174 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



merits of the silo to preserve the corn fodder, especially on farms 

 that are largely made up of light, sandy loam. By using the silo to 

 preserve the corn fodder its full feeding value will be realized, and a 

 ver}' valuable addition to the fodder of the farm be obtained. 

 Variety, well shaken up, is said to be the spice of life. So it may 

 be claimed that variet}' of food is the spice that creates an appetite, 

 aids digestion, and increases the healtli of all animals. That course 

 of feeding that brings the best returns in the animals fed brings the 

 best returns in fertilizer, and makes more certain the general success 

 of farming. It has often been remarked that farms situated near 

 our large meadows, on which large quantities of meadow ha^' are 

 used, very seldom increase in fertility. And this result has led to 

 the supposition that its use does not tend to enrich any soil. The 

 real error is in the method of feeding. When fed alone to carry 

 young cattle and dry cows through the winter the manure has com- 

 paratively little value. This has too often been the practice of 

 our farmers. All of the best hay and most of the grain have gone 

 to feed the working teams or the family horse, and thus have been 

 almost entireh" wasted, as far as their fertilizing constituents are 

 concerned. Then the business of farming is depreciated and all 

 poor fodders condemned, because of the povert3' of the manure pile 

 and consequent poor crops. As soon as we learn to feed all fodders 

 together, and mix the manure from all our farm animals, we shall 

 never have reason to complain of any lack of fertilizing qualities in 

 our manure pile, or of resources to increase the fertility of the farm. 

 The crops will then attest the value of the manure b}' their vigorous 

 growth that shall gladden the heart and increase the income. If 

 the business of procuring fodder and properly feeding it to stock, and 

 saving all the waste, as also the best methods of applying our home 

 made dressing to the land, is thoroughly mastered and well carried 

 out, I believe a farm can be kept up to its full capacity of growth, 

 and in nearly all cases its fertility restored without going off the 

 farm for one particle of fertilizer. 



When we consider the second object, that of providing for the 

 family, and increasing the food supply of the farm, it becomes 

 proper to examine the different kinds and varieties of farm animals. 

 A certain variet}' of animals is necessary in order to supply the food 

 required for the familj-. Many times certain members of the family 

 take naturally to some particular kind of stock, and, by studying 

 their natural tastes, a valuable factor of the farm may be created. 



