Ch. XXXIIL] EXPERIMENTS ON SOILING. 379 



farm-yard, and divided on the 4th of May into two lots ; one of vvliich was 

 put to grass, and the other into the yard, where they got a small quantity of 

 Swedish turnips until the clover was fit for cutting. On the 1st of June 

 he began to cut clover, which was given to tlie cattle in cribs, though for a 

 week at least, to save danger, the quantity given was much less than they 

 could have consumed : after that time, however, a full supply was allowed, 

 and the offal furnished maintenance for a large parcel of swine of different 

 ages. Till the grass got hard and withered, the animals in general throve 

 amazingly well ; but more particularly the strongest and boldest among 

 them, who took possession of the cribs, and would not resign them until 

 their appetite was satisfied. 



About the end of July, when the clover was fully ripened, the food was 

 changed to tares, which had been sown in the month of March ; and this 

 was continued until the second crop of clover was ready for the scythe. On 

 the 2Slh of August ten of the best soiled lot were sold ; on the 28th of 

 September, the whole of both lots were disposed of, and it is remarkable, 

 that the entire number of this latter sale, both grazed and soiled, fetched 

 exactly the same price*. The statement is as follows : — 



The 48 cattle cost together for purchase and wintering, 503/. 2s. 



The 10 best of the soiled cattle were sold at 17/. lbs., and the re- 

 mainder of the whole number at 14/. 5s. each, thus yielding — 

 For the soiled lot of 24. . . 377/. Os. Od. 

 Ditto grazed ditto . . . 342 

 Or 29s. 2d. per head more upon the soiled than upon the grazed cattle ; 

 although they were all purchased at one price, and separated with the 

 most accurate fairness. 



{If acre of Swedes. 

 8 acres , , Clover. 

 3 , , Tares. 



Being 125/. 9s. for the cost of food and profit upon the stock. 



It is unfortunate that Mr. Brown did not keep the grazed cattle separate; 

 whereas they were allowed to run indiscriminately with other stock, thereby 

 preventing any correct comparison between the diflerent lots. However, 

 from the total result on the diflerent parcels of cattle, he is inclined to be- 

 lieve — " that the saving per acre will amount to 50 per cent. : or, in other 

 words, that a field of clover and rye-grass will feed one-half more beasts 

 when cut by the scythe, tlien when it is depastured f." 



From all the information which we have been able to collect, we think 

 that assertion is not far from the truth ; and it is possible tliat, par- 

 ticularly on clay soils, which are naturally unfit for the growtii of turnips, 

 the adoption of home-feeding on soiled tares, clover, sainfoin, and lucerne, 

 would be one of the greatest improvements in farming; for, independently 

 of any saving in the consumption of the grass, the farmer would assuredly 

 be thereby able to manure more ground annually than he is now capable of 

 doing. He sees with certainty that where manure has been laid, luxuriant 

 crops are produced, and it becomes his duty to increase this universal 

 restorative by every means in his power. When used with a due supply of 

 litter, the quantity above what is made in the ordinary way will far more 



* It was imafjined by many dealers that the confined air of the court, which was sur- 

 rounded by sheds, and littered with straw, would keep the cattle so warm as to prevent 

 tallow from being gathered in any quantity. One of the soiled lots was, however, killed 

 previous to the sale, which had 941b. of tallow, although the weight of the carcass was 

 only 34 stone Dutch. 



f Farmer's Mag., vol, vi., p. 463, 



