40 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



farmer, compared to that wliich lies in his bain cellar mixed with 

 enough dr}' earth of some kind, or straw, or other material to retain 

 the liquids, and which can be drawn out at will and cultivated into 

 the soil for a farm crop. 



In doubling up a stock of cows for cheese making, one will of 

 course use his own judgment as to the better course to pm-sue. He 

 can buy cows at once, and purchase feed sutlicient to keep them 

 the first 3"ear, after which, if he has plenty of good land he ma}' be 

 able to grow most of the food, by using the accumulated manure ; 

 or he maA' purchase manure or fertilizers, and raise his cattle foods 

 in advance. In either case capital will be required. I should ad- 

 vise no one to make very sudden changes in his plans or methods, 

 but to mature his plans fulh', and then adopt changes graduall}'. I 

 doubled the stock on mj' own farm, and also doubled its capacity 

 for production in four or five ^ears. The farm formerly- kept about 

 a dozen head, but now keeps more than twice that number. I 

 wanted to produce more milk, and saw no better way, as I thought 

 and still think, than to give more food. I find it better economy to 

 buy fertilizers and grow fodder than to bu}- fodder. I aim to keep 

 what capital I have in land constantly employed, and to gTow as 

 large crops as seems practicable. "What the possibilities of a twent}'- 

 five acre farm may be, I am hardl}- prepared, as j'et, to venture a 

 guess ; but after five gears' trial of the s^-stem I have attempted to 

 describe, and keeping at least six times as much stock as m}' pas- 

 ture could carry, I am fully convinced that any land of fair qualit}' 

 may be depended upon to keep a stock of dair^' cows through the 

 3'ear at the rate of one cow for each and everj' acre cultivated, giving 

 them all the forage they can possibly consume. Whether the grain 

 ration, which ever}' cow in milk should have, could also be grown 

 on the same land, is with me an open question. It is claimed that 

 it has been done, and I am inclined to believe that it can be, on 

 very good land. 



Buying wheat bran and cotton seed meal for feeding milch cows, 

 in connection with fodder grown on the farm, is one method of buy- 

 ing fertilizers for the soil. When large quantities of either of these 

 grains are purchased, fed judiciously, and the manure saved, a farm 

 should not grow poorer, even though the milk is sold for cheese- 

 making. 



In closing I would again advise entering upon a new system with 

 caution. Do not adopt any new practice on a large scale till you 



