NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



309 



ny, Hon. John Brooks, and William A. Wheeler, 

 Esq. After the decease of our lamented friend, 

 Hon. George Denny, the Trustees enlarged the 

 Committee by the addition of John W. Lincoln, 

 Thomas \V. Ward, and Charles Brigham, Esq. At 

 the meeting of the Committee, on the motion of 

 Hon. John Brooks, John W. Lincoln was appoint- 

 ed their Chairman. Subsequently the Hon. John 

 Brooks handed to the Chairman a communication 

 containing statements of a number of experiments 

 made by Kim in relation to feeding of cattle, and 

 for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of sol- 

 id manure voided by cattle in proportion to the 

 weight of hay eaten by them. This communica- 

 tion contains much valuable information, of which 

 the public should not be deprived, and is annexed 

 to this report as an inportant part thereof, from 

 which will be learnt the relative value of different 

 articles of food, and the great importance, to the 

 farmer, of making use of his hay, grain and stover 

 as food for stock on his own land. Even those who 

 have satisfied their own consciences by returning 

 a load of manure for everyload of hay sold from 

 their farm, will find that they have been robbing 

 their land of three-fifths of the manure which of 

 right belongs to it. Mr. Dodge, in a letter to the 

 Chairman, states that during one of the periods of 

 two weeks, his steers ate 508 lbs. of hay and 100 

 lbs. of meal, in which time all the solid manure 

 was saved and thrown into a heap in the stable by 

 itself; that at the expiration of the two weeks the 

 manure was found to weigh 1136 lbs., and meas- 

 ured 25 bushels, potato measure. 



The subject of feeding stock is of the utmost im- 

 portance to the farmer, and although the books 

 are full of recommendations of the use of the cut- 

 ting machine, being the assertions of anonymous 

 correspondents unsupported by facts, upon the 

 particular question submitted to your Committee, 

 they do not find that it has been discussed in the 

 agricultural publications, or any facts stated that 

 can have any application to it, except by inference. 

 Of some of the most reliahle statements in relation 

 to feeding, they have made some extracts as con- 

 taining information which may be useful to be un- 

 derstood by the farmers of our county. 



In the fourth volume of the memoirs of "the 

 Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture,'' 

 in a long communication from Richard Peters, en- 

 titled "Notices to a Young Farmer," he says, 

 page 30 . "Be particularly careful in expending, 

 as you should be provident in raising, every species 

 of provender for your stock of horses, cattle and 

 sheep. A variety of food, and an orderly distribu- 

 tion of it, are more promotive of health and vigor 

 in your domestic animals, than a lavish expendi- 

 ture of any one species. Such as require previous 

 preparation, should have it bestowed ; both for 

 profit and economy, cut or chaff your hay, straw, 

 corn tops and blades, and even your stalks, with 

 a powerful straw cutter; and you will save a great 

 proportion, which is otherwise wasted, or passed 

 through the animal, without contributing to its 

 nourishment. One bushel of chaffed hay at a mess, 

 given in a trough, three times in twenty-four 

 hours, is sufficient for a horse, ox, or cow'. A 

 bushel of chaffed hay, lightly pressed, weighs from 

 5 to 5 1-2 pounds. A horse, or horned beast, 

 thrives more on 15 pounds thus given, than 24 or 

 25 pounds as commonly expended (including waste) 

 the usual manner of feeding in racks ; to which 



troughs, properly constructed, are far preferable. 

 This practice has been now tested by experience ; 

 and the result accurately proved." The name of 

 Judge Peters, then the President of the Philadel- 

 phia Society for Promoting Agriculture, and one 

 of the best practical and scientific farmers of his 

 day, would ensure to his recommendations the 

 highest consideration, but it is to be regretted, 

 that he has not given the facts on which his opin- 

 ion was founded. Farmers are generally so much 

 prejudiced against all information that appears in 

 print, that they will not believe, unless furnished 

 with all the evidence in the case, from which they 

 may draw their own conclusions. 



In the Bath (England) Society's papers, re-pub- 

 lished in the 4th volume of the Massachusetts Ag- 

 ricultural Repository and Journal, page 138, is a 

 communication over the signature of Thomas Wil- 

 liamson. He says, "I have throughout the sum- 

 mer kept my horses in the stable, feeding them 

 with good hay and beans. My oxen have, on the 

 contrary, always been turned out to grass when 

 liberated from their work ; they have had the range 

 of good pastures, and the benefit of some less val- 

 uable hay, previous to their going to their labor. 

 My horses, five in number, have been regularly 

 worked at the plow in pairs. The oxen, four in 

 number, have worked in collars, drawing generally 

 a stout Beverstone plow, or a large drag and scuf- 

 fcr ; their labor has been constant and rather se- 

 vere. As our meadows (mowing lands) began to 

 fail us towards the end of September, owing to the 

 quantity of stock upon them, it became necessary 

 to allow the oxen more and better hay. 



"The increased expenditure alarmed me, as the 

 four oxen and the five horses consumed no less 

 than four tons within one month. This caused me 

 to prohibit the use of the hay in the racks, and to 

 feed all the cattle with chaff; of which a boy can 

 cut sufficient for daily use in two hours. 



"My servants not only ridiculed the change, but 

 so far as they dared, opposed in an underhand 

 manner by various evasions and pretexts. Aided 

 by the care and vigilance of the young gentlemen 

 with me, the system of chaff- feeding was fully es- 

 tablished, and the quantity needful for the horses, 

 and for the oxen, separately ascertained. 



"One hundred weight of hay was found to yield 

 twenty bushels of chaff pressed into the measure, 

 and piled as high as it could be safely carried ; con- 

 sequently each bushel weighed about 5 1-2 pounds. 

 It was found that the five horses would eat twelve 

 bushels of chaff during the twenty-four hours ; and 

 that the four oxen could consume an equal quan- 

 tity in the same time. Ever since, the oxen have 

 been fed with chaff only; they have very evidently 

 improved in condition, as have also the horses, al- 

 though their work has latterly been on heavier soil, 

 and of course, more severe than formerly. 



"Twenty-four bushels of chaff at 20 to the cwt. 

 (112 lbs.) amount to about 21 1-2 tons yearly ; 

 which deducted from 48 tons (the quantity we 

 were consuming within the year) gives a saving of 

 about 2G 1-2 tons, or more than one half. 



"I have, however, carried the retrenchment fur- 

 ther, by cutting in beanstalks, to the extent of 

 about a quarter of the chaff. These being laid up- 

 permost in the cutting trough, keep the hay well 

 pressed, and cause it to be cut more regularly. 

 Thus we now use about 25 cwt. of hay monthly, 

 instead of four tons. It is customary in our quar- 



