410 SOILING CATTLE. 



breathing on it. Of these six, the first only is useful. All 

 the others are wasteful." 



The other points he elucidates with equal force, but at 

 too great length for full quotation here. 



The statement made above that a milch cow may be kept 

 during the ordinary pasturing season upon the produce of 

 one-half acre of land, while of land of the same character at 

 least two acres would be necessary on the pasturage system, 

 is sufficient to illustrate the saving of land. Yet this state- 

 ment, which will be supported by the testimony of all who 

 practise the system on land of good quality, is far below the 

 estimate of many who have had a lifelong experience of soiling, 

 in Europe. Some of them place the proportion in favor of 

 soiling as high as 1 to 7. Of course the amount of stock 

 which may be fed from the produce of a single acre depends 

 very much on the manner in which that acre is cultivated, 

 and the question of the cost of labor must determine whether 

 it is or is not profitable to force the production beyond a 

 given extent. 



As to fencing, it is only necessary to remind nearly every 

 farmer of his own experience of the first cost of building, 

 and of the yearly cost of repairing the fences of his own 

 farm, and to say that by the soiling system, when completely 

 carried out, all interior fences may and should be entirely 

 dispensed with. 



Add to the question of expense, the fact that useless head- 

 lands and their nurseries of noxious weeds are got rid of, 



