NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



359 



Off steer weighed 1070 lbs.; uncut hay 258 lbs. 

 consumed and 2 qts. of meal per day ; temp. 32 

 cleg.; water drank after being weighed 03 lbs.; 

 average water for the two weeks, 70 lbs. per day. 



Experiment No. 4, commenced Feb. 14, 1852. 



Feb. 14. Nigh steer weighed 1095 lbs.; uncut 

 hay 254 lbs., 2 qts. meal per day, temp. 37 deg., 

 water drank after weighing 33 lbs. 



Off steer weighed 1105 lbs.; consumed 254 lbs. 

 cut hay, 2 qts. meal per day, temp. 37 deg. above, 

 water drank after weighing 43 lbs.; average water 

 drank by the two steers 79 lbs. per day for the 

 last two weeks. 



Feb. 28. Nigh steer weighed 1125 Jbs., water 

 drank after being weighed 32 lbs. 



Off steer weighed 1100 lbs., drank 3G lbs. of 

 water jifter being weighed. 



It will be seen by reference as above that 949 

 lbs. of long hay was consumed, and 910 lbs. ol 

 cut, making a difference in favor of cut feed of 33 

 lbs. of hay. In experiment No. 1, the nigh steer 

 on cut feed lost but 10 lbs., while the off steer on 

 long feed lost 30 lbs. In experiment No. 2, nigh 

 steer gained 25 lbs. on long, and off steer gained 

 20 lbs. on cut. In experiment No. 3, nigh steer 

 gained 5 lbs. on cut, and off steer 35 on long. In 

 experiment No. 4, nigh steer gained 30 lbs. on 

 long, and off steer 55 on cut, showing the whole 

 gain, after taking out the loss on experiment No. 

 1, to be 130 lbs.; 70 lbs. of this gain was made by 

 cut, and GO lbs. by long feed, — showing a differ- 

 ence in favor of cut feed over uncut of 33 lbs. of 

 hay and 10 lbs. of live weight. 



Sulton, March 15, 1852. Harvey Dodge. 



STATEMENT OF WILLIAM S. LIN; OI.V 

 [Mr. W. S. Lincoln presented a long and carefully pre- 

 pared table, which being in rule and figure, we cannot make it 

 convenient to copy.] 



It is necessary, in order to comply with the rule 

 adopted for the trial, to add a few particulars. — 

 The trial was made with two cows. One, Beauty, 

 calved on the 14th day of June last, and is expect- 

 ed to come in on the last day of June, having been 

 served the 30th day of September last. She is 1-4 

 Ayrshire, was raised by myself, and will be 4 yrs. 

 old the 13th day of May next. The other, Cherry, 

 calved on the 20th of June last, and is expected to 

 come in on the 14th day of May next, having been 

 served on the 4th day of August last. She was 

 purchased by me, is said to have some Devon blood 

 in her, and is also 4 years old this spring. At the 

 commencement of the trial both animals appe red 

 to be in go >d health, but before the first period of 

 trial had passed, Cherry showed symptoms of dis- 

 ease. Her disease was the "Horn ail." I think 

 a check was put to the disease and she began to 

 mend before the third period had expired, though 

 she had not entirely recovered till after the last 

 fortnight of trial had commenced, or perhaps till 

 its expiration. Her sickness was severe during the 

 first part of its continuance. Probably her health 

 was quite as good during the last fortnight, if in- 

 deed it was not better, than at any other period of 

 the trial. 



In conducting this experiment, my general man- 

 agement in the stable has not been varied in the 

 least particular, save so far as the preparation of 

 fodder by cutting was concerned. I have no doubt 

 a greater gain may be obtained by forcing ; but 



my aim has been so to conduct this experiment 

 that others might be satisfied what results would 

 attend similar management with their own stock. 



The table shows the amount of food, (hay and 

 roots.) fed to each animal. Each of these cows 

 has fared just like all the rest of my stock, save 

 that their hay on alternate fortnights has been 

 cut, and the amount of roots fed to them daily has 

 been determined by scales instead of measure. 



Perhaps I should add that the milking is at re- 

 gular hours, at G A. M. and G P. M.; that each 

 morning each animal is curried clean, turned out 

 to drink, and allowed to return to the barn as soon 

 as she pleases; that the barn is shut up till noon, 

 then the same course of watering is pursue 1, the 

 barn shut up again, — and so at night. At this 

 time the cattle are kept out till they can lie bedded 

 down, when they are turned in, fed, milked, and 

 the barn shut up for the night. The amount of 

 food consumed is put before the cattle at three 

 meals. 



Inasmuch as I have taken the sole care of my 

 stock, I can say with confidence that the weights 

 of fodder and milk are correct. The certificates of 

 the weights accompanying this are vouchers for 

 the gain or loss in live weight of the animals at the 

 respective times of weighing. 



The committee will excuse an intrusion of my 

 ^pinion upon the advantage of cutting hay before 

 feeding to stock, and in what I say I have no re- 

 ference to the experiment I have detailed. My 

 milking stock consisted of one cow which came in 

 the 29th of last October, the two trial cows, and 

 one other which calved last April, and is expected 

 to calve again the first of next April. Sometin e 

 before commencing this experiment, I was feeding 

 to my stock what would be called poor stock hay, 

 with an allowance of roots. I commenced cutting 

 this hay for all my stock, young and old, (sixteen 

 head,) occupying me 1 1-2 hours daily. Almost 

 simultaneously with feeding the cut hay was an 

 increase of milk, very perceptible as it was milked 

 in the pail. An inquiry was made by my wife, 

 who in person takes sole charge of the dairy, as to 

 the cause of this increase. An evasive reply was 

 made. From day to day the milk increased enough, 

 from the stock I have described, to require the 

 substitution of Gqt. for 4qt. pans, which had been 

 previously used. I think I am within bounds in 

 saying the increase was over a pint daily per cow, 

 occasioned, to the best of my knowledge, solely by 

 the use of cut hay. As to the general condition 

 of my stock, the committee, should they desire to 

 look at it, can judge. 



Whether, in your judgment, this may be the 

 most or the least successful of the experiments in 

 determining this vexed question, is of little conse- 

 quence. That it may be of such character as to 

 induce to other more general and longer extended 

 trials, is the hope of, 



Yours respectfully, Wm. S. Lincoln. 



March 12, 1852. 



I should have added that the hay used was Eng- 

 lish, what is called " old field ;" that it was uni- 

 versally fed dry; that the times of feeding 'were 

 regular throughout the entire period, being G A. 

 M., 1 and G P. M.; and that the animals were 

 weighed at each time early in the morning, say 

 from 7 to half-past 8, and always before being al- 

 lowed to drink. w. s. l. 



