274 



EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



He sows it as he would clover seed, with a crop of barley or 

 oats, and it is fit to cut the November twelve months after sow 

 ing. He mows it afterwards, every year during the winter, as 

 wanted, with a common scythe, close to the ground. On good, 

 dry land, he cuts from seven to ten tons per acre. His principal 

 use of it is for his cows ; three bushels and a half per day is 

 sufficient for a cow. 



It is first cut through a common chaff-cutter, and then bruised 

 in a mill similar to a cider-mill for grinding apples, the revolving 

 fluted wheels, or nuts, being of iron. He has four-and-twenty 

 cows in one house. Besides the gorse, they are allowed one 

 hundred weight of hay among the whole, being about four and 

 a half pounds of hay to each cow, and eight bushels of Swedish 

 turnips, or about twenty pounds of Swedish turnips, to each cow 

 per day. On this, dairy cows are kept in excellent condition, 

 and the butter is remarkably good ; fattening-cows on the same 

 allowance will fatten fast. When Swedes are scarce, he substi 

 tutes about four pounds of oil cake, per day, to each cow ; and as 

 the fattening-cows get forward, he increases the quantity of oil 

 cake gradually, never, however, exceeding twelve pounds of oil 

 cake, per day, to cows of a large size, and that only for the last 

 month. He advises that the gorse should be well ground, and 

 salt mixed with it, at the rate of four ounces, each cow, per day. 



In the communication with which he has favored me, he adds, 

 that &quot; it requires no manure, but in its consumption creates a 

 great deal. It will grow on poor, hilly land, if dry, which will 

 not pay for cultivating. When once sown, and well rooted, it 

 yields a great quantity of food for cattle, at a small expense.&quot; He 

 has cut over the same ground now for many years. He mows it 

 as soon as the grass feed ceases, and it lasts until the grass comes 

 again. If there is an appearance of snow, he mows a consider 

 able quantity beforehand, and it will keep, laid loosely down in 

 the yard ; but it must be bruised as it is wanted, for it will not 

 keep after being bruised, not even over night. 



Furze is prepared, in some cases, by being cut in a common 

 chaff-machine, and then passed through two revolving and 

 matched cylinders of iron, like the nuts of a cider-mill ; or it is 

 cut, and then laid upon the ground, and rolled by a stone wheel 

 with a broad, flat rim, somewhat resembling the wheel employed 

 by tanners for crushing or grinding their bark. In some cases, two 



