexercise. In those days there was not one farmer\\nin ten that stabled his cows winters, to say nothing\\nof summers. This may seem strange to my\\nyounger readers, but with the exception of a few\\ndairymen, who furnished milk to town, I believe I\\nhad about the first farm i)arn in the county fitted\\nwith cow stables. This was early in the seventies.\\nThe objection was that the cattle needed more exer-\\ncise. In those days, cattle were fed in open racks\\nunder open sheds, and under the shelter of straw\\nstacks.\\nBut since that time, there have been great changes\\nin the methods of stabling, until now not one farmer\\nin ten can be found w^ho does not stable his cows in\\nwinter. Therefore, mention of this objection, i.e.^\\nlack of exercise, has been omitted entirely in this re-\\nvised edition. The cattle are turned out nights, and", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0106.jp2"}, "107": {"fulltext": "Objections to Soiling. 8 i\\nstabled daytimes, so that no one will be found now\\nto object to soiling on this ground.\\nThe question of extra labor, however, cannot be\\ndisposed of as easily. But even that has become\\nvery much simplified and cheapened. It never was\\nin the first place half as much of an objection as it\\nappears to be. This question of extra labor is a\\nbugbear. First, let me ask you who are not soiling\\nyour cows because of the extra labor, to mention\\nany branch of farm economy worth having but that\\ndoes require extra labor, which generally increases\\nin proportion to the benefits derived. The only ex-\\nception knowm of to that rule is soiling. There is,\\nto repeat, not another thing in practice, or that is\\nknown, or can be mentioned, where the returns are\\nso great as the returns for the extra labor invested\\nin soiling. The great trouble is that we do not see\\nbeyond the mere question of getting something into\\nour cows stomachs, and if they will get it there\\nthemselves, what is the use of our troubling?\\nThat s the principle. That is the way we invari-\\nably have of looking on the subject. We plant corn\\nbecause it won t plant itself. There seems always\\nenough of that sort of work we must do without\\ncutting grass and hay for cattle, and carrying it to\\nthe barn for them, and then putting it before them\\nin their racks several times a day, and cleaning out\\nthe stables after them, and darkening the stables so\\nthat the flies won t bite them. That is the way we\\napproach the subject. It looks like the mistress of\\nthe house preparing a dinner of quail on toast for\\n6", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0107.jp2"}, "108": {"fulltext": "82 Soiling.\\nthe hired girl in the parlor. How many times are\\nfarmers heard to say Oh, my cows are quite aS able\\nto help themselves as I am to help them. If the\\nbest pasture I can give them is not good enough,\\nthey can go without. That is the way we generally\\ngo about solving the soiling question, and many of\\nus never get beyond that point. The extra labor of\\nsoiling over pasturing is greatly magnified. Thirty-\\nsix head of cattle may be soiled at an additional cost\\nfor extra labor of $i per day, 3 cents^per head. My\\nown experience in soiling twelve head of milch\\ncows is that all the extra labor aside from growing\\nthe soiling crop did not require more than three\\nhours a day extra labor, and the work was accom-\\nplished by a boy fifteen years old. I cannot give\\nexact cost of growing the crop, etc., as no minute\\nwas made of it at the time, but I feel perfectly safe\\nin the above estimate. Let us see in what this extra\\nlabor consists plowing the land, seed, and time to\\nput it in, cutting and delivering the same to the\\nbarn and to the cows, and cleaning the stalls. As\\nyou will see further on in a detailed account of how\\nthis is accomplished, the extra, labor to soil cattle\\nover pasturing is very insignificant in comparison to\\nthe benefits.\\nSoiling, says Mr. H. Stewart, is a little more\\nlaborious than pasturing, but $1 spent in extra labor\\nis replaced ten times over in saving of land, saving\\nof feed, and saving of manure. I have found labor\\nvery much cheaper than feed. Again he says:\\nBesides fifteen cows, there were three horses,", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0108.jp2"}, "109": {"fulltext": "Objections to Soiling. 83\\nseven heifers, one bull (twenty-six head), and some\\npigs. All the cleaning-, feeding, and attendance on\\nthese animals was done by a boy of fourteen years\\nfor one year, and the boy had considerable time to\\nspend in field work. The extra labor involved is\\nwell repaid by the extra manure made, and the gain\\nfrom the cattle and the increased fertility of the\\nsoil will be clear profit. The bugbear of labor is a\\nphantom. It is imaginary. The need is more for\\nhead work than for hand work.\\nAnother writer in The Country Gentleman, who\\nhas had many years experience in soiling, says, It\\nrequires one man to spend half of his time cutting,\\nhauling to the barn, and feeding forty-eight cows,\\nat $1 per day (a trifle over i cent per cow).\\nI never could see why a farmer should object to\\nextra labor, when there is found a profit in it. It is\\nrarely that a man accumulates wealth from the labor\\nof his own hands. The carpenter, blacksmith, shoe-\\nmaker, or other mechanic who ever becomes well-to-\\ndo, usually owes his prosperity to the labor of other\\nmen s hands. There is a great amount of work\\nto be performed upon a farm that would pay a\\nhandsome profit, but, as it does not always return\\nto the farmer directly in cash, he is inclined to apply\\nhimself to such work only as puts the almighty\\ndollar directly in his pocket. This, I think, is\\nanother reason why the soiling system is not more\\ngenerally practised. Many do not like to see a crop\\nof green rye, oats, or peas cut down and fed to\\nstock, when, by waiting a few weeks longer, they", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0109.jp2"}, "110": {"fulltext": "84 Soiling.\\ncould harvest it, and deliver the grain to market\\nfor cash. It has often been remarked by visitors\\nat my place, who have witnessed the cutting of a\\nsplendid crop of oats or rye just as it was head-\\ning out, What a pity! It is a greater pity, in my\\nestimation, to see a man so short-sighted as to be-\\ncome penny wise and pound foolish. Such men try\\nto see how little they can feed and keep their stock\\nalive. They go on year after year, plowing wheat\\nafter wheat, yearly reducing their stock and the fer- I\\ntility of their soil, and grumbling because farming I\\ndon t pay. Let us see what the expenditure of $1\\nper day for extra labor accomplished in my case.\\nMy farm contained only 100 acres of tillable land and\\npasture. By the hay and pasturing system, as be-\\nfore mentioned, I was able to keep only twelve head\\nof stock a 3^ear on sixty acres. By soiling summer\\nand winter, I was able to keep thirty-six head of full-\\ngrown stock from the product of thirty acres. Who\\nis there who cannot afford $1 per day in extra labor\\nto produce such results as these?", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0110.jp2"}, "111": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VIII.\\nSOILING VERSUS PASTURING.\\nPenns. Bui. No. 21, page 105 (1889).\\nIn instituting a comparison between the yields of\\npasturing and soiling, it is necessary to take ac-\\ncount of the fact that, by our system, two crops of\\nsoiling are grown on the same ground in the same\\nseason. These ma}^ be either rye and corn or clover\\nand corn. In computing the yield of corn and add-\\ning the yield of rye, and in the other that of the\\nclover, and, finally, averaging these sums, the result\\nis as follows:\\nDigestible Digestible\\nOrganic Matter. Albuminoids.\\nPasture 1,125 249 pounds.\\nSoiling, rye and corn 5.776 328\\nSoiling, clover and corn 5, 9^4 374\\nThe average yield of edible, digestible matter by\\nsoiling crops is 5.2 times as great as that by pastur-\\ning. We may say that, in round numbers, we can\\nproduce from three to five times as much digest-\\nible food per acre by means of soiling crops as is\\nproduced by pasturing represented by our small\\nplots.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0111.jp2"}, "112": {"fulltext": "86 Soiling.\\nGreater Production of Milk.\\nIowa Ex. Bui., No. 15, page 274 (1891).\\nThe losses that occur annually to our farmers\\nfrom the drying up of their pastures in July, Au-\\ngust, and September, induced us to grow a few acres\\nof green feed, and ascertain to what extent such\\nfeed of different kinds can be had from an acre of\\nland, how much a cow requires of each kind, and\\nthe effects of such feeding on quantity and quality\\nof milk compared with well-watered and well-shaded\\nblue-grass pasture. The principal objection to soil-\\ning has been that time is too expensive to be em-\\nployed for this purpose. Time and circumstances\\nare breaking the force of this argument. Iowa\\nlands have become high-priced. Many of them are\\nstacked with herds of valuable animals that must\\nrespond, or they will not pay. Growth, meats, and\\nmilk are made cheapest in summer. Droughts of\\nJuly and August call for something to round out the\\nseason s work. These considerations induced the\\nstation to begin experiments in this direction. Be-\\ngan June 20th, when the drought was drying up the\\npastures. We sowed for soiling crops winter rye,\\nclover, oats, and peas.\\nOats and peas were fed from June 20th to July\\n28th, when oats and second cut clover were substi-\\ntuted until August 8th, when green corn and clover\\nwere fed to the end. Six cows were selected; all", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0112.jp2"}, "113": {"fulltext": "Soiling versus Pasturing.\\n87\\nreceived the same ration. Three of the cows, Nos.\\n21, 22, and 23, were tied up in a darkened, ventilated\\nbarn and let out each day for water and exercise.\\nOn August 9th, they were turned out and the other\\nthree, Nos. 209, 220, and 244, were tied up. They\\nwere fed eighty pounds daily of forage crops except\\nNos. 220 and 244, that had one hundred pounds each,\\nbeing larger cows. The milk was weighed each milk-\\ning and analyzed by the chemist periodically.\\nCow No. 21 in stable 48 days\\nCow No. 21 in pasture 48 days\\nIn favor of soiling\\nCow No. 22 in stable 48 days.\\nCow No. 22 in pasture 48 days\\nIn favor of soiling\\nCow No. 33 in stable 48 days.\\nCow No. 33 in pasture 48 days.\\nIn favor of soiling\\nTotal gain\\nMilk.\\n133.700\\n104.800\\n28.900\\n127.250\\n117.050\\n133-825\\n111.075\\n22.750\\n61.S50\\nFat,\\nPounds.\\n47.199\\n39-785\\n7.414\\n43.685\\n40.560\\n3-125\\n45-632\\n41-137\\n4-495\\n15-334\\nSolids,\\nPounds.\\n162.671\\n^34-053\\n386.18\\n156.088\\n146.895\\n9-193\\n160.897\\n137-835\\n23.092\\n142.903\\nSummary.\\nThe cows first tied up increased in milk while in\\nthe stables, and lost very fast as soon as they were\\nput in the pasture. Cows tied lost heavily on pas-\\nture, and gained in milk as soon as they were put\\non green feed. We were feeding indoors against\\none of the best blue-grass pastures in the State, well\\nshaded and running water accessible. Of the three\\ncows put in pasture first, June 20th, when it was at\\nits best, Nos, 229 and 220 were fresh cows and 244 was", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0113.jp2"}, "114": {"fulltext": "88 Soiling.\\nmore than an average cow. With the grain ration\\ngiven them, they had greatly shrunken on the pasture\\nby August 8th, while the three tied up for the same\\nperiod gained considerably. The indications from\\nthe experiment are: that the average cow will eat\\nseventy-five pounds of green food a day kept in the\\nstable, with a grain ration added; that cows fed on\\noats, peas, clover, and corn, fed green in the stable in\\nmidsummer, will give more milk than w^hen feeding\\non a good blue-grass pasture; that a cow fed on\\ngreen feed in stable darkened and well ventilated\\nwill gain in weight more than she will in a well-\\nshaded pasture; that a cow will respond more\\nreadily to a well-balanced ration of grain while eat-\\ning green feed, than she does on dry feed. An acre\\nof oats and peas cut green weighed twenty-four\\ntons, and an acre of corn and oats cut green\\nweighed thirty-three tons. It is not necessary to\\ncut green feed oftener than twice a week, if it is\\nspread to avoid heating.", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0114.jp2"}, "115": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER IX.\\nROTATION OF SOILING CROPS.\\nLaying Out the Work.\\nIn laying out the work it is simply necessary to\\nknow how many head of animals we wish to soil.\\nIf some are calves or yearlings, estimate about i,ooo\\nlb. live weight as equal to a full-grown animal. For\\nthe sake of illustration, let us suppose that we wish,\\nthe coming season, to soil ten cows, three two-year-\\nolds, four yearlings, seventeen head, equal to four-\\nteen head of full-grown stock weighing i,ooo lb. each.\\nThe first thing we wish to know is how much land we\\nwill require per day, week, or month to supply the\\nnecessary amount of forage. The following esti-\\nmate has been adopted of the land required for a full\\ngrown animal per day\\nOf lucern, clover, three-fourths square rod per\\nday. Of barley, oats and peas, rye, wheat, millet,\\none-half square rod per day. Of corn or sorghum,\\none-quarter of a square rod per day.\\nThis is a fair estimate for a day s feeding on land\\nin a good state of cultivation. For a beginner it\\nwould be well to add, say, one-fourth more in each\\ncase until he learns the capacity of his soil. When\\nland is in a high state of cultivation, it will require", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0115.jp2"}, "116": {"fulltext": "go Soiling.\\nless than the estimates first above given. No cow\\ncan possibly consume half a square rod of rye, bar-\\nley, oats and peas, or millet in a day s feeding,\\nwhere there is a good strong growth.\\nI cannot lose this opportunity to call your atten-\\ntion to the great feeding capacity there is in an acre\\nat this rate. There are i6o square rods in an acre.\\nThis, at one-half square rod per day, gives 320 days\\nfeeding from one acre.\\nIt is always best to make a liberal allowance.\\nThere need be no waste, since any surplus may be\\ncut and cured for winter forage, or, better still,\\nplowed under as green manure.\\nIn laying out the work necessary to provide for\\nfourteen head of full-grown animals, we will start\\nthe fall before the season we intend to begin soiling,\\nand carry the work along for the year. The first\\nquestion is to decide how much land shall be allowed\\nto grow the necessary amount of forage. Fourteen\\nhead of cattle (consuming, say, three-quarters of a\\nsquare rod per day) will require ten and one-half\\nrods per day, or seventy-three and one-half rods per\\nweek say eighty, an even half acre. This will re-\\nquire for June and July (eight weeks) four acres of\\nground. Then we add the necessary corn ground,\\ntwo acres more for the August crop; the September\\nand October crops are grown on the land from which\\nthe June and July crops were taken. For June we,\\ntherefore, sow during the autumn this six acres,\\nmore if possible, to rye and wheat. Wheat sown at\\nthe same time as rye will follow rye the next spring,", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0116.jp2"}, "117": {"fulltext": "Rotation of Soiling Crops. 91\\nas it is about a week later. These seedings of rye\\nand wheat should be top-dressed with manure dur-\\ning the winter. We, of course, cannot use all this\\nrye and wheat next spring for soiling at least, two\\nacres of this will be plowed under in the spring, but\\nit is better that the land should be growing some-\\nthing during winter, as a mulch and collector of\\nnitrogen, than to lay barren or fallow. Soon as\\nspring opens, we plow under two acres of the four\\nacres. You say, why not let it grow? Because you\\nwill not require it all, and because oats and peas are\\nbetter soiling crops. But, perhaps, you do not like\\nthe idea of wasting the seed. Don t be alarmed.\\nThat $2 worth of seed has been accumulating many\\ntimes its cost in plant food during the fall and win-\\nter. There is nothing lost, but a decided gain.\\nTrue, the rye is only a few inches high, but the\\nroots have been taking up the plant food from the\\nmanure spread upon the land during the winter.\\nPlow it under. Now we come to an important\\nquestion. How much of this two acres shall we\\nsow to oats and peas at a time?\\nOne week is about as long as any soiling crop\\n(corn or sorghum excepted) is at its best for soiling.\\nWe, therefore, sow enough every week to last a\\nweek. If we put in more than this at a time, we\\neither have to begin cutting it before it is at its\\nbest, or continue to cut it after it has passed its\\nbest. A soiling crop is fit when the grain is well in\\nthe milk before that it is too watery, after that it\\nsoon becomes tough and woody. And right here,", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0117.jp2"}, "118": {"fulltext": "92 Soiling.\\nin my opinion, has been a great drawback to suc-\\ncessful soiling. Men have planted too much at a\\ntime, and the soiler has been disappointed in the\\nresult. His cows have shrunken in their yield of\\nmilk, and no doubt many a man has thus become\\ndisheartened in his first attempts at soiling.\\nCrops for July.\\nIt has been my practice to plow in the spring, and\\nsow first a week s supply of barley. Barley will\\ngerminate at a lower temperature than oats. Fol-\\nlowing this a sowing of oats and peas is put in\\nweekly. The barley and oats and peas are for July.\\nThe wheat and rye of last fall s sowing were for the\\nlater half of May, through June, until the barley or\\nfirst spring crop is ready.\\nWith fourteen cows it will be necessary to put in\\nhalf an acre a week, beginning in the spring as soon\\nas the ground will permit. Saturday is usually de-\\nvoted to this weekly task. It is better to plow at one\\ntime (after the first week s seeding of barley) or as\\nsoon as the ground is warm enough, say an acre and\\na half. Plow deep. This will make land enough\\nfor three weeks seeding of half an acre per week.\\nThen let. the farm team devote every Saturday\\nafternoon to fitting that half acre, and sowing the\\noats and peas.\\nOf barley, sow two and one-half bushels per acre.\\nOf oats and peas, three bushels per acre, half and\\nhalf, common Canadian field peas. The one sowing", "height": "3382", "width": "2135", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0118.jp2"}, "119": {"fulltext": "Rotation of Soiling Crops. 93\\nof barley and three of* oats and peas are depended\\nupon to supply the July feeding. These four spring\\nseedings I have been able to get in (in Western New\\nYork) during the month of April. This brings us to\\nthe question of supplying the\\nCrops for August.\\nWith the last sowing of oats and peas, whenever\\nit is (either a week earlier or a week later than last\\nyear signifies nothing. Go straight along with the\\nprogramme), make the first sowing of corn Stowell s\\nEvergreen (or some other medium-sized variety),\\nand continue with corn and sorghum during the\\nmonth of May for the August and first week of Sep-\\ntember; as corn is longer in condition to feed than\\noats and peas, more can be sown at a time. I have\\nnever practised it, but think very highly of the idea\\nof sowing sorghum in alternate rows or in the same\\nrow with corn. These crops may be sown on the\\nland from whence came the wheat and rye cuttings in\\nMay. The sorghum or corn and sorghum should be\\nsufficient to last through the first half of September,\\nor as long as it is safe to depend upon its not being\\ncut by frost. This brings us to and into\\nCrops for September.\\nAs the barley and oats and peas are consumed in\\nJune, the ground they occupied is put into millet\\nand barley for October (to be followed by ensilage", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0119.jp2"}, "120": {"fulltext": "94 Soiling.\\nfrom the silo). As to the S(5wmg of millet, put in\\nall the ground you can of this, and plow under (what\\nis not consumed in the autumn by soiling) for rye\\nnext spring and the land that was devoted to corn\\nand cut off in August is all put into rye for next\\nspring. This completes the year.\\nIt seems as if a great many words had been used in\\ndescribing this simple rotation. If I am at fault in\\nthis, I hope the reader will attribute it to my desire\\nto be clearly understood. The whole thing may be\\nstated in a nutshell as follows In the fall sow rye\\nto plow under for soiling crops until barley or oats\\nand peas are ready. In the spring sow early as\\nground is fit to work, four or five sowings, a week\\napart, of oats and peas. The first sowing of barley\\nif the spring is cold and backward. With the next\\nto the last, and the last sowings of oats and peas,\\nsow corn and sorghum, four or five sowings, to carry\\nimtil middle of September, to be followed by millet\\nand barley for late autumn.\\nOats and peas are sowed on rye plowed under in\\nApril, corn sown on rye plowed under in May, corn\\nand sorghum sown on land soiled from during June,\\nmillet sown on land that rye, oats, and peas were cut\\nfrom in July, rye sown on all corn ground cut over,\\nfor soiling in August and September. October ist,\\nsow the balance of the land not already into rye\\nfor next spring, either to cut or plow under for\\nsoiling.\\nSo far a rotation has been shown independently of\\nclover, lucern, or crimson clover. These were pur-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0120.jp2"}, "121": {"fulltext": "Rotation of Soiling Crops. 95\\nposely omitted, advising the soiler to work into\\nlucern gradually, and as to crimson clover my own\\nexperience has not been successful, but others have\\nbeen. If you will begin with the rotation given, you\\nwill soon find opportunities of branching out with\\nthe clovers. It is not advisable to depend upon\\ncommon red clover; oats and peas are better. By\\nall means, however, have a patch of lucern for the\\nhorses, if nothing more. The following interesting\\nletter is from Mr. Charles Wolcott, Blue Hill Farm,\\nCanton, Mass., June 11, 1881:\\nF. S. Peer, Esq.\\nDear Sir I have yours of the 4th and note the inquiries.\\nOur practice has been to feed upon winter rye first, then oats,\\nnext spring rye, next millet (the golden) grown on the win-\\nter rye land. Sweet fodder corn (Stowell s Evergreen) grown\\non oat lands. Southern white fodder corn sown in drills on oat\\nland and spring rye land, and, lastly, barley grown on the\\nland formerly occupied by winter rye, and lastly by golden\\nmillet. This gives a good rotation for feeding, and with us\\nalways has worked well. Respecting the value of manure\\nsaved by soiling, my judgment is that all that is made is\\nsaved, for I do not believe that the manure dropped in pas-\\ntures enriches the soil at all, it being mostly dried up into an\\nalmost insoluble cake.\\nThe care of my stock (now forty-eight head of milch cows)\\ndevolves on one man, who feeds, cleans, and waters them in\\nthe barn, two men to help him milk. One man and one horse\\ndraw the green fodder in less than half a day. We feed three\\ntimes a day in the stanchions, where the cows stay except\\nwhen they are turned out once a week in the yard if it is cool,\\nfor an hour, but never if it is hot. They much prefer the\\nbarn to the yard. Their health is always good, and they are\\nthriftv. The quality of milk with me is about le same the", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0121.jp2"}, "122": {"fulltext": "96 Soiling.\\nyear round. The quantity is larger with me in the soiling\\nseason than my neighbors average.\\nTo conclude, I will say that I cannot see that I can afford\\nto pasture my stock, as I haven t made enough money yet to\\nbe able to throw it away.\\nYours respectfully,\\nCharles W. Wolcott.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0122.jp2"}, "123": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER X.\\nCUTTING AND GATHERING THE CROPS.\\nNecessary Tools, Etc.\\nMy own experience in soiling twelve to fourteen\\nhead of cattle and four horses may be briefly stated\\nas follows: The cutting was done with a D. M. Os-\\nborne self-rake reaper No. 3. I began with a\\nscythe, then the mowing machine, but the reaper\\nwas the thing, throwing it off in gavels in the best\\npossible way to facilitate handling, and where it will\\nwilt without drying out. Monday morning, for in-\\nstance, the farm team is attached to the reaper, and\\ncuts in twenty or thirty minutes enough feed to sup-\\nply the stock for two days. This reaper was used for\\nthree seasons for this purpose, also for cutting the\\nensilage corn. Nowadays the self -raking reaper has\\ngenerally been supplanted by the self-binders. I\\nhave letters from several binder companies, saying\\nthat they will guarantee their machines to cut the\\ngreen crops for soiling, and no doubt they can. It\\nneed not and should not be bound. The improved\\ncorn cutters leave little to be wished for in the\\ngathering of the corn forage for soiling or ensilage,\\nand the work and expense of harvesting are with\\nthese machines reduced to a minimum.\\n7", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0123.jp2"}, "124": {"fulltext": "98\\nSoiling.\\nDelivering to Barn.\\nA one-horse lumber wagon, truck, or half truck\\nwith wheels two and one-half to three inches wide\\nwill be found to be of great service, and will answer\\nBOX FOR WAGON.\\nthe purpose until the number of head soiled reaches\\ntwenty-five or more, when a two-horse wagon with\\nwide low trucks (which is also most useful in har-\\nvesting ensilage fodder) will be found advisable.\\nThe box for the wagon I had in use for this pur-\\npose was a double one the upper box was put on in\\nfour separate pieces (two end and two sideboards)\\nwhich projected over the sides of the main box as\\nshown above.\\nFeeding.\\nThere is but one satisfactory way of feeding soil-\\ning crops, and that is to the cattle fastened in their\\nstalls. Each cow gets her share, with no running or\\nchasing about. She eats what is put before her,", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0124.jp2"}, "125": {"fulltext": "Cutting and Gathering the Crops. 99\\nand is satisfied. She is in the best possible position\\nto be milked, and her greater comfort has already-\\nbeen explained.\\nCaution in Feeding.\\nThere is more danger of feeding too much at a\\ntime than not enough. There is no doubt but that\\nhere lies the reason of many discouraging results in\\nsoiling. Of the three great mistakes a beginner is\\napt to make, i.e., feeding soiling crops in open racks,\\nsowing too much at a time, and feeding too much at\\na time, the latter is probably the greatest mistake of\\nthe three.\\nA cow with more fodder (especially green forage)\\nin her manger than she can eat up clean at the time,\\nwill go hungry sooner than eat it after she has\\nbreathed upon it for a time. This, of course, causes\\na shrinkage of milk, and is, I am sure, the reason\\nwhy the soiling system has, in some cases, been\\ncondemned by some who suppose their cows abun-\\ndantly provided for, when their manger stands full\\nof feed. They cannot understand how it is that\\ntheir cows do not do as well at soiling as at pasture,\\nand they jump to the natural conclusion that the\\ncow or cows are pining for open pasture, and if they\\nturn them out, they would undoubtedly gain in milk\\nfor a day or so then they would say that their cat-\\ntle do better at pasture than at soiling. The trouble\\nhas been that their cattle have been hungry in the\\nmidst of plenty. After a cow breathes on forage", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0125.jp2"}, "126": {"fulltext": "I oo Soiling.\\nleft in a manger for a time, it becomes very distaste-\\nful to her, while to the feeder it looks bright and\\nfresh, and she gets no more, perhaps, until hunger\\ncompels her to eat that up.\\nWhatever you do, always remove from before the\\ncows all that is left in the mangers before giving\\nthem a fresh feed. You will be surprised some time\\nto see a cow go greedily at a fresh feeding at noon,\\nwhen you have taken from her manger what she\\nfailed to eat in the morning.\\nIf there is anything left in the manger, pass it\\nover to the hogs. They will be very pleased to\\nhave it.\\nManner of Feeding.\\nExperience has taught me that, to produce the\\nbest results from milch cows, they should be fed\\nfour or five times a day. Five feedings in my ex-\\nperience have given better results than four, and just\\nas good as six.\\nTo think of feeding cows five times a day, when\\nthe usual custom is to feed but twice, may seem like\\na great task, but by systematizing the work it will\\nbe found not nearly as difficult as one may imagine.\\nLet us follow a day s work in feeding fourteen\\nhead of cattle five times a day, i.e., at 5 and 8 a.m.\\nnoon, and at 4 and 7 p.m. Enough feed has been\\ndelivered to the barn the evening before for the first\\nmorning feeding, which the cows find in their man-\\ngers when they are let into the barn from the yard,\\nor paddock, or orchard where they have spent the", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0126.jp2"}, "127": {"fulltext": "Cutting and Gathering the Crops. loi\\nnight. After breakfast the farm team is attached to\\nthe reaper, and in twenty minutes or half an hour\\nhas cut enough forage to last two days, and has gone\\non to its regular farm work. I found a boy fifteen\\nor sixteen years old quite able to do the extra work\\nof drawing, feeding, cleaning stables, etc. and have\\nabout six or eight hours a day to devote to the regu-\\nlar farm work. After breakfast the boy feeds calves,\\npigs, etc., and at 7:30 with the one-horse wagon\\ngoes to the field and draws to the barn the 8 o clock\\nfeeding, which he delivers into the mangers from\\nthe wagon, and leaves upon the wagon enough for-\\nage for the noon feeding. The boy is now at liberty\\nto work elsewhere on the farm or in the dairy. At\\nnoon the forage that was left on the wagon is given\\nto the cows, a work of 10 or 15 minutes. Other em-\\nployment is found for the boy until 3:30, when he\\ngoes to the barn, puts the horse to the wagon, and\\ndelivers to the cattle their 4 o clock feeding. He\\nthen draws in enough forage for the 7 o clock feed-\\ning, and the first (5 o clock) feeding for the follow-\\ning morning. He then cleans the stables, assists\\nin milking, and at 7 o clock gives the final or fifth\\nfeeding to the cattle, which is quickly done. This\\nends the day, with the exception of turning the cat-\\ntle out at 8 o clock for the night. They have free\\naccess to water in the yard when let out for the\\nnight. They require no more water during the day.\\nIn thus relating my own method and practice in\\nproviding for fourteen head of dairy cows, I am well\\naware that it might not be suited in every respect to", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0127.jp2"}, "128": {"fulltext": "I02 Soiling.\\nevery other man s case. It is hoped, however, that\\nit will give my readers a correct knowledge of the\\ngeneral principles of the system, so that those who\\nmay wish to adopt it will have a guide, if not an\\nabsolute rule. The things insisted upon as abso-\\nlutely essential to success may be summed up as\\nfollows\\nFirst.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Feeding the cattle in their stalls day-times,\\nturning them out at night.\\nSecond. Sow every week during April, May, and\\nJune enough ground to supply a week s feeding only.\\nThird. Remove all forage left in the mangers\\nbefore each fresh feeding.\\nFourth. Feed five times a day all the cattle will\\neat.\\nFifth. Supply perfect ventilation. Open stable\\ndoors at night. Keep doors and windows closed\\nday-times, the latter darkened to exclude the flies.\\n(But this can only be done when the barn is proper-\\nly ventilated.)\\nThese five rules are laid down as the cardinal prin-\\nciples. As to all the rest, use my experience as a\\nguide, and better it wherever you can. Anyway,\\nadopt any method that will best serve the five rules.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0128.jp2"}, "129": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XI.\\nBARN CONSTRUCTION.\\nGeneral Plan.\\nThe principal requisite in the construction of barns\\nfor soiling summers and feeding- ensilage winters is\\nto have a driveway through the barn, so that the\\nsoiling crops and the ensilage may be fed to the\\nstock directly from the wagon into their mangers.\\nIf the barn is wide enough so that the cattle can\\nstand with their heads toward the centre, and still\\nleave room for a passage behind them, so much the\\nbetter but if the cows face the walls with only a\\nmanger in front, the cattle may still be fed quite\\nhandily from a passage behind them, while the pas-\\nsage may be used in carting out the manure, which,\\nmay be delivered direct from the stables to the field in\\none handling. This plan is preferable, unless, when\\nthe cows face the centre, there is still room behind\\nthem for a wagon drive for the manure. The ob-\\nject, of course, is the saving of labor. A barn\\nthirty-five feet wide will accommodate two rows of\\ncows facing the walls, and give a ten-foot drive be-\\nhind, and a four-foot passage in front of them,\\nwhereas, if they face the centre, and there is a drive", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0129.jp2"}, "130": {"fulltext": "1 64 Barn Construction.\\nbehind them for manure and one in front for soiling-\\ncrops, the barn will require to be at least fifty feet\\nwide although it is not quite as convenient to feed\\nthe cattle their soiling crops from behind, especially\\nif they are fastened in stanchions, the great economy\\nin building the barn thirty-five feet wide instead of\\nfifty is considerable. With open mangers, the cat-\\ntle may be fed from the drive behind them nearly as\\nwell as from in front. Therefore, it is preferable to\\nhave them face the wall and a drive behind them,\\nespecially if the number of cattle is great enough to\\ndeliver the manure from the trench directly to the\\nfield. Of course, if there are but a few, and the\\nstables are cleaned by the use of a wheelbarrow,\\nand a narrow passage behind, I would in this case\\nrecommend the cattle to stand facing the centre. A\\nbarn on this plan also should be at least thirty-five\\nfeet on the inside. This will leave a feeding pas-\\nsage ten feet wide in front of the cows..\\nThe next thing to be considered in the construc-\\ntion of a barn is that it should be warm in winter\\nand cool in summer. The best possible construc-\\ntion of a barn to attain this end is to build it with\\ntwo air spaces between the outer and inside cover-\\nings. A barn built on the most approved plan for\\nkeeping ice, or for cold storage, or refrigerator pur-\\nposes is best to accomplish this end, i.e.^ to keep out\\nthe cold in winter or keep out the heat in summer.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0130.jp2"}, "131": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction\\n105\\nObjections to Masonry Basements.\\nI have had much experience with stone and brick\\nwall basements, and would on no account recom-\\nmend them for any kind of stock. They are, as a\\nEr\\\\ d ElevAfiorv of Bridge.\\nSccv\\\\e.\\ni t, o 3\\nlul l I I 3\\nI\\nt I\\nI\\n1 I\\nrule, damp, chilly, and unwholesome, if not un-\\nhealthy, a great portion of the year. I am so prej-\\nudiced against them, compared with double air-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0131.jp2"}, "132": {"fulltext": "io6\\nBarn Construction.\\nspaced wooden walls, that I would not have one put\\nunder a barn of mine if it could be done without\\ncost. If it is necessary to build a barn with a base-\\nl5ometnc SKowirNjg^\\nWall3 o^ Benrrv l \\\\ii- Spzskcea\\nment, I would recommend excavating back from\\nthe foundation, and driving into the upper story over\\na bridge six or eight feet long, as shown (cut, p. 105).", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0132.jp2"}, "133": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction.\\n107\\nM?\\nof tbo^rn Wa^l\\nVertico.\\\\ 3ectio\\\\^ Sce^le;.\\n0/ 5o.ti WmI hill I I", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0133.jp2"}, "134": {"fulltext": "io8 Barn Construction.\\nIf the cattle barn is to be tinder the main barn, as is\\nusually the case, or simply a shed, the method of\\nconstructing walls with double air spaces is as fol-\\nlows: On the sill twelve inches wide, set up a two-\\nby-four one inch back from flush with the outer\\nedge. On this nail sheathing, on the sheathing\\nbuilding paper, over the building paper clapboards\\nor novelty siding, of whatever siding is desired for\\nthe outside of the barn. On the inside of the two-\\nby-four studding nail inch sheathing; over this\\nbuilding paper; then set up another two-by-four\\nagainst the inside or middle lining, and on the other\\nedge nail sheathing, then building paper, and cover\\nwith matched siding (see cuts). The idea is to get two\\ndead-air spaces. The nearer airtight the spaces are\\nthe more perfectly the cold will be excluded in winter\\nor the heat kept out in summer. An airtight air\\nspace is one of the best non-conductors of heat or\\ncold for barn, silo, or icehouse. It is far better than\\nto have the space filled with sawdust. Where lath\\nand plaster is more economical than sheathing and\\nbuilding paper, it makes an equally good partition,\\ndividing the two air spaces. This method of build-\\ning side walls is less expensive than stone or brick\\nmasonry, and when finished is so much warmer in\\nwinter, so much cooler in summer, so much drier,\\ncleaner, airier, and more wholesome, that there is no\\ncomparison between the two.\\nThe windows should for the same reason be made\\nto accommodate three sashes both for winter and\\nsummer. The windows, however, should be large", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0134.jp2"}, "135": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. i 09\\nand numerous, but they are never to be opened or\\n,used as ventilators. This plan is for the basement.\\nAbove, the barn may be built in the usual way with\\nsingle siding, unless a horse stable, calves or sheep\\npens are to occupy the upper floor, in which case their\\nquarters should be surrounded with similar walls.\\nOutside walls of such a construction will require no\\nartificial heat in winter to keep the stable warm, a\\nsystem that is both expensive and needless, and will\\nbe as cool as it is possible to have a barn in summer.\\nEight feet in the clear is enough if properly venti-\\nlated.\\nVentilation.\\nThe next great question is that of proper ventila-\\ntion. It has just been said that windows are not .to\\nbe used summer or winter for ventilation. It is un-\\nnecessary, and can be attained more perfectly in\\nother ways. The question is to admit fresh air and\\nto dispel foul air. My method would be as follows:\\nThe foul air is of two kinds, the warm air from the\\nanimals bodies, which is lighter than the air and\\nascends, and the poisonous gases, which are heavier\\nand stay on the floor. We must, therefore, provide\\nan exit for both. The former is easily gotten rid\\nof in the usual way by a ventilator in the floor of\\nthe ceiling to a point above the ridge by a wooden\\nshaft surmounted by a cupola. Taking advantage\\nof the fact that the cooler, fresh- air is heavier than\\nthe heated air of the stable, therefore it best sup-\\nplies the exit of the latter, by coming into the stable", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0135.jp2"}, "136": {"fulltext": "I lO\\nBarn Construction.\\nnear the floor on which the animals stand. This air\\neither in winter or summer for a small stable may be\\nsupplied from the inside of the barn at the floor of the\\nroom above. The reason is that the temperature\\nthere is cooler in summer than if taken from the out-\\nside, the coolest air in the barn above being on the\\nfloor. It is equally advantageous in the winter, be-\\ncause no matter which way the wind is or how hard it\\nblows, the air from the room above is steady and uni-\\nform both in movement and temperature, that is when\\nthe barn doors upstairs are closed. We, therefore,\\nprefer to get our fresh supply from indoors (above)\\nrather than from the outside. To accomplish this,\\nwe may use wooden air ducts as shown above, opening\\nfrom the floor above, and discharging in front of the\\ncattle into their mangers, or near their heads so that", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0136.jp2"}, "137": {"fulltext": "B\\narn Construction.\\nI U", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0137.jp2"}, "138": {"fulltext": "1 1 1 Barn Construction.\\nthey can get it pure. We have now provided for\\nthe entrance of fresh and the exit of heated and im-\\npure air, but we should still provide a place of exit\\nfor the impure air that is heavier than the fresh air.\\nThis is accomplished by an air duct opening lower\\nthan the entrance of the fresh air^ and must be car-\\nried by a tile duct or conductor pipes and allowed to\\ndischarge underneath the barn or lower than the\\nbarn floor, or allowed to discharge into the liquid\\nmanure cistern, in which case a swinging damper\\ncloses automatically if air attempts to enter through\\nthis duct from the outside. The cut (page 1 1 1) shows\\nthis air taken from the gutter behind the cows and\\nin a tile drain discharging into the liquid manure\\ncistern. This same pipe also provides an escape\\nfor the light foul air or gases that may rise from\\nthe cistern, as shown in the cut at B. This is\\nsimply a galvanized conductor pipe that is carried\\nabove the building on the principle of trapping a\\nsewer pipe discharging into a cesspool. If cattle\\nbarns were thoroughly and properly ventilated, there\\nwould in all probability be less tuberculosis among\\nour herds than there is at present. Pure invigorating\\nair is the best of all preventives, if not a cure, to con-\\nsumption in the human family; why not in cattle?\\nThe fresh air comes into the barn through shaft\\nA^ and is conducted along on an air duct directly in\\nfront of the cattle, as shown, discharging into each\\nmanger (see page no). This air shaft in front of\\nthe manger comes into the stable at each end of the\\nbarn (as shown on page no, for a small number of", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0138.jp2"}, "139": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction.\\n3\\n3ecl:iorv of\\nof Automcvtic\\nVcnti loiter.\\nSecMon,. /Autom vtic Ventilc ^l or.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0139.jp2"}, "140": {"fulltext": "114\\nBarn Construction.\\ncattle, and on page 1 1 1 for a larger number) The\\nforced-air shafts should have shown the damper on\\nthe floor the cattle stand upon, where it may also be\\nB2vrr\\\\ wilN Aulr\u00c2\u00a3 m^t\\\\c Ventvls^rors\\nregulated by hand by moving an adjustable weight\\nin and out on the damper shown in the floor above.\\nA good place for the exit of this carbonic-acid\\ngas out of the barn is from holes along the side of the\\nmanure trench behind the cattle, A A, as it seeks\\nthe lowest level. The same ventilator B takes the\\nwarm, offensive air from the fresh droppings to the\\ntop of the building (as shown). With a large number", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0140.jp2"}, "141": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. ii^\\nof cattle it may be found desirable to force air into the\\nbarn from the outside. Ventilators regulated by the\\naction of the wind, with automatic check damper, as\\nshown in cuts (pages 113, 114). W= E. Ho Massey, of\\nToronto, has adopted this method with great success.\\nThe first cut shows an automatic ventilator which\\nrevolves on ball bearings, and is kept facing the wind\\non the principle of a weather vane, which keeps the\\nopening of the ventilator always facing the wind,\\nthus forcing the fresh air down the shaft. An auto-\\nmatic damper in the shaft regulates the supply so\\nthat a wind-storm could not drive in more air than\\nwas needed. This automatic damper can be regu-\\nlated to suit any strength of current, or closed en-\\ntirely by hand.\\nThe draft of an outlet ventilator may likewise be\\ngreatly increased by making the opening always face\\nin the opposite direction to the wind, as shown.\\nWhile discussing this question of ventilation, I\\nmay take this opportunity to call the reader s atten-\\ntion to the reason why it is particularly necessary\\nthat dairy cows especially should be supplied with\\na great abundance of fresh air aside from its health-\\ngiving properties to all animals. Milk is a product\\nof the blood. Therefore, no cow can manufacture a\\nlarge quantity of milk without first manufacturing\\na correspondingly large quantity of blood. The\\nblood is made from the food the cow consumes, but\\nin manufacturing a large quantity of blood a large\\nquantity of pure air is required to enter the lungs of\\nthe animal to purify the same. So you see the re-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0141.jp2"}, "142": {"fulltext": "Ii6 Barn Construction.\\nquirements of a good dairy cow are, first, capacity\\nfor food, large paunch powerful machinery for di-\\ngesting and assimilating the product; second, she\\nrequires a large lung capacity to purify the blood\\nfrom which milk is the product. Then if she has\\na muscular jaw, heavy muscular lips for milling the\\nfoods, and large open nostrils for supplying a large\\npair of lungs, we have the essential machinery of a\\nproductive dairy cow, and the necessity of supplying\\nan abundance of fresh air is apparent.\\nWater.\\nThere is one other requirement that our barn\\nmust not fail to have, and that is fresh water in\\nabundance. Water is the least expensive of all the\\nother things that go to make up the raw material\\nfrom which milk is made. Personally I object to\\nwater continually standing before the cows in their\\nstalls. Ensilage and soiling crops are very watery,\\nand cows are apt to get into the habit of drinking\\nfor want of something to do, and bowel trouble is\\nthe result, caused by the washing of undigested food\\npast the third and fourth stomachs, causing irrita-\\ntion and looseness of the bowels. Give them all\\nthey want to drink at a time, and at least twice a\\nday, but shut it off and empty aU troughs. The in-\\ndividual iron troughs are usually operated by a float,\\nand the troughs stand full all the time. There should\\nbe some means of shutting off the supply, and empty-\\ning every trough. I have seen most of the patent", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0142.jp2"}, "143": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction.\\n117\\ntroughs, but none of them that I know of answer\\nall the requirements, flushing at drinking time,\\nemptying, and keeping empty after and between\\nwatering times. In preference to these I must still\\nrecommend a trough that I used for several years\\nhinged V\\\\/5.fev- Trough tOver^ow\\nmost satisfactorily. It is shown above. It is simply\\na wooden or sheet-iron trough on hinges, or not\\nfastened to the opposite side of the manger. When\\nnot in use, it is turned upside down; nothing\\ncan get into it. It is thus kept absolutely clean.\\nWhen wanted for use, it is simply turned over in\\nfront of the cattle and fits into notches cut in the\\npartitions separating the mangers. Then it is filled\\nby a faucet or a hose at one end. There is a hollow\\nplug B in the trough that takes care ol the over-", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0143.jp2"}, "144": {"fulltext": "Ii8 Barn Construction.\\nflow, which discharges into a two-inch drain pipe.\\nThe water is left running until the cows are through\\ndrinking. Then it is shut off and the hollow plug is\\nremoved this empties the trough. This overflow is\\nat the same end as the supply faucet. When the\\ntrough is emptied, it is turned over until again re-\\nquired. One trough to every four or five cows is\\nabout as long as can be conveniently managed.\\n(The hinges should be of galvanized iron.) Of\\ncourse, this requires a little more labor than where\\neach cow has a separate trough that is full all the\\ntime, but there is a great objection against that\\nmethod of watering cattle. There is as much bene-\\nfit to be derived by having a drink of pure, fresh\\nrunning water when wanted, as there is in having\\npure, fresh air to breathe. It is not a mere ques-\\ntion of slaking thirst in the one case, or the filling\\nthe lungs with air in the other. It is the freshness\\nof both that stimulates.\\nIf it is considered advisable to use individual\\nwater buckets, the following system of piping is\\nadvised, as shown on page 119. D is the inlet pipe\\nfrom spring or tank B the valve E, which is gov-\\nerned by a float F, that shuts off the water when\\nthe receiving tank is full. To water the cows\\nclose valve B 2 and open valve AA. Every in-\\ndividual bucket bb will thus be filled to a level\\nwith the water in the receiving tank which is\\nautomatically shut off as soon as all the buckets\\nwhich are set on the same level are full. When\\nthe cattle are through drinking, close valve A A", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0144.jp2"}, "145": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction\\n119\\nr\\\\\\nf^\\n-C\\ntf5\\nbo\\nO\\ni-\\n(U\\n-1-1\\nI\\n3\\nD\\nc\\ni\\no\\nx:\\n(0\\nX\\no\\nC\\ng\\no\\nO", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0145.jp2"}, "146": {"fulltext": "I 20 Barn Construction.\\nand open valve B 2, thus emptying all the trough\\nentirely into a sewer or the liquid manure cistern,\\nwhich, of course, we must now provide. Between\\nthe barn, and the discharge of the water thus\\ndrawn off there should, of course, be a trap, which\\ntrap is ventilated, as shown on page 114. This\\nplan overcomes all the objections which I have\\nmentioned in connection with individual water-\\ning troughs. It supplies pure, fresh water which\\nis never allowed to stand or become contaminated\\nby the impurities of the air. It provides for a sim-\\nple and inexpensive drainage that can never clog,\\nand does away with all floats in the trough that get\\nout of order. The troughs are covered with a\\nwooden cover AA^ which I saw in operation in Mr.\\nJames Forsyth s barn at Owego, N. Y. When a\\ncow wants a drink, she puts her nose against the\\ncover, raises it, and helps herself. Mr. Forsyth\\nassures me that the cows catch on, as he ex-\\npressed it, very quickly. This keeps the trough\\nalways clean and free from dust. The inlet and\\ndischarge pipe are the same. The flow and dis-\\ncharge comes straight from the main pipe into the\\nbottom of the trough, and is easily cleaned. A three-\\nfourths-inch pipe supplies the troughs, while the main\\npipe is two to three inches, according to the number\\nof cattle and length of the stable.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0146.jp2"}, "147": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. i2J\\nHandling the Manure.\\nThe points we wish to study are how to build a\\nbarn adapted to soiling-, with the view of reducing\\nthe cost of labor to a minimum, which it is well to\\ndo in the construction of all farm buildings where\\nlabor for any purpose is employed.\\nThe question of barn construction aie to the econ-\\nomy of handling the manure is a problem worthy of\\nour attention. The most economical plan is to cart\\nthe manure directly from the stable to the field,\\nand spread it broadcast in the one handling. It is\\nnot always convenient to do this, and at some sea-\\nsons of the year the land is not in condition to re-\\nceive it. However, during the greater part of the\\nyear, it may be carted directly from the stable to the\\nfield and spread from the wagon. I believe that\\nthere is no more effective way of manuring the land,\\nand getting the greatest good from barnyard manure,\\nthan to spread it broadcast on the ground as fast as\\nmade, either summer or winter. I have demon-\\nstrated this several times. A manure spreader is a\\nmost convenient and labor-saving machine, espe-\\ncially when this system of delivering is adopted.\\nMy idea of a trench behind the cattle is to have it\\ndeep and narrow, instead of, as usual, wide and shal-\\nlow. A deep, narrow trench prevents cows stand-\\ning in it with their hind feet. It holds two or three\\ndays* droppings without soiling the cows when they", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0147.jp2"}, "148": {"fulltext": "122 Barn Construction.\\nlie down. If narrow (the width of a scoop shovel\\nand little more) the cows can easily step across it,\\nwhereas, when it is only four or five inches deep and,\\nas usual, eighteen inches wide, they must step down\\nand into it in getting to and from their stalls. The\\nmost satisfactory drop with which I ever had experi-\\nence was one sixteen inches deep, and twelve and\\none -half inches wide.\\nThere are some iron gratings which give satisfac-\\ntion, in which case the trench is made to hold three\\nor four days or a week s droppings, so that they are\\nonly cleaned once or twice a week. There are no\\ndisagreeable odors coming from this accumulation\\nof manure, the trench being ventilated as shown.\\nAll the warm, offensive air is drawn off, and by the\\nuse of a daily sprinkling of land plaster (see chap-\\nter on land plaster, page 25) as an absorbent, the\\nstable is kept as pure and wholesome as a well-con-\\nstructed closet in a private house. Where land\\nplaster cannot be obtained, road dust or dry muck\\nas an absorbent is, we are told, the next best thing\\nto procure. If it is desirable to clean the stables\\nnot oftener than once a week, the manure trench\\nshould be at least eighteen inches deep and eigh-\\nteen inches wide, in which case, it will, of course,\\nrequire to have an iron grating behind the cows.\\nI have never had practical experience with these\\niron grates, but, from what I have seen, they could\\nbe improved upon by making the opening between\\nthe bars wider, and the bais themselves narrower\\nand deeper, so that the manure in falling will go", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0148.jp2"}, "149": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction.\\n123\\nthrough. As usually constructed, the manure, un-\\nless thin, lodges on the bars. Cast-iron gratings\\nare recommended, not to exceed one-fourth inch in\\nthickness by one inch and a half in depth (the nar-\\nT\\n.1\\nI\\ni\\nCtx^ t ron G rest i rvgi\\nII n n n 11 i\\n3^Q.Y\\\\or\\\\ of Drop,\\n/6 X /a", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0149.jp2"}, "150": {"fulltext": "124 Barn Construction.\\nrow edge up) the tipper edge rounding, and the bars\\nreduced to one-fourth at the under edge, as shown.\\nSome recommend flat one-inch steel bars set on\\nedge, the bars three-eighths of an inch thick, and\\nrunning lengthwise of the drop instead of crossways,\\nas shown. Prof. E. W. Stewart, of Lake View, Erie\\nCounty, N. Y. (author of a very valuable work on\\nfeeding animals), first introduced these self-clean-\\ning stables. He (Mr. Stewart) recommends grat-\\ning of T-shaped steel bars, made in sections for the\\nwidth of two or three cows as to size of trench, he\\nsays, in a circular describing these grates, usually\\nsixteen to twenty-four inches deep, three feet wide.\\nIf built thus, this will hold droppings of a large cow\\nfor about four weeks. He adds, in substance, that\\nstables thus provided are kept sweet, or much freer\\nfrom disagreeable odors, than where the stalls are\\ncleaned every day. He also recommends these\\nstalls for pig-pens. There is, Mr. Stewart informs\\nme, no patent on this appliance. Mr. James\\nForsyth, of Owego, has cast-iron grates behind his\\ncows, with a trench large enough to hold droppings\\nfor a week, and I was never in a barn so free from\\nthe smell of manure. Mr. Forsyth speaks in very\\nhigh terms of this system of handling manure as a\\nlabor-saving device especially when the manure is\\nto be carted to the field in a manure-spreader, it has\\nvery much to recommend it.\\nThe trench itself had better be either of brick or\\ncement, or cast iron, or, if built of wood, should be\\ncarefully put together with red-lead joints, or in", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0150.jp2"}, "151": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction.\\n125\\nsome way made water-tight. We can no longer\\nafford to waste the most valuable half of barn\\nmanure. This drop or gutter may drain into the\\nliquid-manure cistern, have a hose turned into it,\\nand be thoroughly cleaned after emptying. The\\ngutter is easily made of concrete first the bottom in\\nthe usual way; the sides are made by filling in a\\nspace between two planks set on edge as shown\\nbelow, well supported to keep from springing.\\nThe ditch is dug two or three inches wider than\\nthis space between the sides of the ditch and the\\nupright plank (which plank is only used as a mold to\\n-l/.V -.-r-;; -J.\\nV\\nM\\nIf\\n^y^\\nI V V\\nbe taken away when the concrete has set). The\\nfloor upon which the cows stand is also cemented.\\nThis is a little more expensive than plank, but, once\\nin, it should last indefinitely. Depressions for a cast-\\niron grating to fit in level or flush with the plat-\\nform the cows stand upon and the driveway behind\\nthem, should be provided.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0151.jp2"}, "152": {"fulltext": "I 26 Barn Construction.\\nManure Shed.\\nWhere and when it is impracticable to deliver the\\nmanure directly from the wagon or manure-spreader\\nto the field, it is quite essential that some provision\\nshould be made either to compost or cover it.\\nA very inexpensive manure shed on a grain farm\\nmay be built by setting some large posts in the\\nground where the straw-stack is usually built. Saw\\nthe tops of the posts off level, and on them place\\ntimbers flattened on both sides, and on these timbers\\nplace poles, old rails, or boards, and on top of this\\nbuild the straw stack. I had such a manure shed at\\nmy Maple Lane farm, and found it a great conven-\\nience, as it made also a splendid place to turn the\\ncows in weather too bad for them to be outside.\\nThree men cut the necessary timbers in my own\\nwoods, and completed the work in three days. It was\\nabout one hundred feet by eighty feet. The posts\\nwere sixteen to eighteen inches in diameter, and set\\nabout three feet deep in the ground. It answered\\nthe purpose beautifully, and I would never want to\\nbe without such an arrangement on a grain farm.\\nProfessor Roberts, of the Cornell University, tells\\nus that the waste in manure in an open barnyard is\\nfrom forty to sixty per cent.\\nIf there is a stone-wall basement under your barn,\\nit can be utilized to good advantage as a manure-\\nshed, for that is really, in my judgment, the best\\nuse for a basement of this kind. The principal ex-\\npense for such a shed is the roof. I have had con-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0152.jp2"}, "153": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. 1 27\\nsiderable experience in the different kinds of roof-\\ning, and the best and cheapest I know of is to build\\nthem of boards grooved and battened, the battens\\nalso grooved, as shown in the illustration.\\nKoof T5odvr d^\\nAt Squawkie Hill, my present farm, I have forty-\\ntwo box stalls for brood mares and colts, and a cov-\\nered enclosure, 22 by 120 feet, that was roofed in\\nthis way in 1885, and is to-day (1900) in first-class\\ncondition, and decidedly better than most of the\\nshingle roofs put on other buildings at the same time.\\nIt has had but two coats of iron ore paint during\\nthe time, looks well, and answers the purpose beauti-\\nfully.\\nLiquid Manure.\\nOn the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, where the\\nscience of agriculture is better understood than any-\\nwhere in the world, the farmer, whatever else he\\npossesses, is sure to have a liquid-manure cistern.\\nHe thinks he cannot farm it without liquid manure,\\nand he is quite right. In the States we invariably\\nlet all the liquid manure go to waste, and in its\\nplace pay out annually (in the State of New York)\\nover $6,000,000 for commercial fertilizer, as already\\nshown; when if the liquid manure of the farms\\nthrough the State, that now goes to waste, was", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0153.jp2"}, "154": {"fulltext": "128 Barn Construction.\\nsaved, it would probably be worth as much to the\\nfarmers as the commercial fertilizer they now an-\\nnually purchase. It is strongly recommended to\\nevery farmer to try and arrange some sort of cistern\\nfor this valuable fertilizer, just outside the barn,\\nwhere the liquid from horses and cattle and the\\ndrain of the barn could be saved. There are any\\nquantity of patent liquid manure-spreaders in Eng-\\nland, and there will be plenty of them in this coun-\\ntry, when there is a demand. The Channel Island-\\ners mostly pump it into a hogshead on a two-wheel\\ncart, and pull a plug to let it discharge into a wooden\\nbox, about 4 by 6 inches square, at the rear of the\\nwagon. This box is bored full of small holes on the\\nback side. After what I have witnessed on the\\nislands of Jersey and Guernsey, I w^ould never again\\nattempt to farm without a liquid-manure cistern.\\nThe Mangers.\\nMy experience with cattle mangers has been va-\\nried. The requirements are, first, something that\\ncan be easily, and quickly, and thoroughly cleaned\\nsecond, there must be no corners or partitions be-\\ntween cows to accumulate dirt or grain that in time\\nbecomes filth. The cows, we have shown, require\\nplenty of pure, fresh air, and we must see that there\\nis nothing accumulating under their noses to defeat\\nthat end. The most serviceable manger is one built\\nentirely of concrete and cement, or, if made of wood,\\nit must be so constructed as to make the joints water-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0154.jp2"}, "155": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. 129\\ntight. If there is any place in the barn that should\\nbe kept scrupulously clean, it is the mangers in\\nfront of the cows, over which they must breathe\\nfor the greater part of their lives.\\nAll the partitions that are needed between cattle\\nis one just large enough to keep them from hooking\\neach other, or getting at each other s allowance of\\nfood.\\nThe cattle always show to best advantage in barns\\nwith the least possible amount of woodwork be-\\ntween them. Twenty years experience in exhibit-\\ning cattle at fairs has taught me that the most\\neffective display is made in a tent where the cattle\\nare simply tied to a 2 x 4 rail fastened to stakes driv-\\nen in the ground, and the rail being about a foot\\nabove the ground, with no partition or anything be-\\ntween them or about them in any way. In order to\\neconomize room in stables and stand the cattle\\ncloser together, some little barrier or partition di-\\nviding the stalls is necessary. The partitions are\\nthree feet six inches apart. If four feet can be given\\nto each cow, they will require no partition whatever,\\nif fastened by a halter, or as described further on.\\nIn the illustration on page 130 will be found my\\nidea of stall and manger with partitions. The par-\\ntitions are made of one and one-half and three-\\nquarter inch galvanized gas pipe as shown, the ends\\nimbedded in cement. A three-quarter inch pipe at\\nc braces the partitions sideways. Hanging to the\\npipe 00 is a board bb that separates the mangers,\\nbut does not quite touch the bottom of the manger,\\n9", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0155.jp2"}, "156": {"fulltext": "130\\nBarn Construction.\\nV\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a22", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0156.jp2"}, "157": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. 131\\nand in cleaning out the latter may be swung to one\\nside, either at right angles to the position shown, or\\nremoved entirely by unhanging it, thus making\\na clear passage from one end of the stable to the\\nother, which is thus easily flushed and cleaned by\\nturning on a hose. These feed-box partitions are\\nheld stationary by a simple fastening, as shown at h.\\nA two-inch galvanized gas pipe forms the top of\\nmanger. The floor on which the cattle stand may\\nbe thoroughly cleaned with the greatest of ease, and\\nno place is left to accumulate filth.\\nThe platform on which the cows stand is also\\nmade of cement, or boards, or plank laid in cement.\\nThere should be no air space under the floor to col-\\nlect dampness and rot the timbers. The distance\\nfrom manger to drop, without grating, for ordinary\\nsized cows, should begin at four feet six or eight\\ninches at one end of the stable, and may be reduced\\nto four feet at the other end, and then place the cows\\naccording to their size or length. With an iron grat-\\ning over the drop, the platform should be made about\\nsix inches shorter, so as to bring the hind feet of the\\ncow onto the grating.\\nCattle Ties.\\nWhere economy of space is required, stanchions\\n(which should always be the swinging kind see\\nillustration) enable the cattle to be put in stalls\\nabout three feet apart from centre to centre.\\nBut where pure- bred animals are kept, and it is\\ndesirous to make as favorable a display of them in", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0157.jp2"}, "158": {"fulltext": "132\\nBarn Construction.\\nthe barn as possible, the stanchions are not the\\nthing-. They hide the cattle too much, and they\\nmust be given a little more space, i. e. three feet six\\nThe Swinging Stanchion.\\ninches; in which case there is no simpler tie than\\na strap about the neck, which is fastened by a short\\nchain to the middle of the manger. (See illus-\\ntration).\\nThis fastening may be so arranged as to liberate\\nthe whole row at once, if it is desirable to do so, by\\nsimply pulling on a lever, operating an iron rod that\\nruns the entire length of the stalls through the\\n2-inch iron pipe that forms the top of the manger\\nnext to the cow. The next best tie is a common\\nweb halter.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0158.jp2"}, "159": {"fulltext": "Barn Construction. 133\\nWhatever kind of tie you decide upon, get a\\nnoiseless one. There are some fairly good patent\\nties. I have had most of them on trial, but they\\nare either a weight on the cow s neck, and make a\\nlot of noise, or take too much room. The trap is\\nnoiseless, light, and gives the greatest amount of\\nfreedom. I say noiseless the short chain rattles a\\nlittle, but a rope may be substituted, or the chain\\ncovered with leather.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0159.jp2"}, "160": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XII.\\nSTABLE MANAGEMENT.\\nStable Management in Winter.\\nIn the winter time the cows are kept in nights,\\nand turned out during- the daytime, when the\\nweather is favorable. I protest against the princi-\\nple of keeping cows in the stable all winter without\\ngoing out, as is being advocated by some. The\\nargument is that cold requires extra fuel (feed), and\\nthat exercise also is at the expense of extra feed,\\nand that a cow can only consume and assimilate so\\nmuch food in twenty-four hours, and if she expends\\nit in additional heat to keep the body warm, or in re-\\nplacing the wasted tissues or muscles by exercise, she\\nwill have just so much less fuel to convert into milk\\nand butter. This is undoubtedly true, theoretically\\nat least. But unfortunately this is not the whole truth.\\nWhile a cow is a machine, as has been said, she is\\nnot an iron machine. They should most certainly\\nbe turned out every day during the winter that the\\nweather is suitable, as an appetizer, an invigorator,\\nand for the relaxation of certain muscles. But while\\nit may cost a few pounds of milk in the daily yield,\\nfor the year it will, I am sure, be enough greater\\nto make up any temporary loss. It must be borne", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0160.jp2"}, "161": {"fulltext": "Stable Management. 135\\nin mind that, while a cow is a machine, she is not\\na finished machine. She is constantly rebuilding\\nand repairing her body, not only in one part or par-\\nticular, but the whole system is being constantly over-\\nhauled and renewed.\\nThat a herd of cattle may be collected and put in\\nthe barn, and fed there for six months or a year,\\nwithout stepping a foot outside, summer or winter,\\ncan be done, and that the owner will not be liable\\nto see any bad effects to the cattle themselves, is a\\nfact possibly true; but it is only a question of a\\nfew 5^ears when that man will discover his mistake.\\nThe reader s attention is called to the Havemeyer\\nherd, one of the prominent dairy herds in this coun-\\ntry. This herd was fed continuously in the barn\\nuntil the mistake was discovered, necessitating a\\ndecided outcross with animals of stamina and more\\nrobust constitution. If, therefore, you have anj^ re-\\nspect for the future generations and would breed to\\nimprovement, give your dairy cows and growing\\ndairy calves all the outdoor exercise they require in\\nsuitable weather. If the weather is bad for a week,\\nkeep them in for a week. Don t be a crank and\\ndrive them out in weather foul and fair. A cow is\\na machine, but the strength of the machinery is de-\\npendent upon health, and the ability to eat depends\\nupon an appetite. Whatever you can do to keep up\\nher energies and stimulate her appetite will be\\nfound the surest, safest, and, in the long run, the\\nwisest and most economical course to pursue.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0161.jp2"}, "162": {"fulltext": "1 36 Soiling.\\nStable Management in Summer.\\nThe stable management for summer is just the\\nreverse of the winter method, i.c.^ during summer,\\nas soon as fly time begins, that is, June ist, or be-\\nfore, the windows of the barn should be darkened,\\nthe cattle kept in all day, and turned out in an or-\\nchard or a small enclosure nights after milking, and\\nadmitted to the barn early next morning. During\\nthe night the barn doors may be left open, but they\\nshould be closed as soon as the cattle enter and kept\\nclosed all day as much as possible. You will find\\nwith the outside walls built as described, with two\\nair spaces, that when the cool night air is shut in\\nthe barn the heat of the sun will have no effect\\nupon it, except from the fresh air that afterward\\nenters through the flues. This will not make much\\nimpression, as all the woodwork and floors are\\nthoroughly cooled during the night, and will remain\\nso to a great extent all day.\\nWe have now shown the advantages of soiling\\nand the most convenient barn construction for pur-\\nsuing the system most economically. We may now\\nturn our attention to the best crops for soiling.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0162.jp2"}, "163": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XIII.\\nSOILING CROPS.\\nThe different crops that may be used to advantage\\nmay be selected from the following list by the soiler,\\nwith reference to the nature of his soil, climate, and\\nthe condition of his farm, and the kind of stock\\nsoiled.\\nI have noticed only those that have come into\\ngeneral use, and with which I have had personal\\nexperience, unless otherwise stated. Rye, followed\\nby wheat (sown in the fall), followed by spring sow-\\nings of oats and peas, and these by sweet corn and\\nsorghum, with millet, crimson clover, and barley to\\ncarry the stock through to ensilage.\\nRye.\\nThere is probably no other plant grown for soiling\\nwhich furnishes such an abundance of food early in\\nthe season. It occupies the ground when no other\\ncrop except wheat will grow. It is less sensitive to\\ncold than wheat, and its vegetation is mor^ rapid.\\nIt may also be cultivated longer on the same soil\\nthan any other crop of cereals, as it is far less ex-\\nhaustive to the soil. It will produce a fair yield\\nwhere wheat will not pay the expense of growing.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0163.jp2"}, "164": {"fulltext": "1 38 Soiling.\\nThe land plowed early in the spring for oats, and\\npeas, and corn, and sorghum, should all be sown to\\nrye the fall before, and top-dressed during the win-\\nter. It is much better that the soil should be bear-\\ning a crop, even if very late sown, so late that\\nit does not even come up, than to remain fallow all\\nwinter, especially where the practice is to top-dress\\nin the winter, which method has given me the best\\nresults of any, so far as the application of barnyard\\nmanure is concerned. Sow two bushels per acre.\\nWheat.\\nIn some respects wheat is a better sgiling crop\\nthan rye. It may be fed longer, that is to say, when\\nit is more mature than rye. Rye is fit to cut\\nearlier, therefore has that advantage, as well as the\\nother good qualities already mentioned. But its\\nfault, its only fault, I might say, is that soon after\\nheading it becomes tough. An acre of wheat sown\\nearly to follow rye is a most excellent practice, and\\nwill come in handy between rye and oats and peas.\\nThe beardless varieties are preferable. Sow two\\nbushels per acre.\\nBarley.\\nBarley makes a most excellent soiling crop, and\\nin a cold backward spring had better be put in for the\\nfirst spring sowing with peas, as it will stand more\\ncold and grow at a lower temperature than oats.\\nBarley as a soiling crop is well relished by cattle.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0164.jp2"}, "165": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 139\\nBarley and peas on rich land make a most desirable\\nsoiling crop.\\nIt is also one of the best late soiling crops for\\nOctober, sown after the first cutting of oats and\\npeas, for the reason above given, that it stands quite\\na frost, and keeps on growing when oats and corn\\nfind it too cold. Mr. A. W. Cheever, of the New\\nEngland Farmer, sa3^s: Two years experience\\nwith barley for cutting in September, October, and\\nNovember shows that it is very valuable for late fall\\nfeeding, as it is not much injured by frosts. Some\\nof my neighbors have been cutting it this season,\\neven after the ground was frozen. For this pur-\\npose, the six-rowed barley is said to withstand\\nthe cold better than the two-rowed variety. Says\\nMr. Flint Grasses and Forage Plants It has\\npassed into a regular six-rowed variety, which is a\\nwinter grain, and endures more severe cold.\\nSow with common Canadian field peas, three\\nbushels per acre, half and half.\\nOats and Peas.\\nWhen it comes to a question of the very best soil-\\ning ration for producing the greatest flow of milk,\\nthere is no forage crop that, in my experience, ex-\\nceeds oats and peas.\\nSow as early in the spring as the ground will per-\\nmit, and begin cutting when the oats are heading,\\nand the peas have well-grown pods. Sow equal\\nparts, and three bushels per acre. My practice has", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0165.jp2"}, "166": {"fulltext": "140 Soiling.\\nalways been to put it in with a common grain drill,\\nbut some advocate putting the peas in deep and\\nbroadcasting the oats. I cannot say as to this. I\\nalways had great success putting them in together\\nwith the drill, making one job of it. I do not see\\nhow it is possible to produce any better results than\\nI have attained by this method.\\nOats and peas are a most excellent soiling crop for\\newes when suckling their lambs, and when it is de-\\nsirable to crowd the lambs for the butcher, they will\\nbe found a most excellent assistant. Brood mares\\nwith foal at foot can have no better treatment than\\nto be put into the barn daytimes, and fed a liberal\\nsupply of oats and peas. I am in favor of it for\\nwork-horses, if they must have green food. Of\\ncourse, there is nothing better than good timothy\\nhay and oats for a horse to work on, but oats and\\npeas may be fed without loosening the bowels, as is\\noften the case with grass or clover. Lucern, how-\\never, is, no doubt, quite equal to oats and peas for\\nfeeding horses. In feeding oats and peas to work\\nhorses, I prefer them well advanced, that is to say,\\nthe heads well formed, and the peas old enough for\\ntable purpose, or a little beyond that stage. In a\\nletter from Mr. Crozier, of Long Island, after men-\\ntioning several of the leading crops that he uses for\\nsoiling, he says, I also grow that most valuable crop\\nfor soiling, oats and peas, one of the best crops I\\ngrow.\\nMr. T. Brown, in an article in The Country Gen-\\ntleman, gives it as his experience that oats cut and", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0166.jp2"}, "167": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 141\\nfed green will produce the most milk of all green\\ncrops, and will be the greatest profit to the cheese\\nfactory. For my own part I look upon oats and\\npeas as the staple soiling crop. Of course, later in\\nthe season we must resort to corn and sorghum in\\nmost parts of the United States, as these crops grow\\nand thrive better in hot weather, and in time of\\ndrought.\\nIowa Bulletin, Number 19, 1892,\\nReports that up to this time they have had most\\nsuccess with oats and peas. Recommend one and\\none-half bushels of oats and one and three-fourths\\nbushels of peas per acre. The peas are sown broad-\\ncast and cultivated both ways. Then the oats are\\nsown broadcast and harrowed each way. Work be-\\ngan April 10th and cut July 7th. The three best\\nvarieties of peas were\\nWeighed Green. Cured.\\nRennie s No. 10 14.2 5.5\\nGreenfield 142 4. 2\\nEgyptian 13.2 3.6\\nIt further says that peas and oats cut in this stage\\nform one of the richest foods, especially in protein\\nand fat.\\nCorn.\\nFor soiling purposes the smaller growing varieties\\nare quite large enough. My personal experience\\nhas been mostly with Stowell s Evergreen and Sou", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0167.jp2"}, "168": {"fulltext": "142 Soiling.\\nFodder and common Northern varieties of field\\ncorn. The principal advantage in selecting the\\nm\\nsmaller varieties is that they are more convenient to\\nhandle, and more suitable for feeding whole in the\\ncattle ,s mangers.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0168.jp2"}, "169": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops 143\\nWithin the last few years the introduction of ma-\\nchines for the special purpose of harvesting stand-\\ning corn and ensilage fodder has placed in the\\nhands of the dairyman a most valuable and labor-\\nsaving device, which can be heartily recommended\\nto any one soiling their cattle, when the number of\\nanimals soiled will warrant the outlay.\\nThere is a variety of fodder used in the West that,\\nfrom its description, should make a valuable variety\\nof soiling, the Pearl Flint variety. It is said to\\nset from three to six ears to stalk, with medium\\ngrowth stalk. Sow from one to one and one-half\\nbushels per acre. It should be sown thicker than\\nfor ensilage.\\nThe most convenient way of planting is with a\\ngrain drill rigged to drop a kernel every four to\\nsix inches, and in rows from twenty-eight to thirty-\\nfive inches apart. That is, providing the drills of\\nthe seeder are the usual width, that is, seven\\ninches. If eight inches, the rows should be twenty-\\nseven or thirty-two inches apart. If a drill is not\\ngeared to drop the required number by allowing\\none tube to run, two or three feeds can be run into\\none of the cast shoes by simply taking the rub-\\nber tubes from their respective shoes, and letting\\nthem discharge into one shoe or drill. An eleven-\\nhoed drill is the most convenient for this purpose,\\nand usually the proper gearing can be had to sow\\nthe desired amount from the discharge of single\\ntubes. In an eleven-hoed drill, let Nos. 2, 6, and 10\\ndrills discharge. This will plant three rows at a", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0169.jp2"}, "170": {"fulltext": "144 Soiling.\\ntime, twenty-eight inches apart. If it is thought\\nbest to plant thirty-five inchesa part, let Nos. 3 and\\n8 discharge in each case the wheel of the drill will\\nanswer for a guide in the return bout. When sown\\nbroadcast, the leaves stop short of full develop-\\nment, the stalk is weak, and liable to be thrown\\ndown by storms, and has not the strength to right\\nitself. It is hardly necessary to add that the ground\\nshould be well manured and cultivated. Mr. Har-\\nris Lewis says that he has found Stowell s Ever-\\ngreen sweet corn makes the richest milk of all the\\nplants he has tried.\\nSorghum.\\nMy experience in growing sorghum for a soiling\\ncrop has been so satisfactory that I can heartily\\nrecommend it to any one wishing to try it. It has\\nbiit a single fault. It is slow at starting. In 1878\\nseveral farmers, including myself, became inter-\\nested in the question of growing sugar cane (sor-\\nghum) which w^e had made into syrup. 1 had\\nplanted about an acre, but it did not seem to germi-\\nnate, and I bought seed for as much more. To my\\nsurprise the former planting came on all right, and\\nI had twice as much as I cared to have made into\\nsyrup, and the result was that we tried it as a soil-\\ning crop, and found that the cows not only ate it\\nwith great relish, but that they made a slight in-\\ncrease in the flow of milk. Subsequently I made a\\npractice of sowing it yearly, and have strongly ad-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0170.jp2"}, "171": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 14^\\nvocated its use ever since. I have seen it claimed\\nthat three and four cuttings could be made from the\\none seeding in a season, but I have never been able\\nto obtain more than two, and the last two years I\\nused this second growth to plow under, sowing the\\nground to rye for the next spring s crop. This, I\\nbelieve, is one of the advantages of the crop, that\\nthe seed grows the first crop for the cattle and the\\nsecond crop for the land the same season, followed\\nby rye for the first cutting next spring. This gives\\ntwo soiling crops and one green manure crop upon\\nthe same land in a single season. Sorghum, when\\nonce established, will flourish during a drought in\\nwhich corn comes to a standstill. Some recommend\\ndrilling it in with corn, or in alternate rows with\\ncorn. I should think this would be a very good\\nidea.\\nIt is possible, no doubt, that in the Southern\\nStates, where the seasons are longer, and where land\\nis in a high state of cultivation, it might produce\\ntwo crops or even three as claimed; and as it is\\na comparatively new soiling forage, I submit the\\nfollowing reports from experimental stations and\\nfrom newspaper articles on the subject. Sow in\\ndrills to cultivate same as corn, as it starts slowly.\\nIt is better to plant on sod, thus preventing weeds\\ngetting the start of it.\\n10", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0171.jp2"}, "172": {"fulltext": "146 Soiling.\\nSorghum Reports.\\nGeorgia Bulletin, Number 13, 1891.\\nThis class of plants, as shown by the analysis, is\\nhighly nutritious. Three or four cuttings can be\\nobtained during one season, outyielding almost any\\nother forage plant. The seed, of which the stock\\nproduces an abundance, compares favorably with\\ncorn as a food. The sorghum will stand a dryer\\nseason than the corn. When corn rolls or the plants\\nare drooping or standing still, the sorghums are lit-\\ntle affected, but continue to grow and yield good re-\\nturns in fodder and grain, so that they are even\\nmore reliable as a soiling crop than corn. They are\\ngreatly relished by all farm animals, green or cured;\\nand it is claimed that the milk and butter as well are\\nimproved in quality and quantity when fed to milch\\ncows. A little more care should be exercised in at-\\ntempting to cure sorghum than corn, as it heats\\neasily when in too large shocks. The best plan is\\nto cut it, and let it lay on the ground and wilt, tying\\nin small bundles and shocking it by setting the.\\nbundles so as to support each other like shocks of\\nwheat.\\nIt is sown in drills and cultivated the same way as\\ncorn. The first cutting should be done before the\\nstalk flowers. It should be thoroughly cultivated\\nbetween each cutting. Level culture is best, in\\ndrills or hills, the same as corn. Animals prefer", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0172.jp2"}, "173": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops.\\n147\\nsorghum to any other article of forage diet. Con-\\nsidering its ability to grow in the hottest and driest\\nweather, and that three and four cuttings with one\\nplanting can be obtained on rich land, there is no\\nplant for soiling which can equal or surpass sor-\\nghum in the production of milk. Yellow orange is\\ngiven as the best sorghum, containing the largest\\nproportion of dry matter per acre.\\nFirst\\nCutting.\\nSecond\\nCutting.\\nThird\\nCutting.\\nTotal.\\nGreen.\\n22,464\\n18,760\\n18,928\\n24,960\\n23,472\\nDry.\\nGreen.\\n13,728\\n10,054\\n16,640\\nDry.\\nGreen.\\n8,320\\n7,072\\n16,224\\nDry.\\nGreen.\\nDry.\\nLink s hybrid\\nEarly orange\\nWhite Mile\\nBennett s prolific.\\nBrazilian\\n2,57Q\\n2,392\\n2,204\\n7,072\\n6,489\\n1,996\\n1,788\\n2,704\\n1,664\\n1,289\\n2,579\\n44,512\\n37,336\\n51,792\\n6,239\\n5,169\\n7,487\\nStarts slowly.\\nKansas Bulletin, Number 18, 1890, page 175.\\nThe problem is complicated in Kansas by the\\nuncertainty of rainfall, and by its unequal distribu-\\ntion. Corn is the universal forage plant in the\\nWest, and in good seasons it is doubtful if anything\\nbetter can be grown, but for the greater part of\\nKansas it is too uncertain to be depended upon to\\nfurnish the necessary forage, owing to drought in\\nJuly and August, and uncommonly early killing\\nfrosts.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0173.jp2"}, "174": {"fulltext": "14B Soiling.\\nNon-Saccharine Sorghums.\\nThis class of sorghums is, as a rule, a generous\\ngrower, producing in good seasons a heavy )aeld of\\nleafy and palatable feed, which compares very fa-\\nvorably with corn fodder. In dry seasons these\\nsorghums have the advantage over corn that they\\nare not affected by drought to the same degree. In\\ncontinued dry weather, they will remain nearly sta-\\ntionary, but when rain does come they again pick\\nup and push ahead vigorously, whereas corn, when\\nonce stunted, never recovers. They will also make\\na better growth on poor land than corn can do, and\\nunder the combination of a dry season and on poor\\nland, where corn will be a complete failure, these\\nsorghums may still give a fair crop.\\nThe non-saccharine sorghums are as a class heavy\\nyielders of seeds, and the seeds compare very favor-\\nably with corn in its composition and feeding proper-\\nties.\\nPlant in drills; cultivate same as corn, three feet\\napart in rows.\\nKansas Bulletin, Number 18.\\nCorn and sorghum, in alternate rows and in the\\nsame row, gave best results in the latter case. The\\ntheory is that plants with different habits of growth\\nand feeding powers produce a heavier growth by\\nplanting together than separately,", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0174.jp2"}, "175": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 149\\nArizona.\\nSorghum and alfalfa supplement each other, each\\nsupplying what the other lacks to make a good cattle\\nfood.\\nEds. Country Gentleman: In the suggestion to W. L.\\npage 206, who wishes to try soiling, there is nothing said\\nabout sorghum, and yet it is without question the best soiling\\ncrop, yielding food rich and palatable and which can be cut in\\ntwo months from sowing the seed, and is in its prime in less\\nthan three months. It has the property of enduring drought\\nbeyond any valuable plant that I am acquainted with, and it\\nis eaten absolutely without waste. Besides, it has so much\\nthe nature of grass that its quality is not impaired by thick\\nplanting, as is corn. If W. L. will try a plat of it this year I\\npredict that he will never go through a summer again without\\nit. When you find a crop that will furnish full feed for six\\ncows a day from a square rod, you will realize the value of\\nsoiling crops and I have done this with sorghum repeatedly,\\ngrown without any cultivation. W. F. Brown.\\nKaffir Corn (Non-Saccharine Sorghum).\\nWe have read more or less concerning this variety\\nof forage, and I have taken considerable pains to as-\\ncertain its real value compared with Stowell s Ever-\\ngreen and sorghum. It is a corn with similar habits\\nto the saccharine sorghums. The following article\\nappeared in the Breeder s Gazette, and as it pro-\\nduces such strong evidence of the value of Kaffir\\ncorn, I publish as much of the article as pertains to\\nits value as a soiling crop", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0175.jp2"}, "176": {"fulltext": "150 Soiling.\\nKaffir Corn as a Substitute for Indian Corn.\\nThe saccharine sorghums, after being subjected\\nto thorough tests through a long series of 5^ears,\\nhave been accorded a high place among the forage\\nplants of America. In one respect, however, the\\nsugar sorghums did not meet the requirements of the\\ncentral and western trans-Missouri country. The\\nrequirements were these\\nI. A plant with great drought-resisting powers.\\n2. A plant cheaply grown, cheaply harvested,\\ncheaply cured, and cheaply fed.\\n3. A plant which would be practically a substi-\\ntute for corn in the production and value of grain.\\nThe sugar sorghums meet all these requirements\\nexcept the last. As a purely forage plant it stands\\nwithout a rival.\\nWhat is needed in the trans-Missouri country, in\\naddition to the sweet sorghums, is a plant which has\\nall the staying qualities of the former, but which\\nexerts its energies in the production of grain high\\nin quality and quantity. Such a plant would come\\nnearer a substitute for Indian corn than the sugar\\nsorghums, and the two together would supplement\\neach other, and combined would meet all the re-\\nquirements for feed in the trans-Missouri country.\\nThis kind of a plant Kansas farmers believe they\\nhave discovered in Kaffir corn.\\nKaffir corn is one of the many varieties of the", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0176.jp2"}, "177": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 151\\nnon-saccharine sorghums, and one which has forced\\nits way to the front and scored a decided victory\\nover all other members of the same family. Its\\nchief competitors for supremacy were rice corn,\\nMilo maize, and Jerusalem corn. After a fair and\\nthorough test at the Kansas Agricultural Experi-\\nment Station, and on the great experimental\\ngrounds of Central and Western Kansas, over a pe-\\nriod of fifteen years or more, all competitors practi-\\ncally withdrew from the field, and Kaffir corn wears\\nthe laurels. The more farmers become acquainted\\nwith it and with the manner of its behavior in times\\nof a crisis, the more they appreciate its high quali-\\nties. Here is an object-lesson given on my own\\nfarm It was necessary last spring to replant a por-\\ntion of the area planted to corn, which was done\\nabout May 20th. About the same time fourteen\\nacres of Kaffir corn were planted. The late-planted\\ncorn was practically ruined by the excessive heat\\nthe latter part of August, while the Kaffir went\\nthrough practically unscathed and yields over thirty\\nbushels per acre. In times of heat and drought it\\nbravely holds up its head, and for the time being it\\nstands still. With its beautiful green foliage it\\nseems to defy the unmerciful fiends in the red-hot\\nair, and when King Sol begins to relent, and gra-\\ncious showers fall, it moves serenely on as though\\nnothing had happened. Such is Kaffir corn, and\\nthese are the qualities which commend it to the\\ntrans-Missouri farmer.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0177.jp2"}, "178": {"fulltext": "152 Soilii:\\nMillet.\\nThis is doubtless one of the most nutritious green\\nforage plants that is used in soiling cattle, as may\\nbe seen by reference to the foregoing tables. As a\\ngreen manure it also ranks first, containing twenty\\npounds of nitrogen and seventeen pounds of potash\\nto the ton. It germinates and grows very rapidly,\\nand endures drought remarkably well. It is a very\\nleafy plant, and furnishes the most succulent food,\\nwhich is highly relished by all kinds of stock. It is\\nsaid to flourish in somewhat higher and dryer soil\\nthan other grasses, but it attains greatest luxuriance\\nin soil of medium constancy and well manured. It\\nis usually sown broadcast, requiring one bushel of\\nseed per acre, or grown as hay, which can be done\\nafter a soiling crop of rye, oats, or peas. It makes\\none of the best rations according to analysis to\\nfeed in connection with ensilage for a winter feed\\nthat can be mentioned. I have grown it several\\ntimes as hay in this manner, and like it very much.\\nAnother advantage, and by no means a small con-\\nsideration, is that it is such a grand substitute for\\nhay, and can be grown on the same ground after\\na crop of hay the same season, or, as above stated,\\nafter a spring or early summer soiling crop, and\\nthen followed by a crop of rye. The same land that\\nwill produce one ton of hay per acre will produce\\nat least three tons of millet, and in a favorable sea-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0178.jp2"}, "179": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 153\\nson and on good, rich soil, a much larger yield.\\nThe best crop of millet I ever raised was after a\\ncrop of clover, and when the hay was gone we sub-\\nstituted millet for the noon ration, with ensilage\\nmorning and night. To my surprise the cows did\\n.equally as well on it as on the clover hay, and it pro-\\nduced twice as much feed per acre as the clover. I\\nhave also grown some grand crops of millet after\\noats and peas, simply cultivating the ground and\\nsowing the seed, harrowing, etc. It wants to be cut\\nbefore the heads are in the dough. When allowed\\nto stand until the seeds are fully ripened, the stalks\\nare rather tough and woody. It may be sown as late\\nas July. One bushel of seed per acre, broadcast, and\\nharrowed and rolled.\\nClover.\\nThe principal reason why clover has not been\\nmore extensively used as a soiling crop is that,\\nwhile it is very valuable, there are other crops used\\ninstead, which produce two, four, or six times as\\nmuch per acre, and yet are not so valuable for hay.\\nIt is much cheaper to cut the feed for fourteen cows\\nfrom five or six rods per day, than to cut it from\\nten, twenty, or thirty rods. One acre of clover,\\nsays Mr. H. Lewis, will feed a dairy of forty-five\\ncows fifteen days, and he adds that three acres fur-\\nnishes his herd of thirty-eight cows by soiling five\\nweeks. Mr. E. W. Stewart says: Desiring to\\nknow the feeding capacity of an acre of clover, I\\nmeasured off forty square rods, and I began feeding", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0179.jp2"}, "180": {"fulltext": "154 Soiling.\\nit to seven cows and five horses. To my surprise it\\nfed them fifteen days, equal to feeding one cow i8o\\ndays. The two succeeding years I tried the same\\nexperiment, feeding only cows, one of which proved\\nequal to feeding one cow 170 days, the other 165.\\nLucERN OR Alfalfa.\\nMy experience with growing lucern was at first\\nmost discouraging, and, finally, most satisfactory.\\nIn 1877 I rnade a trial of an eighth of an acre with\\nanother crop on land near the barn, but it turned\\nout to be such a foul piece of land, and the weeds\\nwere so much in the majority, that in the last of Jiily\\nI sowed the piece to buckwheat to subdue the weeds.\\nI found it a shy plant at starting, and that on this ac-\\ncount I had made a great mistake in plowing in the\\nspring and top dressing with stable manure, which\\nitself was, no doubt, full of weed seeds. I was de-\\ntermined, however, to have a patch of lucern. I\\ncultivated the lucern patch and sowed it to buck-\\nwheat, increasing the amount of land to an acre.\\nThe buckwheat came on well and did the weeding\\nthoroughly. That fall I plowed as deep as possible,\\ndeeper than ever before, and sowed the piece to\\nrye. This rye crop I plowed under in the following\\nspring, and fitted the ground with great care by\\ncultivating and harrowing, until I had a seed-bed fit\\nfor a garden, and sowed twenty pounds of good fresh\\nseed per acre. I felt certain that only a small por-\\ntion of my first seeding germinated. Here, I be-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0180.jp2"}, "181": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 155\\nlieve, has been a source of discouragement to many\\nothers in attempting to raise lucern. Dealers in\\nthe Eastern States had little call for it at that time,\\nand still, for that matter, they order a few bags at a\\ntime. This time I sowed the seed with a light seed-\\ning of barley, and cut the barley for a soiling crop.\\nThe lucern was just at a stage where it came on\\nwith a rush, and my seeding was a success. I never\\nweighed the amount per acre, as I have often wished\\nI had, but the second year I obtained three cuttings\\nfrom it. That, I am sure, gave me more forage than\\nfrom any other acre I ever had in soiling crops. The\\nsoil was a deep gravelly loam.\\nLucern is somewhat more difficult to cure than\\nclover. But as a soiling crop to feed in connection\\nwith corn, it has no superior. Corn, as will be seen\\non page 12, is very deficient in albuminoids, and\\nrequires bran, shorts, pea meal, linseed, or cotton-\\nseed meal to supply the deficiency but green corn\\nor ensilage, fed with lucern or Hungarian millet,\\nmakes a good ration. The two fed together make\\nthe most desirable combination that can be grown.\\nIts ability to withstand great drought, owing to the\\ngreat depth to which its roots go for food, and its\\ntremendous yield per acre of most succulent and\\nnutritious forage, make it second to none as a soiling\\ncrop. One seeding will last for years. It is a crop\\nthat answers well to liquid manure.\\nWhere land is suitable for it, it should be given\\nthe first place in the list of soiling crops. It is fit\\nto cut in the spring, nearly as soon as rye.", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0181.jp2"}, "182": {"fulltext": "1^6 Soiling.\\nRequirements\\n1. Fresh, clean seed.\\n2. Thorough preparation of soil after buckwheat\\nor a hoed crop, and a well pulverized seed bed.\\n3. Any soil with porous subsoil, which must be so\\nopen and so located as not to have standing water\\neither on top or in subsoil. With these requisites\\nand a good start success is assured. I am so\\nsanguine of its proving a success under the above\\nconditions that I quote at length the following,\\nconfirming my own experience, and showing even\\nmuch better results:\\nAlfalfa or Lucern.\\nUnited States Bulletin.\\nGrows in every State in the Union where condi-\\ntions of the soil are favorable. As a soiling crop, it\\nhas no superior. From three to four cuttings a year\\ncan be obtained.\\nIt is not a new plant by any means. A native\\nof Western Asia, and, says Jared G. Smith in United\\nStates Bulletin No. 31, was introduced into Greece\\nat the time of the Persian war, about 470 b.c. From\\nItaly it was introduced into Spain and the south of\\nFrance. It was carried into Mexico at the time of\\nthe Spanish invasion, and thence to the west coast\\nof South America. It was brought from Chili to\\nCalifornia in 1854, and from there it rapidly spread\\nover the arid regions of the^ Pacific Coast and the", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0182.jp2"}, "183": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 157\\nRocky Mountains, where it is now cultivated almost\\nto the exclusion of other forage plants.\\nAlfalfa is a deep feeder. The tap roots descend\\nto great depths wherever the soil is loose and per-\\nmeable, often averaging ten to twelve feet. It has\\nbeen recorded as sending its roots to the depth of\\nfifty and sixty-six feet.\\nWhen the stems are cut or grazed off, the stalk\\ndies down to the very base, and new buds spring\\nup on the upper part of the crown of the new root\\nand grow, forming new stems. This method of\\ngrowing explains why so many farmers have re-\\nported that alfalfa is injured or destroyed by con-\\ntinuous close grazing. Prime condition for success\\nis that the land be well drained. Twenty to twenty-\\nfive pounds of seed per acre broadcast. Fifteen to\\ntwenty pounds in drills.\\nNebraska Reports, i, 1892. Article IX.\\nIn the fall of 1892, during the prolonged and\\nsevere drought, it was the onl} green plant of the\\nwhole list, notwithstanding the fact that the spring\\nwas very dry. It grew nicely, and during the year\\nmade growth as follows:\\n1892 First cutting, twenty-six inches, June 29.\\nSecond cutting, twenty-six inches, August 2.\\nThird cutting, twenty-six inches, September i.\\nHay, Pounds. Per Acre.\\n1893 June clover 473 2,365\\nMammoth clover 475 2,375\\nAlfalfa, first cut 816 4,080", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0183.jp2"}, "184": {"fulltext": "158 Soiling.\\nFirst cutting hay, 816 lb. second cutting hay, 805 lb.; third cut-\\nting hay, 743 lb.; fourth cutting estimated, 180 lb. a total for one-\\nfifth acre of 2,544 lb., or 12,720 lb. per acre, or six and a half tons\\nof good dry forage.\\nWhat plant can we grow that will, without special\\ncare, give greater or even equal returns of good pal-\\natable forage?\\nIt has succeeded in Southern California and\\nMexico, where it has been a godsend to those people\\nwho needed some permanent and reliable forage\\nplant that could withstand prolonged heat and\\ndrought. It goes to a great depth in search of\\nmoisture. Roots have been known to reach the\\ndepth of twenty feet or over. It is a very nitro-\\ngenous plant, collecting, it is believed, the nitrogen\\nof the soil through a bacteria that works at the roots,\\nand is ever present in the soil. It is, therefore, a\\ngreat renovator of the soil, and a great accumulator\\nof the most desirable, most expensive plant food,\\nnitrogen.\\nSown as early as possible after frost. Land\\nshould be in excellent condition. Fifteen to twenty\\npounds of good, fresh seed per acre. That of the\\nprevious year s growth should always be obtained if\\npossible. Sow in drills or broadcast. Never sow\\nwith another crop expecting good results, or with a\\nvery small amount of grain, one-half to one-fourth\\nbushel of oats or rye or wheat per acre. Cut early\\ntogether with all weeds.\\nKeep stock off the field during the first year and\\nfirst part of the second year. If conditions are fa-", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0184.jp2"}, "185": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 159\\nvorable, you should have a fine stand. Tons upon\\ntons are being cured for hay, and are being fed to\\ncattle and to other stock.\\nFood Values The value of any food depends\\nlargely upon two substances present in varying\\nquantities. They are the proteins and the nitrogen\\nfree extract. The former is a flesh or muscle pro-\\nducer, while the latter is of the fat-producing order.\\nObjections Not easily established. Cannot be\\npastured first year.\\nAdvantages: When once established, does not\\nrun out. Stands drought better than clover.\\nGrows rapidly, makes muscle rather than fat.\\nSoiling vs. Pasturing.\\nUnited States Report.\\nAlfalfa is one of the very best soiling crops. It\\nmay be fed in this way to better advantage than if\\nthe stock are pastured on the field. Cattle and\\nsheep cannot be safely pastured on alfalfa, particu-\\nlarly when it is young and tender, or after there has\\nbeen a heavy dew or rain. They are always liable\\nto bloat if fed with green or wet .alfalfa. Horses\\nand hogs are not affected in this way. The loss of\\nsheep and cattle from tympanitis, hoven, or bloat,\\nas it is called, is very great every year, and, though\\na herd may go through an entire season without\\nloss, it is never perfectly safe to permit it to depas-\\nture the alfalfa. By a proper arrangement of the\\nfeeding pens and corrals alongside or near the field,", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0185.jp2"}, "186": {"fulltext": "i6o Soiling.\\nthe method of soiling that is, mowing the alfalfa\\nand feeding it in a partially wilted state is a cheap\\nand perfectly safe one. The additional cost and\\nlabor of cutting the crop, and hauling it to the\\nfeeding pens, will be less than the loss that will be\\nsustained if several head of stock die of bloat during\\nthe season. Young horses will make a very rapid\\ngrowth if pastured on alfalfa, especially if supple-\\nmented by the daily addition of a small feed of oats.\\nOne of the disadvantages of depasturing alfalfa is\\nthat the soil soon becomes trampled and hard, and\\nfor this reason the roots are not able to make a\\nsufficiently strong growth, and the field is sure to\\ndeteriorate.\\nAlfalfa for Hogs.\\nOne acre of alfalfa will furnish forage for from\\nten to twenty hogs per season. There is no cheaper\\nor better way of producing pork than to allow grow-\\ning pigs to run in a field of alfalfa. At a conserva-\\ntive estimate, ten pigs per acre will gain a hundred\\npounds each during the season from May to Septem-\\nber, and i,ooo lb. of pork cannot be produced so\\ncheaply on any other feed. The pigs will come out\\nof the field in autumn in capital condition to fatten\\nwith corn or small grain. The alfalfa in a hog pas-\\nture should be mowed once or twice during the sum-\\nmer, or whenever it commences to get hard and\\nwoody. This will provide plenty of young and ten-\\nder herbage, which is more nutritious, weight for", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0186.jp2"}, "187": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. i6i\\nwei^rli^, than forage from the older plants, and if the\\ns\\\\viiie are provided with this food in its most nntri-\\ntiuiis condition, their growth will be most rapid.\\nThey need to be provided with an abundance of\\nfresh or running water in their pastures. This for-\\nage plant responds quickly to manuring; no other\\nfodder plant responds more promptly to extensive\\ncultivation. Yet it is not advisable to apply stable\\nmanure when preparing the ground. Such manure\\nis always full of weed and grass seeds that have not\\nbeen digested, and which are really in better condi-\\ntion to grow than seed scattered naturally in the\\nfield.\\nAlfalfa Forage for Milch Cows.\\nNew York Experimental Station, 13th Annual Report.\\nThe importance of feeding leguminous crops has\\nled to many inquiries concerning the value of alfalfa\\nas forage for milch cows, for the alfalfa is much\\nliked by the cattle and other animals and contains\\nan usually large proportion of nitrogenous constit-\\nuents. The rapid growth of the plant, which can\\nbe cut three times during the season, and often four\\ntimes, makes it especially worthy of consideration\\nwhere soiling methods are practised.\\nA few of our farmers have grown good crops of\\nalfalfa successfully for several years, but it does not\\nseem suited to some sections of the State. Alfalfa\\nhas grown well on the station farm, although the\\nsoil is a rather heavy clay. A field of alfalfa of 2. 28\\nII", "height": "3382", "width": "2146", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0187.jp2"}, "188": {"fulltext": "l62\\nSoiling.\\nacres, sown in 1890, yielded this season (1894) for\\nthe first two cuttings the first during- June, and\\nAlfalfa Seedling, 6 weeks old.", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0188.jp2"}, "189": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops.\\n163\\nthe second about August ist at the rate of 24,500\\nlb. of green forage per acre. On account of very\\nAlfalfa, 3 j^ears old.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0189.jp2"}, "190": {"fulltext": "164 Soiling.\\nsevere drought, the third cutting was very light,\\nand only part of the field was cut for the fourth\\ntime. Another field of alfalfa of 1.3 acres, sown in\\n1893, yielded at the rate of 38,500 lb. of green for-\\nage per acre, as the total for four cuttings. The\\nlast two cuttings were very light on account of\\nsevere drought. The first two cuttings, from May\\nist to 31st, and from July 9th to 29th, yielded at the\\nrate of a little over twelve tons of green forage per\\nacre. These fields had been steadily cropped and\\nnot well manured for some years before sowing to\\nalfalfa, and were not in condition to produce heavy\\ncrops.\\nThe palatability of alfalfa or of corn (maize) is\\ngreater than that of most other forage plants of\\nrapid growth that yield heavy crops. This is a mat-\\nter of the greatest importance, for while the milk\\nmay be temporarily produced at the expense of loss\\nin the weight of the animal, the flow of milk must\\nbe sustained by the food taken in excess of that\\nnecessary for maintenance.\\nIn order to check the growth of weeds, a mowing\\nmachine can be run over the field of young alfalfa\\nwith the cutting bar raised, so as to avoid cutting\\nnear the crowns of the young plants.\\nCrimson Clover.\\nMy personal experience with crimson clover is\\nlimited to two seasons trials. The first trial was\\nnot successful. No doubt it is a most valuable", "height": "3372", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0190.jp2"}, "191": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 165\\nplant, and that as an autumn soiling crop it is most\\ndesirable. Besides its value to the soiler as a forage\\ncrop, it is a most excellent crop to follow after the\\nsoiling crops up to the middle and end of August,\\nboth to feed and to be plowed under for a crop of\\nrye. It is safe to say that $10 worth of crimson\\nclover seed sown in July will, under favorable con-\\nditions, grow more fertilizer delivered bn the spot\\nthan can be bought in any commercial form for\\n$100. The soiler soon learns to take advantage of\\nall these things. It is claimed that in warmer\\nclimates than Western New York, it may be sown\\nin the autumn for early spring feeding, and will be\\nready to cut earlier than red clover.\\nOur knowledge of its proper use, and the proper\\nway of handling it, needs experience, nothing more.\\nThe following is from The Country Gentleman,\\nwritten by Mr. G. T. Powell, and gives such practi-\\ncal and valuable information on the subject as fol-\\nlows:\\nCrimson Clover How to Use It.\\nThere has been much discussion over crimson\\nclover, and much condemnation and disappointment\\nin its use in the Northern States. That there is\\nlarge value in it is beyond all doubt, but the plant\\nmust be used right and with knowledge of its re-\\nquirements.\\nThere are five known varieties of scarlet clover\\n(Trifolium incarnatum) grown in Europe. These", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0191.jp2"}, "192": {"fulltext": "1 66 Soiling.\\ndiffer largely in their character of growth, the fifth\\nhaving a white blossom, and makes but a feeble\\ngrowth in our climate. There is an Egyptian\\nclover, the seed of which closely resembles the scar-\\nlet, and it will not withstand freezing. The seed is\\nimported and many have doubtless purchased it,\\nand failure following, crimson clover is condemned.\\nIt is an annual, grows best in a cool season, and\\nshould be sown only for autumn growth. The ob-\\nject in growing this plant should be to improve the\\nsoil by the nitrogen that it will gather from the\\natmosphere, to keep the soil covered, especially dur-\\ning the winter, save the loss of nitrate, and to add\\norganic matter or humus so much needed in the soil\\nof all our older States.\\nFor two years we have had nearly seventy acres\\nof crimson clover, with entire success. Ten pounds\\nof seed per acre will make a heavy covering. The\\nseed should be put on all cultivated and autumn\\ngathered crops. We sow with buckwheat freely\\nfirst. After the buckwheat is cut it grows until\\nwinter, making an abundance of plant food for oats\\nthe following spring. In the last cultivation of corn\\nand potatoes, about July loth, the seed is applied\\nand cultivated in. Cultivation in the apple, pear,\\nand cherry orchards is stopped near July 15th. Seed\\nis applied upon all these. Vineyard culture ceases\\nby July 20th, when they are seeded.\\nCrimson clover should not be sown in the North\\nwith the expectation of its coming through the fol-\\nlowing spring, while it will o ccasionally, but with", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0192.jp2"}, "193": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 167\\ncontinued freezing and thawing it will be largely\\nkilled.\\nThe New Jersey Experiment Station has shown\\nby analysis that a crop of this clover six inches\\nhigh has accumulated nitrogen per acre that would\\ncost $15 to buy; at thirteen inches high, $25.50 to\\nbuy per acre, while at full maturity it is worth $30\\nper acre.\\nThe following are some of the points to be kept\\nin mind in sowing crimson clover for the North Get\\nhome-grown seed, not imported, sow early in July,\\nand depend upon growth only up to December.\\nSow only with the object to improve the soil; sow to\\nkeep down weeds, and for a winter covering to the\\nsoil. The better the previous cultivation, the\\ngreater will be the growth. It is adapted to all\\nkinds of soil, but especially to sandy soil. If the\\nsoil is rather poor, apply 250 lb. of muriate of pot-\\nash per acre to give it a more vigorous start. If\\nfarmers will study this plant, and use it judiciously,\\nit will be the cheapest way possible to build up run-\\ndown land. Nitrogen, the most expensive plant\\nfood, need not be purchased, only potash and phos-\\nphoric acid occasionally, thus saving much of the\\npresent heavy outlay for commercial fertilizers.\\nThe possibilities for improvement by the use of\\ncrimson clover are far greater than farmers realize.\\nIt must not be condemned on one or two trials when\\nred clover has failed in many places for the past\\ntwenty years.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0193.jp2"}, "194": {"fulltext": "1 68 Soiling.\\nDelaware Station, Third Annual Report, page 151.\\nAn analysis to determine its feeding value com-\\npared with wheat bran. It took 5.8 tons of crimson\\nclover g-reen to make one ton air-dry. And one\\nton air-dry crimson clover gave\\nCrimson Clover. Wheat Bran.\\nCrude fat $6.06 $6. 16\\nCrude proteins 5. 86 5.48\\nCarbohydrates S.98 8.41\\n$20.90 $21.05\\nSeed An average of from nine to ten bushels\\nper acre is not unusual. Clover two tons per acre\\nleaves four tons of roots in the ground.\\nCow Peas.\\nSouth of the Mason and Dixon line the cow pea is\\nbecoming one of the most valuable of plants for soil-\\ning, and especially for plowing under for green\\nmanure. I have witnessed some of the most mar-\\nvellous results from plowing under a crop of cow\\npeas in North Carolina. I feel safe in saying that it\\nis a saving of hundreds of thousands of dollars in\\ncommercial fertilizers in that State alone and when\\nthoroughly understood will be an annual saving of\\nmillions to the Southern farmer.\\nIt grows even as far north as Lake Ontario. My\\nown experience with it is limited to two trials on very\\npoor, wornout land; and while I was not able to", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0194.jp2"}, "195": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 169\\ngrow much of a crop, it probably did as well as any-\\nthing would on that particular ground. Since visit-\\ning some enterprising farmers in North Carolina,\\nwho are large growers of the plant, I am thoroughly\\nconvinced that, for the South at least, there is not\\nat hand another forage crop that can be called its\\nequal. In order to grow the first crop on exhausted\\nland, barnyard manure or commercial fertilizer\\nwould be a great assistance. The following extracts\\nin substance are sifted from the Georgia State Bul-\\nletin^ No. 29, 1894:\\nIt is really not a pea, but a bean. Clover of the\\nSouth, king of land renovators. More valuable to\\nthe Southerner than clover to the Northerner,\\nDraws nitrogen from the atmosphere. Grows on\\nlight soil.\\nResult: The best disposition of the crop was to\\nconvert the vines into hay or ensilage. There was\\nlittle gain in plowing under the whole crop green,\\nor plowing under the stubble. That it stands to-\\nday at the head of all soil renovators, at least for the\\nSouth, is beyond question.\\nCow peas will grow on land that is so impover-\\nished that clover will not grow. It has been proved\\nto do well in the North, in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,\\nand Ohio, and in New York and Connecticut. A\\ncrop of 16,000 lb. of green vines per acre is reported\\nfrom Connecticut. It is certainly worthy of trial as\\na renovator, even if the seed is yearly obtained from\\nthe South. Best for hay or soiling or ensilage are\\nthe erect varieties, Unknown, Clay, and Whippoor-", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0195.jp2"}, "196": {"fulltext": "I JO Soiling.\\nwill. Where a dense mass of vines is wanted to re-\\nmain all winter on the ground, Calico, Gourd, Black,\\nand Constitution are preferable.\\nThe roots of these plants penetrate deep into the\\nsoil, like lucern, drawing their food from beyond the\\nreach of most other plants, keeping the soil porous,\\nand above all their power to assimilate nitrogen, the\\nmost costly of all plant foods from the atmosphere\\n(four-fifths of the weight of the air is nitrogen), not\\nthrough the leaves of the plant, but through the\\nbacteria that have their seat in the root tubercles\\nthrough which the free, atmospheric nitrogen is as-\\nsimilated. Nor is this all. The dense foliage pre-\\nvents the soil from baking. The roots and stubble\\nalone of an acre of average cow peas contain 22.6\\nlb. of nitrogen, 5.9 lb. phosphoric acid, and 14.5 lb.\\nof potash.\\nTwo bushels per acre is about the amount of\\nseed, usually sown. The beauty of this and the\\nclover crop is that you can take a large crop from\\nthe soil, and still leave the soil in better condition\\nthan before the crop was taken.\\nSojA Bean.\\nAlthough known in the Southern States for a long\\ntime, it has never been fully appreciated, but prom-\\nises to become a great rival of the cow pea. It pro-\\nduces a great amount of green forage, which seems\\nto cure easier than cow pea vines, and proves more\\nproductive of peas. The plants grow erect to the", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0196.jp2"}, "197": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops. 171\\nheight of two and one-half to four feet, compact and\\nnot spreading, but branching freely, producing nu-\\nmerous wooly pods, containing two to three round\\nyellow beans. It is of as easy culture as our cow\\npeas, yielding a forage which is greatly relished by\\nfarm stock, the beans being rich in protein.\\nPrickly Comfrey.\\nVermont Report, 1889, page 87.\\nBegan cutting May i6th. Four cuttings during\\nthe summer. First cutting. May i6th, 15.9 tons per\\nacre. The other three cuttings averaged a little\\nover seven tons per cutting. Generally grown by\\ndividing roots, leaving one-half in the ground, cut-\\nting the half taken out into small pieces. A patch\\nset out in early spring was ready for first cutting\\nMay 25th.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0197.jp2"}, "198": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XIV.\\nSOILING SHEEP.\\nThe advantages of soiling sheep are becoming\\nmore apparent in this country every year. The\\nflesh and wool of sheep, says Mr. Stewart, are but\\nthe products of the soil, and contain nothing but\\nwhat has existed in the plants which the sheep have\\nconsumed. No farmer who has ever bred sheep\\nfor mutton needs to be told of the necessity of sup-\\npl5nng an abundance of succulent food for his lambs,\\nuntil they have reached maturity. A lamb that has\\nbeen stunted for want of proper nourishment or\\nfrom sickness can never be fattened as profitably\\nas one whose growth has never been checked. The\\nEnglish farmers not only know this, but take every\\nprecaution to prevent it, and to this it is mainly due\\nthat they are enabled to export to this country,\\nyearly, many thousand dollars worth of sheep, while\\nAmerican farmers might breed as good at home i^\\nthey would feed as well.\\nBut in regard to sheep we have yet much to learn.\\nI mean we have to put into practice what we already\\nknow, but for some reason fail to appreciate its im-\\nportance. There is not a farmer in America who\\nwill not say that it costs no more to keep a good", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0198.jp2"}, "199": {"fulltext": "Soiling Sheep. 173\\nsheep than a poor one; but not one in a hundred\\nputs the statement to proof in practice. The Eng-\\nlish farmer makes no secret of how he produces a\\nflock of sheep that average 200 lb. each, and shear\\nfrom twelve to twenty pounds of beautiful wool.\\nIt is all explained in the one word, feed. Not\\ngrain so much as a never-ceasing supply of rich,\\nnutritious forage which keeps the stock growing\\nconstantly throughout the year. To accomplish this\\nthey have adopted a regular system of soiling,\\nknown as folding or hurdling.\\nAs a general thing, the English feed less grain\\nthan we do. Again, it is very important to the wool\\ngrower that his flock should have an abundance of\\nfood throughout the entire year. Whenever the pas-\\ntures fail, the growth of wool is checked, and if the\\nsheep be afterward well fed, there will be found at\\nshearing time a weak place in the wool, correspond-\\ning to the time in its growth when the food was_\\ninsufficient. Wool, like milk from our cows, is pro-\\nduced in proportion to the amount of food consumed\\nabove that required to support life. Therefore, the\\nwant of a proper amount of food is first noticed in\\nthe wool, and here is where many farmers are de-\\nceived. Their sheep look to be in passable condi-\\ntion, and they are satisfied; but the sheep are not\\ngrowing a profitable amount of wool, as they would\\nif supplied with all they could eat. Says Mr. Miles,\\nThe great development in fattening quality and\\nearly maturity has been secured by a liberal supply\\nof nutritious food during the period of growth.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0199.jp2"}, "200": {"fulltext": "174 Soiling.\\nMr. Youatt, an English author, says It is of the\\nutmost importance that the ewes should have abun-\\ndant food, in order to produce a flow of nutritious\\nmilk while they are suckling, and that the lambs\\nshould have plenty of good pasture or other succu-\\nlent green food when they are weaned.\\nSpeaking of the Lincoln breed of sheep, Mr.\\nStewart says, In connection with a system of farm-\\ning in which heavy crops of roots and green fodder\\nwere the chief production, this improved breed be-\\ncame fixed in its character as the heaviest producers\\nof wool and mutton in the world.\\nDuring the early part of the season, when vege-\\ntation is putting forth vigorously, sheep do very\\nwell in pasture, but, by the time they have over-\\ncome the effects of winter, the pasture begins to\\nfail. The ewe must eat to sustain herself and sup-\\nport a lamb, often two at the same time she is also\\nexpected to be growing wool for the farmer. If she\\nis not well provided with the best of food to produce\\nmilk, wool and flesh, the wool is first affected, then\\nher offspring comes late to maturity, sometimes\\nnever then her own body becomes a ready prey to\\nparasites and disease, and she goes into winter quar-\\nters poor. A few years of such life hang her hide\\nupon the fence, and give her carcass to the crows.\\nThere are many farmers keeping sheep who have\\nno interest in their improvement, for the reason that\\nevery two or three years the rotation of the fields\\nshortens the supply of pasture, and the flock goes to\\nthe butcher. They pick up a few culls after a year,", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0200.jp2"}, "201": {"fulltext": "Soiling Sheep. 175\\nand begin another flock, which in turn follows the\\ncourse of the first. The farmer has no objection to\\nselecting a good sire as a means of improving, be-\\ncause he doesn t know but what he will have to dis-\\npose of his flo,ck another year, if he should be likely\\nto lose a seeding, or be short of pasture.\\nThere is probably no source of easier profit on the\\nfarm than a flock of well-cared-for sheep. Manure\\nmade from them is richer in nitrogen and potash\\nthan from any other animal, not excepting the hog\\nand the hen. Their wool and lambs are in the\\nmarket just when the farmer has the least to sell\\nthey require little care compared with cows and\\nhorses, and increase more rapidly. In fact, to de-\\nprive a farm of a flock of good sheep is to rob it of\\none of its most pleasing and profitable attractions.\\nThere is a way in which they may be supplied with\\nfood, rich and succulent, when they most require it\\na way in which the lambs may be made to grow con-\\ntinually from birth, and be early brought to full ma-\\nturity a way in which the farmer can produce the\\ngreatest amount of wool superior in quality, manure\\nunequalled in value, and make himself the possessor\\nof a beautiful flock of sheep, and that is by soiling.\\nI never regretted parting with any farm animals\\nas I did with my flock of sheep. Nothing I ever\\ngrew afforded me the pleasure or profit, nothing I\\never undertook to improve by careful breeding and\\nfeeding responded so quickly and well. My success\\nas an exhibitor with both horses and cattle is owing\\nprincipally to soiling. It is a question if ever a", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0201.jp2"}, "202": {"fulltext": "176 Soiling.\\nflock was more improved in the same length of\\ntime. In 1875 I made m}^ first exhibit outside of\\ncountry fairs, at the New York State Fair, at\\nRochester, N. Y. and came home with a second\\nprize on a ram lamb. Three years later the flock\\ncame home with the Sweepstakes Flock medal, won\\nin competition with the three best flocks of Cotswolds\\nm this countr} Afterward during five or six years\\nthe}^ never failed to bring home the largest share of\\nthe prize cards.\\nThe Cotswold, like all families of large-bodied,\\nlong and medium wooled sheep were originated in\\nEngland, where the climate is cooler, and where\\nthey are soiled on vetches and rape summers, and\\nturnips during autumn and winter, until rape and\\nvetches come again. So that they have come up\\nwith habits of idleness in comiparison with our\\nAmerican merino and ordinary grades, which are\\ncontent to grub all day on scanty pastures. By\\nsoiling, the English breeders have been able to sup-\\nply their sheep daily, from birth to maturity, w4th\\nmore forage than they could possibly devour.\\nAmericans fail to get the same results from English-\\nbred sheep, simply because they are not as good\\nfeeders. When we get them to the States, we turn\\nthem to pasture, and they get on fairly well until\\nJune, when they prefer to lie in the shade than to\\nseeking their food in the hot sun. Cotswolds, Lin-\\ncolns, and Leicesters, and the Downs as well, except-\\ning possibly the Southdown, will not work all day\\nas they must at pasture, to produce the best results.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0202.jp2"}, "203": {"fulltext": "Soiling Sheep. 177\\nTherefore, to make them do their best in this coun-\\ntry, or to equal English-grown sheep that are kept\\nfeeding all the time, some way must be provided to\\naccomplish the same end. We must remember that\\nfeed is mightier than breed. In fact, feed has been\\nthe making of breeds. Feed is, at least, the founda-\\ntion of all modern breeds. Select animals from the\\nchoicest prize-winning flocks, the best in England\\nor America, and neglect to feed them, and they soon\\ndegenerate into an ordinary race from whence they\\noriginally came. Selecting and coupling help to fix\\ntype, but food makes the breed. When a sheep\\nbreeder in America will make his sheep eat as much\\nas an English shepherd, then he can grow in Ameri-\\nca as good specimens as they grow in England.\\nAfter meeting my Waterloo in the show ring at\\nthe State fair, as already referred to, and not being\\nsufficiently forehanded to buy a lot of imported\\nsheep, as was the yearly custom of my principal\\ncompetitors, I was either obliged to give up show-\\ning or take a back seat or reach for the prize in\\nsome other way. It so happened that my sheep were\\npastured the next year in a field adjoining the barn,\\nand they were allowed the freedom of their winter\\nquarters, where they were obliged to come and\\ndrink, and, as may be imagined, during the hot\\nweather they spent the greater part of the day in\\nthis shed or under the shade of a board fence. In\\nbringing in the soiling crops for the cows, the wagon\\npassed the sheep shed, and as there was never in my\\nestimation anything too good for my Cotswold ewes\\n12", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0203.jp2"}, "204": {"fulltext": "178 Soiling.\\n(even if they were not good enough to win at the\\nNew York State Fair) there were always a few fork-\\nfuls thrown into their winter racks in passing. The\\nsheep were delighted. The lambs grew as I never\\nhad lambs grow before. It was not uncommon to\\nhave them weigh 100 lb. at three months old, a gain\\nof a pound a day for every day they were old. Of\\ncourse, they had a lamb creep, as shown on page 183,\\nwhere they could run into a separate pen and help\\nthemselves to bran with a little oil-cake meal in it.\\nLater in the season a little cracked corn was added.\\nI never had my ewes look as well or give as much\\nmilk and when we came to shear them and their\\nlambs the next season, the increase was twenty-five\\nto thirty-five per cent. Thus I unintentionally\\nworked into the soiling of my sheep. The second\\nyear soiling was begun earlier and continued later.\\nMy sales of rams increased beyond all expectation,\\nand the third year a rough board shed was built with\\na rough board roof, and soiling crops were put in\\nespecially for the sheep, as hereafter explained and\\nthat fall, as before stated, the flock won the Gold\\nMedal Flock prize with American-bred ewes and\\nlambs against the best flocks in the State, which\\nthis would never have been accomplished except for\\nsoiling. When in England in 1890 for the first time,\\nI saw how sheep were universally soiled, and how it\\nwas that Americans have been obliged to keep going\\nthere for show sheep. It was also apparent how it\\nhad been possible for English breeders to produce\\nsuch grand specimens as are found in the several", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0204.jp2"}, "205": {"fulltext": "Soiling Sheep. 179\\nlong and medium wooled families of that celebrated\\nsheep country. These sheep were by education un-\\nadapted to our general method of pasturing. They\\nare too large and too much affected by the sun to\\nwork as most American pastured sheep are obliged\\nto, and as only an American merino is willing to do\\nover scanty pasture. There is, I believe, but one\\nway to treat the English families of sheep to make\\nthem equal to English-bred and English-fed sheep,\\nand that is to soil them.\\nResults.\\nFrom 1877 to 1883 my Cotswold flock won over\\n$1,000 in premiums, besides several gold medals,\\nflock prizes.\\nThe following table of comparison of the amount\\nof wool taken from the same sheep following a year\\nat pasture and after two years of soiling shows the\\neffect of their having an abundance of food during\\nthe entire year, so that there was no check in the\\ngrowth of wool\\n1878, thirty head of sheep pastured year before 280 pounds.\\n1879, twenty-eight head of sheep partially soiled year\\nbefore 330\\n1880, thirty-seven head of sheep principally soiled year\\nbefore 55o\\nThose clipped in 1880 were wintered mostly on\\nsilage and bean fodder. In every other respect\\nthey were cared for as in the previous years. It", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0205.jp2"}, "206": {"fulltext": "i8o Soiling.\\nwill be noticed that the last clipping for 1885 aver-\\naged nearly fifteen pounds per head for the entire\\nflock; the -shearling ewes averaged over sixteen\\npounds.\\nMy lambs, during the years 1880 and 1881, were\\nweaned July ist, and at the average age of four\\nmonths, the average weight was a trifle over ninety-\\none pounds, many of the single lambs weighing a\\npound or nearly so for every day they were old.\\nAs many of them were twins, the average was re-\\nduced. The above results I have never known to\\nbe equalled by an}^ flock of Cotswolds, or any other\\nbreeds of sheep in America. The secret of my suc-\\ncess was keeping the sheep eating, and giving them\\na shady place to eat in. The extra labor was re-\\nturned several times over. I give soiling the credit\\nfor these results.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0206.jp2"}, "207": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XV.\\nSOILING CROPS FOE. SHEEP.\\nIn selecting- crops for sheep, the most prominent\\nare tares (vetches), rape, turnips, lucern and clover\\n(early cut), oats and peas. Of these, rape and\\nvetches are decidedly the best.\\nVetches (Tares).\\nSpring and winter tares are largely sown in Eng*-\\nland for soiling sheep, cattle, and horses. All stock\\nare exceedingly fond of them. My experience in\\nfeeding them is very satisfactory. I have never\\nundertaken to cultivate the winter variety. Spring\\ntares are usually sown in March or April. They\\nare very much like the common field pea, except\\nthat the stalks and leaves are finer, a vigorously\\ngrowing plant, highly relished by sheep and lambs.\\nThe blossom and pod are similar to those of the pea.\\nA small quantity of oats, barley, or rye should be\\nsown with them as a support, otherwise they are apt\\nto lodge, which materially lessens their value. They\\nmay be sown with a grain drill or broadcast.\\nAn English writer says: Sheep may be fattened\\nupon them, the milk of cows is enriched and in-", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0207.jp2"}, "208": {"fulltext": "182 Soiling.\\ncreased by them, and they are extensively employed\\nin feeding horses. They do not require a rich soil.\\nSow same as field peas, two bushels per acre in a\\ngrain drill with one bushel of oats.\\nRape.\\nRape may be called a turnip which has all grown\\nto leaves. It looks and tastes like turnip tops, but\\nhas roots similar to those of grain and grasses. The\\nseeds also look like those of the turnip. It grows\\nfrom ten to fifteen inches high. It is a most nutri-\\ntious forage plant, and is equalled by no other vege-\\ntable, as may be seen by the foregoing tables. Its\\nculture is similar to that of the turnip, and will sus-\\ntain about the same number of animals per. acre,\\nand may be sown later in the season. As a food for\\nyoung lambs it has no superior. It was my custom\\nto sow a small patch in the corner of the pasture or\\nin an adjoining field to the place where the ewes are\\nconfined, with a lamb creep a hole in the fence\\nlarge enough to admit a lamb but to exclude a\\nsheep, with a roller at the top and sides to prevent\\ntearing the wool, as shown in the following illustra-\\ntion.\\nThe lambs will soon learn to run in and feed, as\\nthey are exceedingly fond of the plant. It requires\\nabout two pecks^of the seed per acre, which should\\nbe sown in July for fall feeding. If intended to be\\nfed to grown sheep, it should be cut and fed to them", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0208.jp2"}, "209": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops for Sheep. 183\\nin racks otherwise they destroy much of it. Lambs\\nmay be allowed to pasture upon it, as they are light\\nin weight, and, if unaccompanied by their dams,\\nonly stay in the enclosure while feeding. The high\\nfeeding value of this plant strongly recommends\\nit to farmers raising early market lambs. For this\\npurpose it should be sown earlier.\\nI began growing rape at the suggestion of Mr.\\nC^fl\\nJ\\nL^rab Creep.\\nJohn Ross, of Jarvis, Ont. a noted Cotswold\\nbreeder in his day, with the result that I never have\\nfound any forage so satisfactory for forcing lambs,\\nor so good for age ewes and fattening store sheep,\\nor in putting the finishing touches to the animals\\nselected to lift the prize cards at the autumn fairs.\\nI usually obtained the seed from Canada, where\\nrape is used more extensively than in the States.\\nThe chances for getting good, fresh seed there are\\nbetter, therefore, than in the States,", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0209.jp2"}, "210": {"fulltext": "184 Soiling.\\nThe principal requirement is to have a thoroughly\\npulverized seed-bed, and to sow in drills with a hand\\nseeder twenty inches apart, and cultivated two or\\nthree times with a horse hoe between rows and if\\nground is weedy, use a garden hand-wheel hoe once\\nor twice on the rows.\\nFor a general fall crop, sow broadcast just after\\nthe last cultivating among the ensilage corn, the\\nsame as you would flat turnips, and by the time that\\nthe summer feeding is over, you will have a grand\\ncrop for September and October, either to soil from\\nor to turn the sheep on.\\nRape is the best possible green forage to have on\\nhand at time of weaning the lambs, so that they will\\nnot go backwards. Lambs may be taken from the\\newes earlier, if rape is^ at hand, than without it,\\ngiving the ewes more time to recuperate, there-\\nfore, coming sooner and in better condition to the\\ncoupling season. There is nothing like a field of\\nrape to put ewes in the finest possible condition for\\ngoing into winter quarters, and if grown on the\\nensilage ground without cultivating, is most econ-\\nomical, and will do what would require a very liberal\\ngrain feeding to equal.\\nAs rape is a crop not generally known in the\\nStates, the following quotations are given, which\\nconfirm all I have said in its favor and more\\nUnited States Bulletin, 11.\\nThere is still a season after the corn has been\\nharvested and before the setting in of winter, dur-", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0210.jp2"}, "211": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops for Sheep. 185\\ning which we must depend vSolely upon grass as a\\nsource of food for our flocks and herds, otherwise\\nwe must draw on our winter stores to feed them.\\nThe Dwarf Essex rape is a plant which can be\\nRape Plant, showing growth of two months on station fai-m, July to\\nAugvist, 1894.\\neasily grown in many portions of the United States,\\nand which will furnish abundant supplies of succu-", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0211.jp2"}, "212": {"fulltext": "1 86 Soiling.\\nlent, rich and nutritious pasture at a season of the\\nyear when most needed. The rape plant grows\\nslowly at first, but after a time pushes ahead rapidly.\\nWhere the conditions are suitable, an average crop\\ntjfrown in drills should furnish not less than ten tons\\nper acre, and when the conditions are all favorable,\\nit should be quite possible to produce at least twenty\\ntons of green fodder per acre. A large percentage\\nof Canadian lambs shipped during the more recent\\nyears to Buffalo market from Canada have been fin-\\nished on rape. Larger crops can be obtained from\\nrape sown in drills rather than broadcast.\\nSalt is a valuable fertilizer for rape on certain\\nsoils. In some seasons a good crop of rape can be\\ngrown after a crop of winter wheat has been re-\\nmoved. We found that one acre of rape would pas-\\nture thirty-six to thirty-seven head of lambs for two\\nmonths. It would probably be correct to say that\\nrape will grow in fine form in any soil that will pro-\\nduce an abundant crop of turnips or Indian corn.\\nRape calls for fine pulverization of surface soil free\\nfrom undecayed vegetable matter. Rape responds\\nvigorously to the application of barnyard manure.\\nRape is a gross feeding plant therefore, has much\\npower to gather plant food in the soil.\\nRape is unrivalled as a pasture for sheep in\\nautumn. As a fattening food in the field, it is with-\\nout a rival in point of cheapness or effectiveness.\\nIt does not detract from the fertility when the sheep\\nwhich eat it off are inclosed upon it.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0212.jp2"}, "213": {"fulltext": "Soiling Crops for Sheep. 187\\nTurnips.\\nThe turnip in England has become a regular rota-\\ntion crop, and takes the place of corn in this coun-\\ntry, I.e., first turnips, second barley, third wheat,\\nfourth grass or pasture. The varieties mostly used\\nfor feeding stock are the White Norfolk, Yellow\\nAberdeen, Swedish, and Dale s Hybrid, which\\nlatter is a hardy, succulent vegetable, much relished\\nby stock, and in no respect injured by the severest\\nwinter. It is sometimes sown broadcast, but is\\nfound to pay better when sown in drills and culti-\\nvated. Turnips may be sown from the last of May\\ntill the second week in July.\\nThese are the principal soiling crops for sheep, in\\nconnection with the other forage crops which have\\nbeen considered under the general head of soiling\\ncrops, especially oats and peas, lucern, vetches or\\ntares.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0213.jp2"}, "214": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XVI.\\nPORTABLE FENCING.\\nThe woven galvanized wire fencing, supported by\\nstakes driven into the ground every ten feet, makes\\none of the most convenient and easily handled of all\\nportable fencing for sheep. Three or three and\\none-half feet will be found high enough. One man\\ncan handle a roll of 300 feet. (See cut.)\\nIf it is desirable to have a portable fence, the fol-\\nlowing can be recommended: The battens at the\\nends are nailed on opposite sides of each panel. The\\npanels are held or locked together by a ^-inch steel\\nor iron rod, bent as shown. To erect the fence, one\\npanel is set up end to end of another, the steel rod is\\nhooked onto the second board from the top of each\\npanel. Thepanel last set up is then swung to the left\\nor right, as the case may be, until the iron rod brings\\nthe two ends tight together. The next panel is put up", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0214.jp2"}, "215": {"fulltext": "Portable Fencing.\\nwith the rod on the op-\\nposite side of the panel,\\nand is swung in the op-\\nposite direction. This\\nmakes a slightly zigzag\\nfence, just enough so\\nthat each panel braces\\nthe other. Every tenth\\npanel has six 6-inch\\nblocks bolted on to it,\\ntwo at each end and\\ntwo in the middle.\\nThese blocks are to\\nanswer the purpose of\\nrunners to move the\\nfence. The panel with\\nthe block on is first laid\\nupon the ground; on\\nthat the other nine pan-\\nels are laid. A horse is\\nhitched to the bottom\\none, and the ten panels\\nare sledded along, and\\nset up wherever want-\\ned. There is now on\\nmy farm a hundred\\nsuch panels that were\\nmade in 1885. The\\nhurdles are made twelve\\nfeet long, the three up-\\nper boards, 1X4 inches,", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0215.jp2"}, "216": {"fulltext": "190 Soiling.\\nare from sixteen-foot boards. The six feet sawed\\nfrom them makes the two battens. The bottom board\\nis six inches wide, and bought in twelve-foot lengths.\\nThe end battens are allowed to project three inches\\nbelow the bottom board, so that the bottom boards\\ndo not rest on the ground; the panels, therefore,\\nadapt themselves better to an uneven surface.\\nFeeding Racks.\\nA movable feeding rack is a most convenient\\nthing, when it is desirable to feed soiling crops over\\nthe fence. It is equally serviceable as a winter rack.\\nThe roof projects over the sheep, affording some\\nshade. This is a very essential addition to such a\\nrack for summer feeding. The roof is made of clap-\\nboards or novelty siding. There is a ring for a\\nclevis in either end, to which a horse may be at-\\ntached, to draw it from place to place, or to move it\\nalong the fence as the cutting of the soiling crop on\\nthe opposite side requires, so that a forkful may be\\ndelivered into the rack from over the fence. These\\nracks are ten feet long, and cost about $10 to make\\nwith turned slats.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0216.jp2"}, "217": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XVII.\\nMANNER OF SOILING SHEEP.\\nLaying Out the Work.\\nWe will consider briefly the methods adopted for\\nfeeding sheep by the soiling system. If moved\\nabout from field to field by the rotation of crops,\\nthey may be supplied with any of the soiling crops\\njust mentioned, by fencing off a portion of the field\\nin which they are pastured, and devoting that por-\\ntion to the growth of soiling crops or a small por-\\ntion of an adjoining field may be used for that pur-\\npose. In either case the several crops should be sown\\nor planted in rows parallel with the division fence,\\nthe crop for the first feeding being nearest the\\nfence. A movable rack (see cut) m the pasture will\\nserve to hold the feed as it is cut.\\nEach seeding is intended to supply food for one\\nmonth, beginning about the ist of July on the first\\nsowing, cutting with scythe or cradle, and throw-\\ning the cutting over the fence into the rack. By\\nthe time the first sowing is consumed, the second\\nshould be ready for cutting, which may be done in\\na direction opposite to that of the first cutting, fol-\\nlowing back with the rack. The first crop next to\\nthe dividing fence may be oats and peas (one bushel", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0217.jp2"}, "218": {"fulltext": "192\\nSoiling.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0218.jp2"}, "219": {"fulltext": "Manner of Soiling Sheep. 193\\nof oats, two of peas or vetches) the second, third,\\nand fourth, rape. After the first and second sow-\\nings have been cut, the ground which was occupied\\nSecMoAof SheepracK.\\nSteele. I\\nI I I I I z\\ni\\nby them may be top-dressed and cultivated in, or\\nplowed shallow, and sown to rape for late fall\\nfeedmg.\\nIn estimating the amount of ground necessary to\\nsupply a flock with forage, we apply the same rule\\nas given for calculating the amount required to sup-\\n13", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0219.jp2"}, "220": {"fulltext": "1 94 Soiling\\nply i,ooo lb. (or a full-grown cow). Thus, sheep\\naveraging- loo lb. would require each one-tenth of\\nthat necessary for a cow, or, of oats and peas, one-\\ntenth of three-fourths square rod per day. This\\nestimate for sheep in the plan of feeding above de-\\nscribed may be reduced to at least half a square rod\\nper day for every i,ooo lb., as the sheep will obtain\\npart of their feed from the pasture; but this part\\nwill, of course, depend upon the size of the pasture\\nand the fertility of the soil. My own experience in\\nsoiling in this manner was in an old orchard con-\\ntaining five acres, one acre of which was fenced\\noff as above described. This four acres of pasture\\nand one devoted to soiling crops kept twenty-four\\nhead of large, long-wooled sheep, and twenty-two\\nlambs (fully equal to five head of i,ooo lb. each)\\nduring the season. This leads to me to say that,\\nas a rule, for every i,ooo lb. it will require one.\\nacre of land, one-fifth of which should be devoted\\nto soiling crops. It is safe to say that the five\\nacres, with one devoted to soiling crops, were equal\\nto ten pastured, or that one acre soiled is equal to\\nfive pastured. The variety of the feed and the\\nshade made the sheep contented, and, better still,\\nthey had all they could or would eat.\\nPermanent Pasture.\\nAnother method of feeding is practised to some\\nextent in this country, i.e.^ soiling the sheep in con-\\nnection with a permanent pasture. One acre of", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0220.jp2"}, "221": {"fulltext": "Manner of Soiling Sheep. 195\\npermanent sheep pasture is generally speaking,\\nworth two or three acres of new seeding.\\nThe plan is to have a field properly located and\\nlaid down to a large variety of grasses, some early,\\nsome medium, and some late in coming to maturity,\\nsome that grow thickly making a compact sward,\\nothers that send down long tap roots to enable them\\nto withstand drought. The following varieties are\\nnone too many and make a most valuable succession,\\nand if once well established become a source of much\\ngreater profit than the ordinary seedings that follow\\na rotation of crops.\\nThe following-named varieties and date of matur-\\nity make a splendid combination. The amount in\\npounds are the proportion of seed for one acre\\nPounds\\nVarieties of Grass. When Flowering. p\\nSweet scented vernal April and May 4\\nOrchard grass April and May 6\\nSheep s fescue. May and June 3\\nKentucky blue grass May and June 4\\nIndian rye grass June 4\\nRed top June and July 4\\nTimothy June and July. 4\\nEnglish rye grass July and August 6\\nWhite clover May to September 5\\nTotal number of pounds per acre. 40\\nThe seeds for an acre will cost $7 to $10, but when\\na pasture of this kind is once established, the differ-\\nence m the first cost is normally nothing. There\\nshould be a very thorough preparation of the soil,", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0221.jp2"}, "222": {"fulltext": "96\\nSoil!\\ning.\\neven if it takes three years, as it did in my experi-\\nence, to get the field in suitable condition. The\\nland should be as Hch and free from weeds as pos-\\nsible, using either green manure or thoroughly rotted\\nbarnyard manure to reduce the introduction of foul\\nseeds to the least possible amount.\\nFeeding,\\nWith such a permanent pasture the method of\\ngrowing soiling crops for sheep may be illustrated\\nas follows\\nF, L, R, comprise the permanent pasture or the\\nfeeding shed. L and R show how rams and ewe\\ni\\n1\\n1\\nf\\\\\\n1\\nF\\nA\\nP\\n1\\nL\\nlambs may be separated from the floor by portable\\nfencing, under the enclosure, so that they may also\\nbe fed on green forage in a portion of the shed.\\nThe following illustrates the feeding shed, which,\\nin my case, was made of rough boards and the roof\\nwas of rough pine.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0222.jp2"}, "223": {"fulltext": "Manner of Soiling Sheep. 197\\nThis shed stands on ground devoted to soiling\\ncrops fencing the permanent pasture, so that the\\nshepherd or soiler may drive on the three sides of the\\nbuilding, putting the feed through into racks from\\nthe wagon, as shown, without disturbing or going\\namong the sheep. There are no gates to open.\\nA patch of rape may be sown and fenced off in the\\nfield devoted to soiling crops for the lambs, giving\\nthem access to it by means of a lamb creep, as\\nalready shown, page 183, or in any other fields ad-\\njoining the permanent pasture that may happen to\\nbe under cultivation.\\nA portion of the shed may also be partitioned off\\nfor the lambs, where they can help themselves to\\nbran and crushed oats and oil cake at will. They\\nwill not injure themselves by over-eating if they\\nrun that way. They also enter this enclosure by the\\nlamb creep.\\nThis method was adopted at Maple Lane w4th\\ngreat success. This system replaced the movable\\nrack already referred to. I liked it better because\\nthe sheep liked it better it afforded better shade.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0223.jp2"}, "224": {"fulltext": "198 Soiling.\\nThe sheep remained in this enclosure the greater\\npart of the day, and, of course, ate a great deal\\nmore than in a field where, in warm weather, no\\nmatter how tempting the pasture, they spent most\\nof their time lying under the fence.\\nOf course the sheep must be supplied with water\\nand salt. The idea that sheep do not require water\\nis only an excuse for not supplying it. A sheep\\nnever cares to drink much at a time, but likes a sip\\nquite often. I have always found it more profitable\\nto indulge the wants of my stock than my own.\\nThe feeding racks are filled three times a day,\\nmorning, noon, and night, and this may be done by\\na boy. No more should be fed at a time than the\\nsheep will eat, and, should there be any left in the\\nracks, it should be removed before fresh feed is\\nadded. The shepherd will soon learn the wants of\\nhis flock. Another method of feeding is that of\\nfolding the sheep iipon the soiling crops instead of\\ncutting them. Formerly (in England) this was the\\npractice, but lately they have more generally\\nadopted the practice of cutting and feeding in racks.\\nRotation of Crops.\\nWhen a rotation of crops is considered profitable,\\nthe following arrangement might be suggested:\\na, Represents the feeding shed; i, 2, 3, 4, four\\nfields of enclosure in one field.\\nStarting with fields No. i and 2 as pasture lots,\\nNo. 3 is devoted to soiling crops, and No. 4 to", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0224.jp2"}, "225": {"fulltext": "Manner of Soiling Sheep. 199\\nroots or rape, No. 3 being seeded to grass with rye\\nin the fall. The next season plow No. i for rape,,\\nhaving been plowed shallow the fall before. No. 4\\nis now devoted to soiling crops and No. 2 and 3 to\\npasture, and so on in succession around the house.\\nThis plan would possibly require more land than the\\nother, but it might be found to work to even better\\nadvantage.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0225.jp2"}, "226": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XYIII.\\nSOILING HORSES.\\nBrood Mares and Colts.\\nAfter leaving the Maple Lane farm in 1883, and\\nwhere the operations in soiling- and ensilage began,\\nand were recorded in the first vohime of this work,\\npublished in the winter of 1880 and 1881, we moved\\nto Livingston County, N. Y. where on the Murray\\nHill Farm the soiling system summer and winter\\nwas practised, with thirty-six head of Jersey cattle\\nand forty-two head of Cotswold sheep. To this stock\\nfourteen brood mares and twelve colts were put on a\\nstrict soiling system, while the five stallions in the\\nstud came in for no small share. Two two-j^ear-olds\\nwere fed on soiling crops almost entirely, while the\\nthree stallions in the stud were put on soiling crops\\nafter the spring breeding season was over, so that\\nwith cattle, horses, brood mares, and colts, and\\nsheep, to say nothing of the swine, we were soiling\\nall told at least sixty head of full-grown stock, not\\ncounting in the stallions.\\nThe forage for these sixty head, counting pasture,\\nhay, silage, and soiling crops, was sixty-nine acres of\\nland the first year. We remained on the Murray\\nHill Farm only three years, when the cattle and", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0226.jp2"}, "227": {"fulltext": "Soiling Horses. 201\\nsheep were sold, and the horse business was carried\\non alone on Squawkie Hill, where, at onetime,\\nwe had between thirty and forty head of brood mares\\nand colts that were always supplied, more or less,\\nwith soiling- crops during the summer. For brood\\nmares with foal at foot, oats and peas make a grand\\nfeed. There is nothing, however, that seems better\\nsuited to horses than lucern, where land is adapted\\nto its growth.\\nThe horses, like the cows, were always fed soiling\\ncrops in their stall daytimes, and turned out nights\\nand any one who wishes to raise a thrifty colt, and\\nkeep the mother in reasonably good condition, can\\nbe assured that soiling is the best and most econ-\\nomical way to accomplish that end. My success in\\nthe show ring with horses as well as cattle was\\nowing largely to soiling. The following is a clipping\\nfrom the Live Stock Journal\\nThis class of stock (horses) is thought by many\\nto be unadapted to the soiling system, especially\\ncolts, as they require exercise to develop the muscu-\\nlar power, and soiling is thought to require too close\\nconfinement. This arises from misconception of the\\nflexibility of the system. Soiling does not neces-\\nsarily require the confinement of animals any more\\nthan pasturing. It is true that pasturing furnishes\\nlarger fields to range in, but nearly every farmer\\ncan devote a lane running to the wood-lot as space\\nto exercise in. This lane is necessary for the con-\\nvenience of the farm, and generally furnishes a road\\nto the different parts of the tillable land and", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0227.jp2"}, "228": {"fulltext": "202 Soiling.\\nmeadow. This will furnish the colts abundant\\nroom to make trials of speed, and afford all the ex-\\nercise necessary to develop muscle. This run-way\\nis easily fenced so substantially as to prevent the\\ncolts from jumping, and thus becoming trouble-\\nsome. I have raised a dozen colts in this way, and\\nfound them to develop in every respect as well as\\nthose pastured. We found this plan to work with\\nbrood mares and their foals. Having the food of\\nthe mares wholly under control, their production of\\nmilk will be more uniform, and the growth of their\\nfoals much better, than on pasture. The dam re-\\nquires full feeding upon appropriate food, and this\\nmay always be given in soiling, as any defect in the\\nsucculence or nutrition of grasses or other soiling\\nfoods may be supplemented with middlings, oil\\nmeal and oats. The foals are also constantly under\\nthe eye of the feeder, easily become accustomed to\\nhandling, and may be taught to take other food at\\na younger age. Early familiarity with the attend-\\nant and docility are not only favorable to the foal s\\nprogress in development, but to its easy manage-\\nment at the training age. The vigorous, steady, and\\nhealthy growth of colts is most essential to their\\nfuture value as serviceable animals, and, therefore,\\nto the profit of the breeder. Soiling offers the most\\ncomplete control over the food and management of\\ncolts; and therefore, under this system, they may be\\ngrown with much more uniform success, and, on\\nland worthy $50 or more per acre, much cheaper\\nthan by pasturing. The foal responds more quickly", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0228.jp2"}, "229": {"fulltext": "Soiling Horses. 203\\nto the use of cow s milk than any other food after\\nweaning, and this may be skimmed milk, after teach-\\ning it first to drink new milk. The colt being under\\nattention in soiling, this extra food may be given\\nwith little extra labor. From considerable experi-\\nence I consider the soiling system as well adapted\\nto the raising of horses in all stages, from the suck-\\nling colt to the mature horse.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0229.jp2"}, "230": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XIX.\\nWINTER SOILING (ENSILAGE).\\nHistory.\\nIn 1875 there first came to this country reports of\\nexperiments made in France, by Monsieur Auguste\\nGoffart, of preserving- green forage. After many\\ntrials and faihires, and the expenditure of consider-\\nable money, his labors were crowned with success.\\nThe same year the French Government awarded to\\nMr. Goffart the Cross of the Legion of Honor.\\nM. Goffart first successfully ensilaged cut maize\\nin 1873. For years he held to the idea that the\\ngreen forage should be partially cured, and that it\\nshould be put in the pit in alternate layers with\\nstraw, until, more by chance than otherwise, he dis-\\ncovered that the curing process and the use of straw\\nwas, more than anything else, defeating the end in\\nview. Although ancient historians mention pre-\\nserving grain, and also forage, in pits dug in the\\nground, the system had been discarded for hun-\\ndreds of years, and M. Goffart deserves all the\\ncredit for its rediscovery. He must have been a\\nmost persistent and resolute man, for year after\\nyear he was obliged to cart out the forage he at-\\ntempted to preserve, as so much manure.", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0230.jp2"}, "231": {"fulltext": "Winter Soiling\\n205\\nAfter adopting a strict soiling system with my\\ncattle, as already explained, it was found that more\\nstock could be supported on the farm during \\\\he\\nsummer than could be carried through the winter,\\nwhich was contrary to the general practice under\\nAUGUSTE GOFFART,\\nBorn at Le Quesnoy, France, April 6, 1811. Ensilaged Cut Maize,\\nBurtin, 1873.\\nthe pasture system. This naturally attracted to the\\nreports of M. Goffart s success in the saving green\\nforage, for it was apparent that if ensilage was a\\nsuccess it would enable me to soil my cattle winters\\nas well as summers.\\nFrancis Morris, of Ellicott City, Md., experi-\\nmented with whole corn in a trench or pit dug in\\nthe ground and covered with earth; he reported", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0231.jp2"}, "232": {"fulltext": "2o6 Ensilage.\\nthat he found the corn fairly well preserved, and\\nthat his stock ate it well. To Dr. Bailey, of Boston,\\nMass., belongs, however, the credit of building the\\nfirst silo in America, a successful opening of which\\nwas reported in The Country Gentleman in De-\\ncember, 1879. I hastened to Boston to see for my-\\nself. The doctor went with me to his farm at Bil-\\nlerica, Mass. and I saw the cows eating the silage\\nand when hay was put into the racks on top of the\\nsilage, they pushed it aside, preferring the silage.\\nI had to admit that there was no accounting for\\ntaste, but also that the proof of the pudding was\\nin the eating. The cows seemed to relish it, and\\nhave a hearty appetite for it. This settled the ques-\\ntion for me. The following season we converted an\\nold cobblestone carriage-house and horse-barn into\\na silo by taking out the hay -loft floor, walling up the\\ndoors, and windows, and giving the interior a coat of\\nwaterlime cement. This building was twenty or\\nthirty rods from the cattle barns, and all the silage\\nhad to be carted there, but no matter. If my cows\\ncould be soiled winters, I was willing to put up with\\nalmost anything to accomplish it.\\nThis stone barn made a silo eighteen by twenty-\\nfour inside and twenty feet deep, which was filled\\nthe following autumn and heavily weighted with\\nstones (which were thought necessary at that time).\\nThis silo answered the purpose, and was a success\\nfrom the first.\\nI believe this was the first silo in the State of New\\nYork, and the second in the United States, not count-", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0232.jp2"}, "233": {"fulltext": "Winter Soiling. 207\\ning Mr. Morris s experimental earth silo. I speak\\nof this with some degree of pride, because I was at\\nthat time subjected to much ridicule. Soiling my\\ncattle summers was bad enough in the estimation of\\nmy neighbors, but ensilage (sauerkraut as it was\\nthen called by many) was the capsheaf of folly.\\nHowever, the cattle liked it, and I liked the cat-\\ntle. The sheep ate it, and nothing that I could do\\nwas too good for them. The neighbors laughed at\\nme. The cattle and sheep also laughed at me when-\\never they saw me coming on a load of sauerkraut.\\nI was getting 50 cents a pound for butter, and I also\\nhad to laugh.\\nAs to the result it fully met my expectations, but\\nI have never claimed, as some have, that it takes the\\nplace of soiling, as will be shown under a heading\\nentitled Soiling vs. Ensilage.\\nThe only thing that can be said of ensilage now,\\ncompared with ensilage in 1879 1880, is that the\\nmethod of handling the crops is much simplified,\\nand the construction of wooden silos instead of ma-\\nsonry, as was then believed necessary, has greatly\\nreduced the expense of construction. The perfec-\\ntion of a corn cutter has lessened the labor and ex-\\npense of harvesting the corn, until the system has\\nbecome quite generally adopted, and is now within\\nthe reach of almost any farmer.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0233.jp2"}, "234": {"fulltext": "2o8 Ensilage.\\nEnsilage vs. Cured Fodder.\\nThe same grasses on which a cow feeds and thrives\\nin summer, and which enabled her to produce an\\nabundant flow of rich milk, and butter superior in\\ncolor, and flavor, and quality, when cured and fed\\nto her in the winter (or summer either for that mat-\\nter) produce far less in quality and quantity, and the\\nbutter is also inferior in color and flavor.\\nYoung cattle thrive during the summer, while\\nduring the winter, if they hold their own or a little\\nbetter, they have done as well as most farmers could\\nexpect even when a little grain has been added.\\nIf it were possible, therefore, to supply our stock\\nin winter with such succulent and nutritious food as\\nthey are able to obtain on grass, the difficulties\\nabove referred to would, in a great measure be over-\\ncome. Ensilage comes the nearest to supplying\\nthese conditions of anything we know of for a win-\\nter forage. Our experimental station, by careful\\nand repeated analysis of cured-corn fodder and en-\\nsilage, sometimes find a result in favor of one, some-\\ntimes the other, but generally it has been in favor\\nof ensilage.\\nFirst, the chemist puts both ensilage and cured-\\ncorn fodder in a dry kiln to note the amount of\\nmoisure (all juices of plants being recorded as so\\nmuch water). The kiln-dried product is then sub-\\njected to chemical tests, and finally consumed,", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0234.jp2"}, "235": {"fulltext": "Winter Soiling. 209\\nburned. As a result they find the feeding and ma-\\nnurial value of both samples.\\nAlthough all juice of the plant is looked upon as\\nso much water, curing clover hay or cornstalks, and\\nthen adding to them as much water as they lost in\\njuice, this, while it usually gives better results than\\nwhen fed dry, does by no means restore the forage\\nits full feeding value. You may go a step farther\\nand cook or steam the feed, and still you have not\\nbeen able to bring back to it what it possessed, or, at\\nleast, what the animals are able to extract from the\\nsame food in its green, succulent state.\\nThat ensilage contains greater feeding value than\\ncured corn, no one should expect. There is cer-\\ntainly nothing within the four walls of a silo to\\nmanufacture albuminoids, carbohydrates, or fat;\\ntherefore, whatever difference there may be in the\\nresult of feeding green forage and cured, that differ-\\nence should be credited to the juice of the plant as\\nso much food. Every farmer knows that whole\\ncornstalks are always fed at a waste. From fifty to\\nseventy-five per cent, of the stalk goes into the\\nmanure pile, unless absolute hunger induces the\\nstock to eat more than they otherwise would. Even\\nwhen run through the cutter a large proportion is\\nwasted. The experiment station says that the grain\\nis forty-five per cent, of the plant, and that forty-five\\nper cent, of the value of the plant is in the stalk be-\\nlow the ear, and only ten per cent, of the value of\\nthe stalk above the ear.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0235.jp2"}, "236": {"fulltext": "2 1 o Ensilage.\\nPalatability.\\nThen comes the question of palatability. A piece\\nof fat pork may furnish more nutriment to a person\\nthan a whole loaf of bread but if the person dislikes\\nthe one and enjoys the other, what comfort or bene-\\nfit is that person to g-et from a chemical analysis?\\nWhen a cow leaves hay to eat ensilage, and hungers\\nfor it, what good is it to the cow, or to the owner\\neither, to know that the hay contains the greater\\nfeeding- value? This is another point that is invari-\\nably lost sight of at experimental stations. If a\\ncow eats cured stalks simply to satisfy hunger, and\\nhas a relish for ensilag-e in quantities controlled only\\nby her capacity, it is not a question of albuminoids,\\ncarbohydrates, and fats, but of dollars and cents to\\nthe owner. Allowing the cows to eat as much as\\nthey wanted of corn silage and fodder corn with the\\nsame ration of hay, bran, and oats, they were able\\nto give more milk daily, which contained more fat\\non the ensilage than on the fodder corn, while the\\nquantity of butter produced on the ensilage feed\\nwas more than on the fodder-corn feed. At the\\nsame time the cows invariably consumed less dry\\nmatter when on fodder than when on ensilage.\\nEnsilage vs. Hay.\\nThe advantages of winter soiling over the feeding\\nof cured hay and cornstalks may be summed up un-\\nder the following heads, but as these points have", "height": "3356", "width": "2168", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0236.jp2"}, "237": {"fulltext": "Winter Soiling. 2i I\\nbeen discussed largely under similar headings and\\nunder summer soiling, a brief mention of them will\\nsuffice.\\nFirst. The increased acreage of the farm. Here\\nin adopting winter soiling lies the great and unmis-\\ntakable value or profit, and it is passing strange\\nhow for years and years the question hung on the\\npoint of what analysis was able to prove compared\\nwith hay or dried corn fodder. The question is the\\nsame as with summer soiling. What is the use of\\ndiscussing whether there is more feeding value in a\\nton of grass or a ton of oats and peas? What the\\nsoiler wants to know is how many more head of cat-\\ntle he can support from an acre.\\nIt may take two or even three tons of ensilage to\\nequal a ton of hay, but if by growing ensilage the\\nfarmer can make one acre produce an equivalent in\\nfeeding value to five, six, and even seven tons of\\nhay per acre, there is a gain so distinct that he who\\nruns may read. It matters little whether science\\nagrees with the cattle or not. There are hundreds\\nof thousands of farmers who have demonstrated\\nthat ensilage is a good thing. They have doubled\\nthe number of their dairy, they are getting twice as\\nmuch milk a year as formerly, making twice as much\\nmanure, and growing crops that have in many cases\\ndoubled the former yield, and they have done it all\\nwithout buying more land.\\nThe following table shows at a glance the real\\nvalue and advantage of ensilage over hay. It may\\nbe stated that, as a rule, land that will produce one", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0237.jp2"}, "238": {"fulltext": "1\\\\2\\nEnsilage.\\nton of hay per acre will produce fifteen tons of en-\\nsilage, and land that will produce two tons of hay\\nper acre will produce thirty tons of ensilage per\\nacre. Two tons of ensilage is fully equal to a ton\\nof hay in feeding results, no matter what the chemist\\nsays as to their comparative analyses.\\nEnsilage vs. Hay.\\nValue one ton of hay at f 12 per ton\\nSeed per acre\\nCost of cutting and delivering to barn\\nValue fifteen tons ensilage (two tons ensilage\\nequal to one ton of hay) $6 per ton\\nSeed, fitting the ground and cultivating\\nLabor to cut and secure fifteen tons, estimated.\\nNet feeding value\\nEnsilage.\\nDr.\\n15.5.00\\n11.00\\nCr.\\nHay.\\nDr.\\nft. 00\\n2.50\\nCr.\\n$12.00\\n5- 50\\nThe use of the land is the same in both cases. I\\nhave not taken the question of manure into account.\\nMy experiences in plowing portions of meadows for\\nensilage, at Maple Lane, were as follows: Five\\nand one-half acres of an eight-acre field of hay was\\nplanted to ensilage without manure. We cut nearly\\nthirty tons of ensilage per acre, as proved by the\\nnumber of cubic feet of ensilage in the silo, when\\nsettled, estimating fifty pounds per cubic foot. I am\\npositive that from the remainder of the field there\\nwas not cut more than a ton and a half of cured hay\\nper acre.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0238.jp2"}, "239": {"fulltext": "Winter Soiling. 213\\nOn Murray Hill the experiment was repeated on\\nland that only produced three-fourths of a ton of\\nclover per acre. From the same field we cut at least\\nfifteen tons of ensilage per acre without manuring\\nthe piece.\\nSeveral times in this work attention has been\\ncalled to the saving of land by the soiling system,\\nas its most distinctive feature, as shown by the\\ntable. The feeding value of an acre of ensilage\\nor an acre of grass is ten to one. It is passing\\nstrange that experimental stations, and the pub-\\nlic in general, have been so slow in compre-\\nhending this point.\\nCured Corn vs. Ensilage.\\nThere is only one answer to the question of cost\\nbetween curing corn stalks and ensilaging the same,\\nallowing there is no difference in feeding value, and\\nthe answer is in favor of silage. It always has been,\\nespecially if the cured fodder is run through the\\ncutting box or shredder; in both cases the planting\\nand cutting are the same. Both have to be delivered\\nto the barn. In this there is something saved in\\nhauling the dried stalks over ensilage, but there\\ncomes the expense of shocking the former therefore\\nthe question of harvesting is in favor of silage. A\\ncubic foot of ensilage weighs about fifty pounds;\\ntherefore one ton only occupies forty cubic feet. A\\nton of hay in mow or stack occupies 525 cubic feet,\\nor about thirteen times as much room as a ton of", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0239.jp2"}, "240": {"fulltext": "214 Ensilage.\\nsilage, while a ton of ctired-corn fodder requires\\nmuch more space than hay.\\nIf two tons of ensilage are equal to a ton of hay,\\nthen ensilage will require only one-sixth as much\\nroom as hay. So much for the simple question of\\neconomy in storage between the two methods.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0240.jp2"}, "241": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XX.\\nTHE SILO.\\nHow Large to Build.\\nA FULL-GROWN COW Will coHSume from one and one-\\nhalf to two cubic feet of ensilage per day, but gen-\\nerally it has been found advisable to make one of\\nthree feedings a day of hay.\\nAt one and one-half cubic feet per day, a cow\\nwould consume in six months (the usual length of\\ntime for feeding winter forage in Western New\\nYork), 270 cubic feet, allowing for waste, say 300\\ncubic feet. If we multiply 300 cubic feet by the\\nnumber of animals we wish to feed, it will give\\nthe size that is required to build, in cubic feet.\\nThe following table gives the capacity in tons of\\ndifferent-sized silos. It is reckoned at forty cubic\\nfeet per ton, and a ton to last a cow one month.\\nThat is about sixty-six pounds per day, which is a\\nliberal feeding. The quantity is computed for six\\nmonths, estimating fifteen tons per acre.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0241.jp2"}, "242": {"fulltext": "2l6\\nEnsilage.\\nSize.\\nCapacity.\\nDiameter.\\nHeight.\\nCubic\\nFeet.\\nTons\\nContained.\\nCows\\nNumbered.\\nAcres\\nRequired.\\nI\\nlO\\n20\\n1,455\\n30\\n5\\n2\\n2\\nlO\\n24\\n1,745\\n43\\n7\\n3\\n3\\n12\\n20\\n2,160\\n54\\n9\\n4\\n4\\n12\\n24\\n2,532\\n63\\nII\\n4K\\n5\\n12\\n30\\n3.240\\n80\\n13\\n5\\n6\\ni6\\n20\\n3,840\\n90\\n15\\n6\\n7\\ni6\\n24\\n4,608\\n5\\n19\\n8\\n8\\ni6\\n30\\n5,760\\n144\\n24\\n10\\nAs to height, the modern ensilage cutters have\\ncarriers to almost any length, twenty-five to thirty\\nfeet if necessary. The silo should not be too large\\non top. It is best to uncover the whole at a time,\\ntaking off the entire top each day. This prevents\\ncutting down with a hay knife.\\nWhere to Build.\\nIn locating the silo it should by all means be placed\\nso as to open into the cow stable, and on a level with\\nit, but not directly into the stable. The idea is to\\nkeep the odor from the barn except when feeding\\nthat is, in a barn for dairy cows, as the milk, while\\nbeing taken from the cows, absorbs the odor, and\\nhas been the cause of condemned milk from ensil-\\nage-fed cows. This contamination comes from the\\nodor in the barn and not because the animals feed\\non ensilage. If the number of cows will warrant\\nit, the silage can be delivered from a wagon the\\nsame as the summer soiling crops. The silo should\\nbe so placed as not to interfere with drawing through", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0242.jp2"}, "243": {"fulltext": "The Silo.\\n217\\nthe barn with soiling crops, and for getting- out with\\nmanure.\\nHow TO Build.\\nThere are so many different ways of building a\\nsilo that it will be impossible to mention them all.\\nI shall only speak of the most general methods.\\nOf Masonry. We built two silos of brick, holding\\n160 tons each, at Murray Hill, and they gave excel-\\nlent satisfaction. This was in 1883, and they are as\\ngood to-day as ever. Possibly a masonry silo will\\nbe found the cheapest in the end.\\nOf Concrete. Six to eight parts gravel to one of\\ncement. This is built by pouring or dumping the\\nmixture between planks placed on edge, and sup-\\nported by braces and upright timbers to keep the", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0243.jp2"}, "244": {"fulltext": "2 I 8 Ensilage.\\nplanks from spreading. This makes a very service-\\nable wall, and an inexpensive one, especially where\\nthe owner has the gravel at hand. A wall of this\\nkind should be eighteen inches at the bottom, and\\ntaper to twelve inches on top, and be built plumb\\non the inside.\\nTJic Square Wooden Silo. Studding, double\\nboarded on the inside, with building or tarred paper\\nbetween the boards, is recommended by some. Oth-\\ners say they rot out quickly. The space between\\nthe studding should run up and down and should\\nbe well ventilated from the outside. If this precau-\\ntion is taken the boarding will last a number of years.\\nThe outside may be covered with single board or\\ndouble, as the owner may think advisable.\\nThe Round Silo. This seems to be the favorite\\nplan of late years, and they are constructed in nu-\\nmerous ways. Half-inch boards sprung to fit up-\\nright studding, put on double thick, breaking joints,\\nwith building or tarred paper between, and clap-\\nboarded outside.\\nOthers make several circular joists out of inch\\nboards nailed together, and use matched boards\\nfor the inside, nailed up and down.\\nStave Silos. This seems to be the favorite of the\\nwooden structures. I have seen many of these stave\\nsilos, and the one I would copy is built as follows, on\\na leveled cement wall, built as shown. Set on end\\nfour or six or eight (according to diameter of silo),\\n2X4 inch oak scantlings or other hard wood,\\nplaned. Bend the five-eighth inch round steel rods.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0244.jp2"}, "245": {"fulltext": "The Silo.\\n219\\nDCkttetN\\n5ecMon Of Kov\\\\-\\\\^\\nSilo 5howif\\\\g Doors\\n^tVv??=?^ 5^^T^^\\nW /-6 t", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0245.jp2"}, "246": {"fulltext": "220\\n.Ensilage.\\nthat form the hoops to the circle of the silo. Bore\\nholes through these 2X4 scantling for the hoops\\nto pass, through. The scantling is set edgewise\\nPl^^r^ of T\\\\our\\\\ SHo.\\nI 3 h\\nSccvlc;\\nI I I\\nand forms a stave of the silo, as shown. When\\nthese are hooped and set up, the setting up of the\\n$taves on the inside will be a very easy task. These", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0246.jp2"}, "247": {"fulltext": "The Silo.\\n221\\nRound 5 ilb.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0247.jp2"}, "248": {"fulltext": "22 2 Ensilage.\\nhoops are made in sections, three or four pieces to\\neach hoop, and are afterward drawn together by\\nnuts on each end, not shown in the cut, as they come\\nthrough the two by four. The doors or openings\\nare nailed to a batten, shaped to fit the circle. They\\nare then sawed out, and an inch board is put on, as\\nshown, to form a jam. The doors are taken down\\nas the silage is fed out.\\nThere are lumber firms in all parts of the country\\nthat make a specialty of furnishing the staves any\\ndesired length, and the iron hoops for completing\\nthe same. They are nothing more nor less than\\nstave cisterns built plumb. As to the cost, if the\\nstave silo is enclosed, there is little difference in the\\ncost of the three styles. It would be useless to give\\nfigures, as the price of lumber differs, and what\\nwould be a guide for one would not answer for an-\\nother.\\nGeneral Plan of Barn and Stable.\\nThe following plan for a barn and silo suitable for\\nsummer soiling is shown on page 223. This barn\\nshows two concrete silos, and dotted lines for t^o\\nstave silos, one on each side of the barn, in case it is\\ndesirable to stand the cattle facing in opposite direc-\\ntions. If it is thought more advantageous to stand\\nthe cattle facing each other, the two silos may be\\nbuilt at the end of the barn, as also shown by dotted\\nlines, in which case the manure-shed will have to\\nbe moved further to the left. The question of", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0248.jp2"}, "249": {"fulltext": "The Silo.\\n223\\nd_\\nc\\n1:\\ncL\\nV\\nc\\n61 1,\\nc\\nlO\\ns\\nI\\n(0\\nV\\ntn\\nI\\nX\\nCO\\nQ\\n\u00c2\u00abo\\nsi J\\n1\\n1\\nJ\\nio\\nJ\\n_\\nil\\nCi\\ni.\\nV\\nbf\\ni\\n3\\na\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2n\\nlO\\na\\n5\\ne\\nt\\nr\\n-0\\n1\\n1\\nd\\n1 vij\\n5\\n\\\\tf\\no\\nX\\nc\\n5:\\n13\\nV\\n0\\n6\\nc\\nCL", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0249.jp2"}, "250": {"fulltext": "2 24 Ensilage.\\nwhich way the cattle had better stand may be decid-\\ned by the method of handHng the manure. If the\\nstables are to be cleaned daily by wheeling the\\nmanure in a barrow to a compost pile, then the cat-\\ntle better stand facing-, so as to be most convenient\\nfor feeding the soiling crops, which, of course,\\nmust be brought in on a wagon. Where the barn is\\nalready built, and there is not room for a drive\\nthrough from end to end, the cattle may stand in\\nrows crossways of the barn, or the soiling crops may\\nbe driven into the barn on the floor above, and fed\\ndown to the cattle in a shoot. With silos at the end\\nof the barn, the silage may be thrown into a wagon\\nfrom either silo through a shoot, and thus carted in\\nfront of the cows, and fed directly from the wagon\\ninto the mangers, in case the cows stand facing the\\nfloor, which is on a level with the top of manger,\\nas is the four-foot passage shown on page 223.\\nStacking Ensilage.\\nThe method adopted in England has been to stack\\nthe ensilage, but the practice never became gen-\\neral, as they do not grow maize or Indian corn, and\\nonly the grasses, clover, oats, vetches, etc., are\\ntreated in this manner when the seasons are un-\\nfavorable for curing them. While any green plant\\nmay be ensilaged, corn is probably the only cro]i\\nthat will ever find universal favor for that purpose.\\nThe stacking process with hay is a most laborious\\nprocess, and, therefore, has not come into general", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0250.jp2"}, "251": {"fulltext": "The Silo. 225\\nuse. The stacks are usually provided with some\\nsort of an arrang-ement for pressing the forage.\\nThat it could be done in this country is evident.\\nTwo canning factories in Mount Morris, N. Y.,\\nstack their pea vines, corn husks and cobs. These\\nfactories ensilage the husks of over a thousand\\nacres of corn yearly, and winters feed out this\\nstacked refuse to several hundred bullocks. The\\npea vines from nearly as many acres more are\\nstacked in the same way (whole).\\nThis year one .of the factories ran the refuse\\nthrough a cutting box into a rough plank silo about\\nthirty feet in diameter. The planks were rough\\njust as they came, from the saw-mill, set on end,\\nand hooped with half-inch round iron. No roof was\\nput on, and when the silage settled, the staves were\\ntaken down, the silage stood, and the whole mass\\nkept in perfect form. Next year the staves (2 by 6\\ninch plank) will be set up again. As to its spoiling,\\nthere is six or eight inches on the sides that rots, and\\nis thrown into the manure heap. As to freezing,\\nthey experience no inconvenience from that. If the\\ntop freezes a little, it is mixed with the unfrozen\\nfermentation sets up, and the frozen part is thawed\\nout by its own combustion.\\n15", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0251.jp2"}, "252": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XXL\\nGROWING ENSILAGE.\\nAmount op Land Required.\\nTwenty tons per acre is a good average crop on\\nland in a good state of cultivation. The yield per\\nacre varies from twelve to fifty tons. If you have\\nbuilt a silo with capacity for your herd as above, it\\nis easy to compute the number of tons it will require\\nfor six months feeding at forty cubic feet per ton.\\nAs to how many acres you will require, that all de-\\npends upon the fertility of your soil, and the only\\nway to tell is by trying. Make a liberal estimate,\\nIf you have too much, it is not necessarily wasted.\\nIt can be shocked and husked as field corn.\\nPreparing the Ground.\\nIf possible, plow in the autumn and sow to rye.\\nTop dress the rye during the winter direct from the\\nstables. Set stakes so as to continue on snow if\\nnecessary. Next spring plow the rye under, and\\nas described in chapter on green manure, page i8,\\nthis green crop of rye plowed under will be the\\ncheapest possible fertilizer, accumulating for you\\nall the fall, winter, and spring. In this manner,", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0252.jp2"}, "253": {"fulltext": "Growing Ensilage. 227\\none field, the most convenient to the barn and silos,\\nmay be kept growings ensilage fodder for years in\\nsuccession.\\nPlow deeper in the spring, the deeper the better.\\nPut on three horses and do the work thoroughly.\\nPrepare the soil as for field corn, and sow with a\\ngrain drill rigged as described for sowing corn for\\nsoiling crops, only the rows should be three feet\\napart. Sixteen quarts of seed per acre, or twelve\\nquarts if sown three and one-half feet apart.\\nRoll the ground before and after drilling, and cul-\\ntivate two or three times with a smoothing harrow,\\nteeth set slanting back, or a broadcast weeder.\\nWhen corn gets too high for these, go through\\nonce or twice with two-horse or single-horse culti-\\nvator.\\nVariety.\\nPersonally I prefer the common Western Dent\\nvarieties of medium growth, a kind that ears well,\\nto the larger, coarser, Southern varieties, which may\\nproduce more tons per acre.\\nHarvesting.\\nWith fifteen or twenty acres of ensilage fodder,\\nno one can afford to be without one of the several\\ncorn harvesters, which will be found most handy in\\nharvesting corn and sorghum for summer soiling as\\nwell.\\nA low truck wagon or a low rack between the\\nwheels of a high wagon are quite essential to the", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0253.jp2"}, "254": {"fulltext": "228\\nEnsil\\ng^-\\nhandling of the fodder. A good plan is to use\\nthree wagons and two teams. A load is brought\\nto the cutting machine, and driven alongside.\\nTwo men are required at the cutter, one to unload,\\nthe other to feed. The driver leaves his waeon\\nShowing the McCormick corn harvester cutting corn on newly tile-\\ndrained ground in field where the draft trials were made.\\nthere, and goes to the field with one that has just\\nbeen emptied. The driver loads his own wagon.\\nThis makes four men to deliver the fodder to the\\nsilo, and one man inside to keep it level and thor-\\noughly tramped around the edges, the engineer and\\nthe man who runs the harvester. The cutting may\\ngo on for a day or two before the filling begins.\\nThe wilting of the fodder will do no harm (a heavy", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0254.jp2"}, "255": {"fulltext": "Growing Ensilage. 229\\nrainstorm probably would). Some deliver the fod-\\nder to the cutter in one-horse dump carts, dumping\\nthe load at the cutter, and returning to the field.\\nFilling the Silo.\\nA chute should be arranged to receive the silage\\nas it comes into the top of the silo, and be so set as\\nto cause the silage to fall in the center of the silo,\\nfor two reasons if the silage is delivered into the\\nsilo from the carrier direct, the larger and heavier\\npieces are thrown out from the rest, and are, there-\\nfore, more or less separated on landing inside. This\\nshould be avoided. Again, if the silage falls into\\nthe middle, and is allowed to form a stack there,\\nthe man who distributes the silage to the sides has\\nall downhill work, and no attention need be paid to\\ntramping except just around the edges.\\nThe tramping of the edges is best accomplished by\\na man standing with his back to the silo wall, and\\ntaking short side steps around the silo, then spread-\\ning out another layer, say, a foot thick or more, from\\nwhat is accumulating in the centre, then treading\\nagain.\\nThe idea of keeping a lot of men in a silo and\\nsometimes a horse to tread is superfluous. If the silo\\nis large and the cutting very rapid, before the men\\nquit at night or before starting next morning, all\\nhands can go in for a few minutes and help, or when\\nthere are a few minutes to spare between loads, the\\ncutter, and feeder, and engineer, if there is one, can", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0255.jp2"}, "256": {"fulltext": "230 Ensilage.\\ngive a hand. There is invariably a delay some time\\nduring the day that can be worked to advantage in\\nthis way.\\nPower.\\nIn some sections there are men who go about with\\nensilage cutter and a threshing engine, and supply\\nthe extra help the same as for threshing; and as en-\\nsilage harvest comes after most of the grain thresh-\\ning is over, there is usually no difficulty in securing\\nan engine to do this work.\\nA two-horse tread power will operate a good-sized\\ncutter, but it seems like too much work, besides the\\nhorses are all wanted in the field at this time. An\\neight horse-power engine is best, as it only requires\\nfour to six horse-power to run a very large cutter.\\nThe engine is easily attended to, and the engineer\\ncan often give a hand at feeding, treading, etc.\\nPressing,\\nIt was formerly thought necessary to weight the\\nsilage heavily. At Maple Lane farm, 1880 to 1883,\\nwe had two feet of stone on a plank covering. At\\nMurray Hill in 1884, we made concrete blocks about\\neighteen inches square, and hoisted them in and out\\nwith a hand derrick.\\nNowadays little attention is paid to weighting; a\\nfew inches of cut straw, and a plank covering are\\nabout all that is necessary, and the majority do\\nwithout that. Silage is heavy. A good day s filling\\nhas weight enough in itself to press all below it.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0256.jp2"}, "257": {"fulltext": "Growing Ensilage. 231\\nIt is the carbonic acid gas which it generates in\\nthe process of fermentation that is relied upon to\\npreserve the silage. This is heavier than air. The\\nfirst stage toward decay is the lactic, then the alco-\\nholic, then the acetic. At this point, if the air is\\nreplaced by the carbonic acid gas which this stage\\nof decomposition produces, the air, as before stated,\\nis expelled and fermentation ceases. The next\\nstage to the acetic is decay. When the silage is re-\\nmoved from the silo and comes in contact with the\\nopen air, fermentation begins where it left off, as in-\\ndicated by the heat that is speedily generated.\\nThe only pressing that is necessary, if any at all,\\nis to put on enough to press together or exclude as\\nmuch air as possible from the last two feet of silage.\\nIt is a good plan to leave one or two days cutting to\\nput on top after the silo has settled. Or, where\\nthere are two silos, they can be cut into alternate\\ndays.\\nAs to slow or rapid filling, there is little to be said\\nin favor of either.\\nThe question of the quality of the silage, I believe,\\nis not owing at all to whether the silo was filled fast\\nor slow, but to the condition of the corn itself when\\nthe harvesting begins. I have ensilaged corn in its\\ngreenest possible stage, before there was a sign of a\\nleaf, when the ears were not yet fit for roasting or\\nboiling; also when the ears were glazed and the\\nleaves were dying, and still later when it was fit to\\ncut and shock, ears ripe, husks ripe, bottom leaves\\nripe; then again after a severe frost, and again", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0257.jp2"}, "258": {"fulltext": "232\\nEnsilage.\\nwith sweet corn after all the ears had been plucked\\nfor the canning factory. Some farmers cut and\\nshock their ensilage, and after standing for a month\\nor six weeks ^n the field, they ensilage it, and even\\nthen it makes good silage. I have had as sour ensi-\\nlage from slow as from rapid jfilling, but the stalks\\nwere in both cases green. The poorest silage, sour,\\nbitter, watery stuff, was from the first mentioned,\\nthe second was better in this respect, and the third\\nbest of all.\\nThis leads me to say that corn for ensilage should\\nbe sown from three to three and one-third feet\\napart, according to size of variety, so as to allow it\\nto very nearly, if not quite, ripen as you would for\\ncutting and shocking. The thoroughly ripe corn\\nmakes better ensilage than the green. There is,\\nfrom the moment the ear reaches maturity, a de-\\ncided loss in feeding value of the stalk, as shown by\\nthe following:\\nTime to Harvest,\\nNew York Experiment Station, 8th Annual Report.\\nYield per acre, and the per cent, of water for\\neach period:\\nPounds\\nPer Acre.\\n18,045\\n25i745\\n32,000\\n32,295\\n28,460\\nDry\\nMatter.\\nPer Cent\\nWater.\\nTons\\nWater\\nPer Acre.\\nJuly loth full tasseled\\ni,6ig\\n3,378\\n4,643\\n7,202\\n7,918\\n91.05\\n88.05\\n85.76\\n77.70\\n72.18\\n8.21\\nAugust Qth full silked\\nii.\\n13.97\\nSeptember 7th, kernels glazed\\nSeptember 27th, kernels ripe\\n12.51\\n10.27", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0258.jp2"}, "259": {"fulltext": "Growing Ensilage.\\n233\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2\u00e2\u0080\u00a2Professor Roberts, of Cornell University, says:\\nFodder corn sown broadcast does not meet the needs\\nof milking cows. Fodder corn is mainly a device of\\na thoughtless farmer, to fool his cows into believing\\nthat they have been fed when they have only been\\nfilled up.\\nWhile the tons of water decreased as it neared\\nmaturity, the dry matter steadily increased. From\\nthe first date to the last the dry matter increased\\n4.8 times, 2.r., 1,619 to 7,916 lb. per acre, while the\\ndigestible albuminoids increased.\\nJuly 30th\\nAugust gth\\nAugust 2lSt.\\nSeptember 7th\\nSeptember 27th\\nStarch\\nPer Acre.\\n122.23\\n491.25\\n706.74\\n1,734.96\\n2,852.96\\nDigestible\\nAlbuminoids.\\n117-37\\n205.79\\n207 03\\n315-42\\n326.21\\nCorn Per Acre.\\nJuly 30th\\nAugust 9th.\\nAugust 2ISt\\nSeptember 7th.\\nSeptember 27th\\nAlbuminoids.\\n23977\\n436.76\\n478.69\\n643-86\\n677.78\\nCarbohydrates.\\n1,168.10\\n2,272.19\\n3,703.26\\n6,005.67\\n6,561.64\\nFat,\\n72.20\\n167-75\\n228.90\\n259-99\\n314-34\\nCorn in the shock loses thirteen to fifteen per cent,\\nof dry matter.\\nCovering.\\nBran as a Covering. Mr. Henry Woods, of Eng-\\nland, was the first, I believe, to suggest the practice\\nof covering- the ensilage with bran. He sa^s J", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0259.jp2"}, "260": {"fulltext": "2 34 Ensilage. ^m\\nchose this covering in order to exclude the air by a\\ncleaner and also a more effectual mantle than soil. M\\nA shrinkage goes on, soil has a tendency to crack,\\nmaking openings that admit the air, and some por-\\ntions of the soil, at least, work down into the ensi-\\nlage. Moreover, there is the immense advantage of\\nperfect cleanliness combined with usefulness. He\\nwrote this in 1883. In 1884 he says, Further ex-\\nperience has confirmed me in this view, i.e., a layer\\nof bran over the boards not less than four or five\\ninches in depth is the best possible covering.\\nHe adds in substance, by way of caution, that some\\nhave fallen into a great mistake of putting the bran\\nunder the planks instead of over, in which case the\\nbran was injured for feeding purposes.\\nThe method that seems to have met with most\\nuniversal favor in the States is to cut or spread over\\nthe top grass, then boards or planks. Others have\\ncovered with plank and earth, and report most favor-\\nably. Others still have put no covering at all over\\nthe silage except boards, while still others claim that\\nthe silage keeps better if planked and weighted.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0260.jp2"}, "261": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XXII.\\nFEEDING ENSILAGE.\\nAmount of Ration.\\nEnsilage is not a perfect food, we are told by the\\nchemist, and to make it so requires (per cubic foot) a\\nfew pounds of bran, crushed oats, oil-cake meal, or\\none feeding a day of cured oats and peas or clover\\nhay. As to the amount of grain to be given with\\ntwo feedings of ensilage and one of clover hay, that\\ndepends entirely what we are feeding for, the dry\\ncattle and young things will thrive on ensilage\\nmorning and evening-, and clover hay or oats or\\npeas at noon. If it is desirable to make winter but-\\nter, a ration of the above mixture in the following\\nproportions will be found about right: three parts\\nbran, two parts crushed oats, and one part of oil-\\ncake meal (old process preferred). My experiments\\nwith so-called balanced rations have not been as\\nsatisfactory in practice as in theory. I am quite\\nsatisfied with the above feed. As to the amount of\\nsilage to feed morning and night, give all they will\\neat up clean. The feeder will soon learn how much\\nto give of grain or silage. The best rule is to keep\\ngiving grain as long as a cow responds to it. When", "height": "3377", "width": "2102", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0261.jp2"}, "262": {"fulltext": "236 Ensilage.\\nyou have reached that point, you have found your\\nanimal s capacity, and there stop. You will require\\na pair of scales to weigh each milking, a Babcock to\\nmake occasional tests. With these at hand, you can\\neasily find a cow s capacity. To this she should be\\nfed to make her most economical. No one can make\\na cast-iron feeding ration. Only an intelligent feeder\\nwith scales and test at hand can find a cow s capac-\\nity, and you will be surprised to find that two quarts\\nof the above mixture a day is one cow s limit, and\\nsixteen quarts a day can be taken care of by a cow\\nstanding next to her. Balanced rations are, no\\ndoubt, all right theoretically, but there comes in\\ncapacity of the cow, strength of machinery. A\\nsmall cow may be, and they generally are, better\\nand more economical feeders than large ones. It\\ntakes, we are told, two per cent, of the live weight a\\nday of hay or its equivalent to sustain life. A cow\\nweighing 1,000 lb. will require twenty pounds that\\ngo to run the machine. A cow weighing 1,500 lb.\\nrequires thirty pounds a .day, ten pounds a day more\\nto support that extra 500 lb. of carcass. Ten pounds\\na day could be put to better use by being fed to the\\n1,000 lb. cow. Ten pounds a day is 3,500 lb. a year,\\nor one and three-quarters tons of hay or its equiva-\\nlent. At $12 a ton this equals $20 a year, just to\\nsupport that extra 500 lb. of carcass that is no earthly\\nuse to the cow or owner until she goes to the block.\\nA 1,500 lb. cow must yield $20 a year more than a\\n1,000 lb. cow to pay as well, all other things being\\nequal. This is no fancy sketch. It is a question", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0262.jp2"}, "263": {"fulltext": "Feeding Ensilage. 237\\neasily demonstrated, and when a breeder or a dairy-\\nman begins culling out his cattle to those that pay\\nthe best for the amount of food consumed, he will,\\nas a rule, discard more cows that weigh over 1,000\\nlb. than under. So much for feeding. No rule can\\nbe given. Each cow must answer for herself.\\nCost of Production.\\nOn this subject there is a very wide difference in\\nthe estimates sent into the agricultural papers, all\\nthe way from 30 cents to $2.00 per ton. I may give\\nthe following as an approximate estimate of the cost\\nof growing and harvesting one acre, producing\\nthirty tons, which is a very good yield, and a very\\ngood day s work to harvest it:\\nPlowing-, seeding-, cultivating $5.00\\nSeed, twelve quarts, 60 cents per bushel 25\\nHarvesting, three laborers in the field 3.00\\nThree laborers at silo 3 00\\nOne engineer, engine and fuel 5.00\\nAt thirty tons per acre. $16.25\\nThis makes a cost of 54 cents per ton, to which\\nshould be added, if you wish to get at the full cost\\nBrought forward $16. 25\\nManure, estimated 5-00\\nUse of three teams, one cutting, two hauling, say 5.00\\nUse of grounds 5- 00\\nUse of tools and silo 5.00\\n$36.25", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0263.jp2"}, "264": {"fulltext": "238 Ensilage.\\nThis brings the total cost at about $1.20 per ton.\\nThe above does not signify very much either way.\\nSome may find my figures too high and others too\\nlow. My ensilage has never cost me much over 50\\ncents per ton, as shown in first table.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0264.jp2"}, "265": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XXIII.\\nSOILING VS. ENSILAGE.\\nComparative Value.\\nIt has been advocated by some enthusiastic ensilage\\nmen that, instead of soiling cattle in summer, en-\\nsilage should be fed the year round.\\nThis opinion must certainly come from enthusiasm,\\nfor in reality there are small grounds on which to\\nsustain such an argument. I have already said soil-\\ning is as far ahead of ensilaging as ensilage is ahead\\nof cured fodder. First, there is a loss of feeding\\nvalue in silage amounting to about twenty-five per\\ncent. Second, soiling is more economical in point\\nof extra labor (that many seem to think is so great).\\nSoiling crops go direct from the field to the cattle.\\nEnsilage has to be cut and deposited in the silo,\\nthen taken out again. All this labor is omitted in\\ncase of soiling crops. Again, oats and peas, barley,\\nrye, the clovers, are more nearly a perfect feed in\\nthe green state than corn, even before it has lost\\ntwenty-five per cent, of its feeding value in the silo.\\nAgain, the change from silage to fresh-cut oats\\nand peas, for instance, is a very welcome change,\\nand has never, in my experience, failed to increase\\nthe flow of milk. True, there is a little saving in", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0265.jp2"}, "266": {"fulltext": "240 Ensilage.\\nsecuring the ensilage at once, but not as much as is\\nimagined.\\nThere should always be enough ensilage to more\\nthan last through the season. The new crop can be\\nput on top of what is left without the slightest in-\\njury to either.", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0266.jp2"}, "267": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XXIV.\\nCONCLUSION.\\nvSystem.\\nThere is one thing especially necessary in con-\\nducting the soiling system successfully. It is not\\ncapital as some might suppose, for men without capi-\\ntal are usually the first to adopt it. It is also un-\\nnecessary that a man should have a large farm\\nstocked and equipped, because the system is equally\\nwell adapted to a limited number of acres.\\nNor will only those be successful who live near\\nlarge cities, where land is high. Whatever may be\\nthe condition of the land, it is safe to say than the\\namount of land that will keep one head by pasturing\\nwill keep four or five by soiling. The rule works as\\nwell on cheap land as on high-priced land, the latter\\nnot being necessarily more productive than the\\nformer. Therefore, if from land worth $25 per\\nacre, a farmer sells as many dollars worth of prod-\\nuce as on land near the city worth $200 per acre,\\nthe soiling system is as profitable to the one as to\\nthe other. The difference in the profit from soiling\\nwill be found from the productiveness of the soil,\\nand not necessarily in the price of the land. If on\\na farm worth $100 per acre a farmer can keep one\\n16", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0267.jp2"}, "268": {"fulltext": "242 Ensilage.\\ncow one year from an acre of land, and another,\\nwhose farm on account of its location, is worth $200\\nper acre, but is onl}^ capable of keeping- one cow a\\nyear upon two to five acres, the profit in soiling- is\\ngreatly in favor of the farmer with the cheaper land,\\nso far as keeping cows is concerned.\\nThis is mentioned because it is so often stated that\\nit may pay to soil where the land is high-priced,\\nand to show that the price of land is not a sure indi-\\ncation that soiling will be found successful in pro-\\nportion to its cash value. We can imagine, however,\\na farmer, under the most favorable circumstances,\\nfailing to obtain satisfactory results from soiling, for\\nthe want of system.\\nWithout system a farmer may soon become dis-\\nheartened, and pronounce the whole thing impracti-\\ncable for instance, by omitting to sow at the\\nproper time, or the proper amount. Sowing too\\nmuch at a time, the stock are unable to consume it\\nin its most succulent state, continuing to feed until\\nit becomes tough, when it is only eaten to satisfy in-\\ntense hunger. By having too little, his cows must\\nbe turned into the field until the next crop is in\\ncondition, thus causing him to become dissatisfied.\\nAgain, we can imagine a man with plenty of feed,\\nputting, at one feeding, sufficient before his cows to\\nlast them all day; they breathe upon it for a few\\nhours, and nothing short of severe hunger will in-\\nduce them to take it, in which case his stock would\\nshrink in the flow of milk, and increase on turning\\nthem to pasture, which would lead him to say that", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0268.jp2"}, "269": {"fulltext": "Conclusion. 243\\nthe cows did better at pasture, and thus condemn\\nthe system.\\nAgain, by not having properly constructed stables\\nor stalls, they might become very filthy or unhealthy,\\nand the cow would long for pleasant fields and pure\\nair, and this might lead the farmer to abandon the\\nsystem.\\nAgain, his manner of cutting and feeding might\\nrequire more labor than the advocates of the system\\nprofess, and he might thus think that the system\\nmight be well enough for a farmer with plenty of\\ncapital, a fancy farmer, a book farmer, but not\\nfor him.\\nAgain, by his undertaking too much at once, and\\ngetting everything mixed up. The last state of that\\nman would be worse than the first.\\nBut by so systematizing the work that every want\\nwill be supplied, any farmer can feel sure of success.\\nHe need not necessarily follow the plan in detail that\\nis laid down in the previous pages, for it is not so\\nperfect but that it may be improved. If closely\\nfollowed, the system will lead to success therefore,\\nI may be pardoned for saying that until he learns\\nby actual experience a better way, the beginner is\\nadvised to adhere to the plan pointed out in all\\nits essential points. Many things that looked as if\\nthey would result in improvements, when put to the\\ntest, will be found wanting. The principal requis-\\nite to success by soiling is system.\\nThe work of sowing, cutting, and feeding should\\nall be placed in the charge of one person, who can", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0269.jp2"}, "270": {"fulltext": "244 Ensilage.\\nbe relied upon to do the work as directed and when\\nthe daily routine is once established, it will be found\\nmuch less laborious than it seems to be. The labor\\nis comparatively light; it may be performed by a\\nstout boy where the number of cows does not exceed\\ntwenty-five head, but nothing should be left to\\nchance.\\nWhen the proper time comes for sowing, the work\\nmust be done. The cutting must also be attended\\nto when the crop is ready. The feeding also must\\nbe regular and uniform in quantity.\\nWith a little practice, and if a person is not entirely\\ndestitute of ability to work systematically, he can-\\nnot easily fail of conducting the soiling system with\\nprofit, and also to enjoy the many advantages which\\nit affords. I have never heard of a man who hav-\\ning once thoroughly adopted the system, was not,\\never afterward, decidedly pronounced in its favor.\\nEducation.\\nAs Mr. Stewart says, in conducting the soiling\\nsystem successfully, the need is more for head\\nwork than for hand work.\\nI believe that he might have extended the remark\\nto every branch of agriculture, especially where the\\nprice of land is necessarily high. The day has gone\\nby in the older States when a man can follow farm-\\ning, because he does not know enough to do any-\\nthing else. It may be done in the West, where\\nland may be had for the asking, and so productive", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0270.jp2"}, "271": {"fulltext": "Conclusion.\\n245\\nthat by the slightest effort it will produce an\\nabundant harvest; but in the East it is not only\\nessential that the farmer should possess a knowledge\\nof how to produce a crop from the soil, but how to\\nleave the soil in as good condition as before the crop\\nwas taken, or better. This, in my opinion, is good\\nfarming while he who harvests a crop at the expense\\nof the soil is not a true husbandman.\\nFarming is an honorable profession, but he who\\ntries to obtain by it something for nothing is never\\na credit to his profession. There seems to be among\\nsome classes of farmers a great antipathy to what\\nthey term book farmers. Why may every other\\nman learn what pertains to the advancement of\\nhis business from books, and not the farmer? We\\npoint with pride to this man or that man in the\\nmedical profession, and say that he is a well-read\\nphysician; to a lawyer, and say that he is a well-\\nread attorney to a citizen, and say that he is the\\nbest-read man in the place. These are chosen and\\npreferred for their learning, and their excellence is\\nmeasured by the number of books they have mas-\\ntered.\\nAgain, why should farmers subscribe for two or\\nmore papers devoted to politics, religion, or science,\\nand read them diligently, papers devoted to every\\nsubject but one? Why purchase books of fiction,\\nbooks pertaining to all subjects but one, and that\\none his own business? Why does he consult his\\nneighbor as to his methods of growing a certain\\ncrop, and follow his example, when, if the neighbor", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0271.jp2"}, "272": {"fulltext": "246 Ensilage.\\nshould write out his experience in book form, it\\nwould be denounced as book farming? Whence do\\nfarmers sons get the idea that, as soon as they ob-\\ntain an education, there is no use for it on the\\nfarm They are sent to school, taught chemistry,\\nbotany, engineering, and surveying, but from their\\nfathers examples they have learned to think that\\nsuch an education may do well enough for a book-\\nkeeper or a dry-goods clerk, but to apply such\\nknowledge to an agricultural pursuit is all wrong;\\nit is book farming, and yet it is knowledge that can\\nbe put to practical use on the farm.\\nDo farmers mean to acknowledge that their pro-\\nfession requires less intelligence than others?\\nWhat is there in farming that requires a man to\\nbe ignorant? Must a farmer, in getting on in the\\nworld, move backward like a crab, or as Mark Twain\\nsays of the inhabitants of the Azores Islands, among\\nwhom all efforts to introduce new and improved\\nmethods of farming have failed The peasants\\ncrossed themselves, and prayed to God to shield\\nthem from all blasphemous desire to know more\\nthan their fathers did before them\\nThese questions I will leave the reader to solve.\\nHowever, I will venture to suggest as a remed)^, a\\nbetter education for the future farmer. The great\\nproblem of feeding and clothing the millions de-\\npends upon the success of agriculture, and requires\\nof its followers a knowledge that embraces a wider\\nand more liberal education than any other pursuit.\\nSaid the late President Garfield At the head of", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0272.jp2"}, "273": {"fulltext": "Conclusion.\\n247\\nall the sciences and arts, at the head of civilization\\nand progress, stands, not militarism, the science\\nthat kills, not commerce, the art that accumulates\\nwealth, but agriculture, the mother of all industry\\nand the maintainer of human life.\\nFarmers Sons.\\nIt must be admitted that agriculture at the pres-\\nent time has much to discourage the farmers sons\\nand daughters but the outlook for the near future\\nis brighter. Soon our government lands will all\\nbe given away. At no distant day, the cities, at the\\npresent rate of increase (compared with agricul-\\nture), will consume all our own farm products.\\nThis day is hastening on like a candle burning at\\nboth ends the Government burning at one end, the\\nWestern immigrant farmers, who are rapidly reduc-\\ning the fertility of their land, are hastening the\\ngood time from the other end. There is surely a\\ngood time coming. A day is dawning when agri-\\nculture will once more take rank, as she deserves,\\namong the noblest and highest professions.\\nLet me admonish you to stick to the old farm a\\nlittle longer, and try soiling.\\nFINIS.", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0273.jp2"}, "274": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0274.jp2"}, "275": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0275.jp2"}, "276": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0276.jp2"}, "277": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0277.jp2"}, "278": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3351", "width": "2136", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0278.jp2"}, "279": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3382", "width": "2200", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0279.jp2"}, "280": {"fulltext": "liiSXrr\\nu- ~r::::i rr:::ii-::-;r-?.::}Li- :r?-^\\nUBRARY OF CX)NGRESS fli\\nDDDE7ht,]i32H", "height": "3492", "width": "2244", "jp2-path": "soilingensilages00peer_0280.jp2"}}