318 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



provide an ample exercise field for twice that 

 number. It was in grass (timothy, red-top, and 

 blue grass), and the cows nibbled persistently 

 during the short hours each day when they were 

 permitted to be on it ; but it was never reckoned 

 as part of their ration. The sod was kept in 

 good condition and the field free from weeds, by 

 the use of the mowing-machine, set high, every 

 ten or twenty days, according to the season. 

 Following the mower, we use a spring-tooth rake 

 which bunched the weeds and gathered or broke 

 up the droppings ; and everything the rake caught 

 was carted to the manure vats. Our big Hoi- 

 steins do not suffer from close quarters, so far 

 as I am able to judge, neither do they take on 

 fat. From thirty minutes to three hours (de- 

 pending on the weather), is all the outing they 

 get each day ; but this seems sufficient for their 

 needs. The well-ventilated stable with its mod- 

 erate temperature suits the sedentary nature of 

 these milk machines, and I am satisfied with the 

 results. I cannot, of course, speak with authority 

 of the comparative merits of soiling versus graz- 

 ing, for I have had no experience in the latter ; 

 but in theory soiling appeals to me, and in prac- 

 tice it satisfies me. 



When I found I could keep more cows on the 

 land set apart for them, I built another cow 

 stable for the dry cows and the heifers, and 

 added four stalls to my milk stable by turning 

 each of the hospital wards into two stalls. 



