THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



165 



dated June, 1840, from one of the best practical 

 agriculturists I know. He states, " Tlie most 

 profitable crop I have planted is furze. With an 

 acre and a half I fed five horses up to the 1st 

 of June. I have twelve tons of hay for sale, which 

 I never had before. It would be much easier to 

 induce the farmer to cultivate furze tlian to {^row 

 turnip ; and I believe it is more profitable. Land 

 inaccessible to the plough, of which we see so great 

 a proportion, would yield great crops of furze ; 

 and land remote from manure could not be better 

 disposed of. We are in the infancy of knowledge 

 as to what ground is capable of, or v/hat plants are 

 best suited to the varieties of soils. The florin is 

 a plant that never got a fair trial in the south of 

 Ireland. I think the time will come when all the 

 bog and low lands will be covered with it. If you 

 look out about the latter end of June you will meet 

 it at every step." The old practice of preparing 

 furze was tedious, and comparatively expensive, by 

 a block with transverse knives, sometimes with a 

 long handle, and better with a chain, hooked on 

 what is known by the name of a turner wattle, or 

 by a straight spade, sometimes by thrashing. The 

 great desideratum has been hit upon by Messrs. 

 Richmond and Chandler, in their powerful straw- 

 cutters,, varying in price from £7 to £10. 



I have just now attended my machine bought 

 from Mr. Thomas M'Kenzie, Cork, for £7, a man 

 cutting, and a boy feeding it, the furze ready, and 

 in 17 minutes they cut 17 buckets full ; the bucket 

 contains 3 3 gallons, This is fully sufficient for 

 four horses for 24 hours instead of hay. Hay is 

 spread on the top of the furze and cut with it; it 

 improves the cutting, saves the boy's hands from 

 the prickles, and is an advantage in the feeding. 

 When ready it is wetted with water, which makes 

 the mastication easier. The expense of the man 

 and boy is Is. 5d. a-day — say ten working hours ; 

 and working little over a quarter-hour, or the one- 

 fortieth of 17 pence for the labour of preparing 

 food for four horses, or about three- eighths of a 



penny a-head. A tenant of mine who lives in 

 Car berry told me he feeds his horses entirely, and 

 his cows mostly, on it all autumn and winter ; he 

 mows it every second year, and has abundance for 

 them from a piece of land which cannot be 

 ploughed, and which would produce nothing else ; 

 he cuts it with the straight spade, and it takes a 

 man for the entire day to prepare sufficient for six 

 horses. 



Now that Richmond and Chandler have brought 

 out such a machine, there is no excuse for it not 

 being in general use ; and though furze will grow 

 well on stony and rocky land (I have seen the 

 roots several feet down in the chinks of a quarry), 

 the best arable, dry land will produce a far better 

 and more abundant crop, and a more succulent 

 shoot. Three acres of such land appropriated to 

 the growing of a plant which is perennial, and re- 

 quires no further culture (though, I doubt not, it 

 would be still better for annually opening the 

 ground, and digging or forking in manure), still 

 an everlasting winter meadow, of no comparison 

 better food than hay, is no slight benefit now that 

 the difficulty of its preparation — the great obstacle 

 — has been overcome. Cattle will not hove with 

 it. They are always sleek — an indication of health. 

 It is in a fit state from October to May, inclusive. 

 It improves the wind — a thick-winded horse be- 

 comes a free breather; broken-winded have no 

 appearance of their being so ; and I have seen 

 horses cured of cough by feeding with it. I dare 

 say many who know not its value, and who are of 

 those who deprecate any innovation or change, will 

 say all this is hyperbole; this was often said of 

 fiorin and of turnip culture ; but when the failure 

 of the potato compelled turnip culture, they then 

 saw that the new was better ; and I pledge myself 

 that any who henceforth use furze, as directed, will 

 fully agree in every word I say. Directions for 

 sowing the seed in fields would be very desirable. 

 — Yours, &c., William R. Towksenv>, Aghadda 

 Rectory, EosteUan, Co. Cork, Feb. 12, 1S58. 



WHY USE CUT FEED? 



An intelligent farmer asks for the philosophy of 

 cutting hay. He can understand that it is useful to 

 cut corn stalks and coarse fodder, because the cattle 

 will eat them better. But when cattle will eat up 

 good English hay perfectly clean, why should it be 

 passed through the hay cutter ? 



Our friend evidently supposes that the stomach 

 does its work upon everything that passes into it, 

 with equal facility, and without any tax upon the 

 rest of the system. This is manifestly an error. All 



food has to be ground up, before it can be assimi- 

 lated and pass into the circulation of the animal. 

 Iffood is not artificially prepared by cutting, grind- 

 ing, or steaming, the animal has to prepare it him- 

 self, so far as he is able. Certain kinds of food 

 will pass through the system, imparting to it only 

 a part of their nutriment, because the teeth of the 

 animal have not perfectly masticated it. Whole 

 kernels of corn or of oats are frequently seen in 

 the fceces of an old horse. 



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