



THE GENESEE FAEMEE. J83 



SOILING CATTLE IN SUMMER. 



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By sollinc^, is meant the practice very prevalent in different parts of Europe of keeping 

 cattle in the barn-yard or in stables during summer, and feeding them with green crops. 

 The high price of labor in this country, compared with Europe, is a decided objection to 

 the profitable adoption of the system ; yet it is worthy of trial, and we have little doubt 

 that part soiling may be practiced with advantage. 



Italian rye grass, lucerne, sainfoin, vetches, and clover, are grown to a great extent in 

 England for the purposes of soiling. Especially are vetches recommended as food for 

 horses, and good farmers usually grow sufficient to supply their teams during the whole 

 summer, so that the horses are never turned out to pasture. We believe several Scotch 

 and English farmers have tried to grow them for this purpose in this country, but have 

 not succeeded, the great heat of the summer being unf^ivorable. ItaHan rye grass is 

 now being sown for this purpose, and we think will be found valuable. But clover! — 

 we can beat the world on clover, — the soil and climate of America seems to be pecu- 

 liarly adapted to the growth of this most nutritious and valuable of all green crops, and 

 we are surprised that it is not more generally grown for soiling purposes. There appears 

 to be little question but what an acre of land mown twice or thrice dunng the summer, 

 will yield double the amount of food to what it would if pastured and kept bare, with 

 nothing to screen the roots fi-om the scorching hot sun. And doubtless the roots of the 

 plant have a corresponding proportion to the amount of produce yielded in leaves, stems, 

 (fee. ; so that jve have not only an increase of food for the cattle, but a greater amount 

 of vegetable matter left in the soil as food for the following crops. We have always 

 been in the habit of giving our horses green clover in the stable during "nooning," and 

 would earnestly recommend the practice as one that will pay. Whether it will pay to 

 keep the horses up altogether and feed them with green clover during summer, we can 

 not say, but are inclined to think it would. 



F^r oxen and milch cows we know of nothing so well adapted to the climate, 

 and of which you can obtain so large an acreage product, as green corn — directions for 

 sowing which we gave last month, page 160. If you have not yet sown any, it is not 

 too late, and we will warrant it comes in useful. We never knew any one have more 

 than he knew what to do wdth. It is seldom sown thick enough — four bushels is in 

 our opinion none too much seed per acre, if sown broadcast. It is, too, advisable to 

 sow the corn at different times in the spring, say at intervals of two weeks, so that you 

 will have some just in the right stage to cut during the whole summer ; whereas, if you 

 sow the whole at once, you have either to cut some too green or let some get too ripe, 

 and the stalks become pithy and innutritions, and are not relished by the cattle. We do 

 not recommend the practice of groAving corn and making it into fodder for winter use. It 

 is a troublesome business cunng it properly, and we prefer to get grain as well as stalks 

 in the ordinary way ; for though there is probably a destruction of nitrogen, and much 

 of the soluble saccharine matter is converted into woody fibre, in the process of maturing 

 the seed, yet there is doubtless more nutritious matter in ffrain and stalks, than there 

 would have been had it been cut and converted into fodder before the seed was formed. 



There is much difterence of opinion as to the best method of feeding green corn stalks 

 to milch cows — some good fjirmers taking them into the pasture and spreading them 

 on the ground, while others object to this plan, saying it makes the cattle restless, that 

 they stand longing at the feeding spot and are always expecting more stalks, and do not 

 disperse and fill themselves with grass. If, however, they are fed regularly every day, 

 and their importunity for more is never complied with, they soon learn that they had 

 better be at other business. Others feed them in the barn-yard, and thus obtain a con- 

 siderable quantity of manure which would be wasted in the field. The cattle should not 

 be fed with the stalks in too large quantities at a, time, or they will be surfeited. 



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