200 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



of this size the live stuck will usually consist of about twenty-two cows, 

 nine heifers, forty sheep, fifteen pigs and one or two horses. Of this 

 land about ten hectares is devoted to meadow and the rest pastured, as 

 dairying is conducted on a strictly grass basis. There is such an abun- 

 dance of moisture that the grass gi*ows very luxuriantly, and some 

 seasons great difficulty is experienced in curing hay. 



Early May sees the cows turned to pasture, and the method of 

 feeding for six months is then very simple* as the cows only crop the 

 grass in the pastures. It is rare to find a field larger than five acres, 

 so the cows are easily restricted to a small area and are frequently 

 changed from one pasture to another, so that the grass may be renewed 

 in growth and freshness. A drought in July or August may cause a 

 shortage of grass, and some oil cake may be fed, but as a rule the cows 



Gateway to a Hollanrl pasture. The canals make fences unnecessary. The bridge over 

 the canal is the usual communication afforded between pastures. 



subsist for six months on grass alone. An exceedingly wet season 

 causes the grass to grow in excess, and if it is too wet to be cured as 

 hay it is cut and put in the ground or stacked and covered with nnid 

 for use as graas silage. 



As the Dutch dairy farmer has nothing but grass, and no land to 

 plow or crops to till, it would seem that he would have an easy time 

 during the summer, but a closer acquaintance with his methods shows 

 that this is not the case. 



The pastures and meadows receive special care. Through the sum- 

 mer the pastures are gone over at frequent intervals and the cow drop- 

 pings gathered with shovel and w^heelbarrow and placed in piles, thus 

 preventing the waste occasioned by fouling the grass, and the tufted ap- 

 pearance so often seen in our pastures. During the winter these drop- 



