84 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



terially, increase the quantity of milk, but do in- 

 crease the amount and quality of butter. 



That fed in moderate quantities they pro- 

 mote appetite and digestion, and do not decrease 

 the amount of hay. 



That beets and potatoes increase the quantity 

 of milk at first, but depreciate the quality, and 

 that if continued long they are injurious to the sys- 

 tem in consequence of their cathartic and diuretic 

 qualities. 



That oil-cake and corn-meal are highly stimula- 

 ting — too much so for a permanent food for valu- 

 able cows. But that if he wished to obtain the 

 greatest amount of milk for a short time he should 

 feed liberally on these two latter articles. 



That shorts are nutritious, without being severe- 

 ly stimulating ; that if scalding water is poured 

 over them three or four hours previous to feeding, 

 so as to soften and swell them, their nutritious 

 properties are easily assimilated ; that they pro- 

 mote a healthy appetite and digestion, increase the 

 quantity and quality of milk, and preserve the sys 

 tern in a natural and vigorous condition. Three 

 or four quarts of shorts a day will not decrease the 

 amount of hay required. 



Young cows, he thinks, should be fed very 

 cautiously on any of these specific articles of food ; 

 believing them too stimulating for the permanent 

 health of the animal. 



We have also conversed with several gentlemen 

 at present engaged in furnishing milk for this mar- 

 ket. One of them, Mr. J. B. Farjier, of Concord, 

 says : "I never have found that carrots increased 

 the quantity of milk immediately, like sugar beets 

 and parsnips, but then.' effect is as great in the end, 

 as any root I have ever used, unless it is parsnips. 

 Carrots are advantageous in several ways ; they 

 add greatly to the quality of the milk, and quan- 

 tity of the butter. If fed to cows that are suckling 

 calves, the calf will be much fatter, while the cow 

 will gain flesh, which bears much on the old adage, 

 ' that a cow well wintered is half summered.' In 

 regard to the saving of hay^ I have never been 

 able to perceive any ; the reason I assign for that 

 is, that they keep the digestive organs in such per- 

 fect tone, that they are ready and willing at all 

 times to eat anything that is reasonable. A cow 

 fed liberally on carrots will last for the dairy near- 

 ly or quite as long again as cows fed on meal, par- 

 ticularly oil meal. Finally, carrots may be con- 

 sidered like bread cast upon the waters, which 

 after many days cometh back again." 



In looking at these opinions of men who are cer- 

 tainly as competent to judge as men can be, with- 

 out entering into precise experiments by weight 

 and measure, our correspondent will find that they 

 agree pretty nearly with those of the Bradford gon- 

 leman. They are conclusions at which we had ar- 

 rived, and on which we intend to practice. We shall 

 continue to cultivate and feed carrots to our cows, 



notwithstanding we " make milk" for the Boston 

 market, and if it benefit the consumer there as 

 much as we believe the carrots do the cows, we 

 shall be satisfied with their operation. 



Dr. Lee, editor of the Genesee Farmer, says that 

 one hundred pounds of carrots ought to yield 

 at least fifty of milk, in good cows." 



If our friend desires to keep but one cow, not 

 to see how much milk he can get, but how rich it 

 may be and how constantly he may obtain it, we 

 advise him to procure a good Alderney. She will 

 be too ugly to be stolen, and no one will tempt 

 him as now with big offers to part with his beau- 

 tiful heifer. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



A sailor friend writes me that he lately " board- 

 ed" the island of St. Thomas, off the coast of 

 Africa, and saw the natives ploughing exactly in 

 the old Bible fashion. They had sorry teams and 

 were ripping up the fertile soil with sharp stakes, 

 just as if a cast-iron mould board had never been 

 heard of. He saw also a specimen of threshing 

 that he had heretofore considered as belonging to 

 the primitive ages. A mass of grain was collected 

 in a yard, and some animals were cracked round 

 over it at a lively pace. A felloAV in charge of the 

 job laid it over the cattle as if thrashing indeed. 



I commenced this article with the intention of 

 writing about Tools, and their importance to the 

 farmer. I need only refer your readers to the 

 many mammoth establishments in Boston, and 

 their enormous business, to show how desirable 

 the community already deem it to be supplied with 

 suitable tools. Within ten years there has been a 

 great change. Farmers spend more every year 

 for tools, and less for labor to accomplish the same 

 work. Let me give you an example : 



A number of years ago I employed two men by 

 the day, to fill carts with rich soil from a bank of 

 flood deposit by the river. I had two carts, and 

 the men filled one while I drove the other away. 

 They used shovels. The soil would stick to the 

 shovels, and the blade must be rapped continually 

 to keep it in order. The shovel went in hard the 

 soil was so adhesive ; and when it was unloaded 

 there was a hard wrench given to the arms. About 

 this time I met with an eight-tined fork — price 

 four dollars. I bought it, and found to my sur- 

 prise that one man now would fill the carts as quick 

 as two before — and easier. It was not pleasant 

 thinking how much I had lost by not having the 

 article before ! But I noticed, occasionally, that 

 the finest soil would slip through — there was some 

 waste. Well, I happened to see a ten-tined fork, 

 price five dollars ; I took that home, and found 

 that it was superior to the other for all but the 

 top layer of sods. It would go in easier and never 

 clog. There was a spring to it, too, when unload- 

 ing. I now found that my man filled the cart while 

 I was gone and gamed time to eat apples and smoke 

 besides ! 



I might give other illustrations from my own ex- 

 perience, showing the saving in having the best 

 tools. I have suggested that there is no compari- 

 son between the equipment of the farms now and 

 that of ten years ago. Still there is room for fur- 

 ther improvement. I shall not give offence to any 



