Cultivation of Grafs Land. Dairying, Summer andJFinier Food for. 515 



the quantity of milk is generally abundant and of good quality, both in refpedl to 

 richnefs and flavour. In fhort, the dairy farmer, in every part of the ifland, will 

 find it for his intereft to be attentive in feeding his cows.* 



Thefe different forts of food may bediftributed for fummer and winter in this 

 manner : 



In fummer red clover, fainlfsin, lucern, litrnet, and tares may be made ufe of with 

 great advantage. But in employing the fir ft, great care mould betaken to guard 

 again ft injury either to the animals, or the quality of the butter or cheefe being- 

 rendered of a bad kind or flavour by it. On poor chalky hills the fccond will 

 be of the greatefl importance to the dairy farmer. Lucern and tares mould al ways 

 be employed in the way of foiling ; in which method, where the cows have proper 

 made and fufficient water, they will be found of the utmoft ufe, as they afford a very 

 certain fupply of food and go a great way. Betides, the cows are found to milk, 

 well in this management where proper attention is bellowed in the foddering of 

 them. Some fuppofe it a methodthat can hardly be too ftrongly advifed.f In Mr. 

 Baker s experiments, a middle fized cow was found to confurne in the proportion 

 of from 90 to 100 pounds of green lucerh in the courfe of twenty-four hours, 



For winter, hay, ftraw, cabbages, turnips, carrots, potatoes, cole, malt-grains, &c. may 

 be made ufe of. The keeping cows with hay isin general too expend ve to afford the 

 dairyman an adequate profit : therefore, in order to leflen the cxpenfe of this fort of 

 keep, other articles of the green and root kind mud be had recourfe to : till near the 

 period of calving they may be fupported on frefh-thremed ftraw in cribs in the 

 fold-yard, beginning with the worft and gradually proceeding to that which is of 

 a better quality. Thofe in good condition mould have the worft ftraw ; but 

 when it is not of the beft kind, and the cows are of a valuable fort, they may be 

 fed once a day with cabbages, turnips, or other fimilar forts of food, in bins for 

 the purpofe. When within about a month or fix weeks of calving, a little hay 

 Ihould be given at night, or the allowance of green food increafed, and on the 

 day of calving they fhould be confined, and have warm water ; and for a fortnight 

 after calving be very well fed with both hay and green food, in fuitable divisions 

 for the purpofe. In this view the cabbages are extremely valuable, as the produce 

 on the acre is large, and they afford much milk j but care muft be taken to pick 

 off all the dead and decayed leaves, which may be given to the young ftock. A 



* Modern Agriculture, vol. III. t Annals of Agriculture, vol; XXXII. 



