SOILING, OR HOUSE FEEDING. 183 



pie, states, that he &quot; kept ten Down lambs in a shed, and ten out 

 of doors, weighing each lot regularly ; but found the gain of 

 weight rather on the side of the lambs fed out of doors.&quot; It is 

 extremely difficult to say why one experiment succeeds, and 

 another of the same kind fails or gives an entirely different 

 result ; but this is a frequent occurrence, and requires us to draw 

 conclusions from single or from few facts with extreme caution. 

 We can presume to be confident only when these facts are mul 

 tiplied, and often repeated under the same circumstances, and 

 always with the same results. 



With respect to the soiling of cattle, it is the case with some 

 farmers that their calves are never turned into the field until 

 they are a year old, and that many cattle may be said to be 

 wholly reared in the stall. The fat stock, which are sent to the 

 Smithfield cattle-show, and much of what is designed for the 

 market, are kept altogether in the stalls or in loose boxes, as they 

 are here termed. 



In regard to milch cows in the country, they are commonly 

 depastured ; but in the large dairy establishments of London and 

 its vicinity, they are wholly soiled. After being once placed in 

 the stalls, they are never untied, excepting in some cases where 

 they are loosened for the purpose of being watered, until their 

 milk ceases to be sufficient to meet the expense of their keeping. 

 They are then fattened and sold to the butcher. The feed is 

 cut and daily brought to them in a green state, sometimes from a 

 considerable distance. In such a city, cows, if kept at all, must 

 be kept in the house ; and during the season when green feed is 

 attainable, it is of course obtained, for its advantages in increas 

 ing the milk. 



Two great advantages of soiling cattle are, first, the increase 

 of manure ; and second, the keeping of more cattle on the same 

 land. 



The increase of manure from soiling is very far beyond \vhat 

 would be supposed by any one not experienced. Where proper 

 provision is made for this purpose, all the manure of the animals 

 is saved, instead of being left and scattered either on the road 

 side, or in the fields, to be dried up by the sun, or washed away 

 by the rain ; and it is at hand to be applied as the farmer shall 

 choose. It gives him an opportunity of converting all his long 

 litter, and the straw of his farm, into the most valuable of ma- 



