KEEPING ONE COW. 61 



be treated in the same way some two weeks later. The top 

 was raked off the ridges designed for the mangles. A furrow 

 was made on each with a hand hoe, and phosphats sprinkled 

 in rather more liberally than for the corn. This was thor- 

 oughly mixed with the soil, the furrow becoming nearly level 

 with the surface. A line was drawn by which a light mark waa 

 mace with the end of the hoe handle, in which the mangel seeds 

 were sown and covered about one inch deep, the soil being pressed 

 down lightly with the hoe. After saving enough phosphate for the 

 balance of the corn, and a little to experiment with on some late 

 potatoes, the remainder was sown broadcast on the clover. It fell 

 a little short of covering the whole, and Joseph thought that 

 would make a good opportunity to test its virtues. His seeds 

 came up well, and, as he had all he could attend to nights and 

 mornings, he hired a neighbor to do his farm work, and he deter- 

 mined no weeds should have the benefit of his fertilizers or soil ; 

 and this part of his programme was thoroughly carried out during 

 the growing season. 



SUMMEE QUARTERS. 



In " Comfort's" yard was a corner formed by the barn on one side, 

 the hennery on another, and the board fence on a third side. Joseph 

 put a roof over this corner, and about a foot deep of oat shucks on 

 the ground, and fastened a box to the side of the barn for her to 

 eat out of ; and here were her summer quarters. Every morning 

 before milking the droppings were cleaned up and piled in one 

 corner of the yard. As soon as the clover began to blossom, an 

 armful was cut each evening and fed to " Comfort" after her ration 

 of dry feed, and the morning feed was discontinued. After the 

 corn was large enough, that took the place of clover until frost 

 threatened ; then it was cut up and bound in small bundles, which 

 were set up in large stocks, to cure for winter use. 



No difference was observed in the first crop of clover in favor 

 of the phosphate, but the second cutting was largely benefited by 

 its use. Over one-half of the first and second cuttings were cured 

 and stored in the barn, with all of the grass around the yard, 

 which, with fully two-thirds of the stalks, would be nearly, if not 

 quite enough coarse feed to last " Comfort" through the winter. The 

 mangels yielded about twenty-five bushels, not a very large yield, 

 but quite satisfactory, considering the soil had not really been 

 farmed but one year. The roots were pitted near the barn for 

 spring use. Some of the corn stalks were set so as to form a 



