7 



food. Tlie cows appeared all healthy, they were of different breeds, Devon, Suffolk, and Cumber- 

 land. Mr. Curwen keeps between 20 and 30, and sells all their n^ilk at id per quart, wine measure. 

 This, it is true, is a local advantage, but the lesson to be learned is general and serious ; viz. atten- 

 tion to the consumption of food* by weighing to every animal, vsrhat it requires for its support. It 

 was from this circumstance my astonishment was excited at the quantity of clover, which Mr. Curwen 

 Cuts per acre. He begins to mow his clover in the first week of June for his horses, giving the first cut- 

 ting of lucerne to his cows, and by weighing ten yards squaref of each cutting, he knows exactly what 

 his produce is per acre, and what quantity his stock consumes per day. In my presence he weighed 

 (Oct. 3d, 1807) a tliird cutting of clover by marking out ten yards square, the clover cut from which, 

 was weighed immediately, and amounted to 21 stones. It was about two o'clock. Mr. Curwen was 

 therefore cutting clover, which yielded 6 tons, 7 cwt. 5| lbs. per acre. He had at the first cut- 

 ting in June got 36 stones upon 10 yards square, i.e. 10 tons, 17 cwt. 6| stones, per acre, and at 

 the second cutting, viz. in the middle of July, 31 stones upon 10 yards square, i. e. 9 tons, 7 cwt. 

 4y stones per acre : whence he has got by the three cuttings this year, 26 tons, 12 cwt. 3 stones, 2^ lbs. 

 an immense produce to those who never saw clover weighed in its green state, but by no means equal 

 to some crops growing in this county. 



On the same day, when we weighed the third cutting of clover we also weighed the first cutting of 

 a crop of colewort, called by some cole seed or rape, sown broad cast, and just begun for soiling cows ; 

 its produce was 42 stones upon ten yards square, i. e. 12 tons, 14 cwt. llj-lbs. per acre. 



By thus weighing the green crops we discover that by mowing clover first in June, a second time in the 

 middle of July, and a third time in October, more produce is reaped per acre than by the common 

 method pursued : besides which by feeding in stalls the quantity of muck is much increased, and tlie 

 animals are generally in better plight. 

 'J'hc following is Mr. Curwen's estimate^ of feeding his cows per day :— d. 

 2 stones of green food . - . o| 



2 stones of boiled chaff, &c. - - - 2 



2 lbs. of oil cake - - - • 2 



% lbs. of straw * • , • I 



• A wise man, who makes this a point necessary in farming, will not esteem him the best grazier who brings the 

 finest and the fattest animals to market, but him who brings the most of marketable meat, produced from the least 

 quantity of food consumed. It is attention to this circumstance, which must enrich the farmer and the public. The 

 means of doing this once ascertained, it will no longer be a question of dispute whether the Southdown or the Norfolk sheep 

 is to be preferred ; or of neat beasts, whether the Keyloe or the Galloway, the long-horned or the short-homed. — Some 

 farmers in the North are at this time very attentive to these questions, and I doubt not but ere long we shall see some 

 very meritorious experiments published. 



t It would be better to take 1 1 yards square, which is exactly l-40th part of an acre, thus 1 1 yards is ^ a chain, 

 therefore II yards square is j of a chain sqnare, and a chain square is 1-1 0th of an acre, therefore 11 yards squrare is 

 4 of 1-lOth or l-40th of an acre, or in other words 11 yards square =121 square yards, and 40 X 121 = 4840 

 square yards rr an acre. 



I It may be objected to this statement of estimate, that a value is set npon the green food, &c. previous to the Hse 

 intended by the farmer : whereas the value of the food ought to be estimated by the use made of it by the farmer. 



Whatever 



