3gg THE FARMER AT HOME. 



ance as three acres will, when lying" in pasture. When land is used 

 for pastures, more grass is trodden under foot, or otherwise rendered 

 unfit for food, than is eaten. Josiah Q,uincy, of Massachusetts, from 

 actual experiment, came to this conclusion. Many experiments have 

 been made in England establishing the same conclusion. Cattle also 

 thrive far better when soiled, than when allowed to collect their own 

 food. If their feed is collected for them, and given to them fresh, 

 they eat it when in its most nutritious condition ; fill themselves in a 

 very short time, and then lie down and become fattened from it ; 

 whereas, if they collect it themselves in pastures, unless the grass is 

 of luxuriant growth, it takes them the whole time to fill themselves ; 

 they have no time for rest ; and their constantly roaming about, like 

 labor to the ox or horse, only in a less degree, prevents their acquiring 

 fat or muscle. 



The labor indeed of cultivating the land to be used in producing 

 summer food for cattle, and of cutting it whenever wanted, forms an 

 important item of expense. There is nevertheless a material saving 

 of labor or money or its equivalent. In the six months of cattle run- 

 ning at large in pasture there is a loss of five dollars in manure, at 

 least, for each grown animal, which in soiling is saved. This for ten 

 head of cattle wonld be a saving of fifty dollars a year. On a farm 

 of seventy-five acres fenced into lots of the usual size, it will cost on 

 an average fifty dollars a year to keep the fences in repair. Half of 

 this may be saved if cattle are soiled and not allowed to run at large. 

 Then, if ten acres will support as many cattle by soiling as thirty will 

 by pasturage, the interest of money on the cost of twenty acres will 

 also be saved. If the land is worth only twenty dollars per acre, 

 a very low price, this will be the interest of four hundred dollars, 

 or about twenty-five dollars, annually. Now, it is easy from these 

 hints to form an opinion which of the two modes of feeding cattle in 

 summer is most economical. 



SOOT. This is a complicated and variably mixed substance, 

 usually produced by the combustion of wood and of mineral coal. Its 

 composition, and consequently its effects, as a fertilizer, must vary 

 with the nature and quality of the fuel, and the manner in which it 

 is burned, as well as the height and structure of the chimney or 

 apparatus in which '' is collected. As the soot of wood fire is some- 

 what limited, and as that produced from mineral coal is more abun- 

 dant, attention should be more particularly directed to the latter. As 

 this coal is now generally used in cities, with becoming care in sweep- 

 ing chimnies soot might there be saved and sold to farmers for a 

 handsome sum annually. If each family would save a bushel only, 

 and double that quantity might be saved, the produce of the earth in 

 the neighborhood of cities would be augmented to an incredible 

 amount. 



The composition of soot from mineral coal will of course vary with 



