92 



SOILING CATTLE. 



son, followed the example of a farmer 

 near New London, in sowing corn broad 

 cast to be cut when wanted. 



The following he has given as the re- 

 sults of his experiment: 



On the 15th of June, 1836, about six- 

 teen square rods of ground, which had 

 been well manured and well ploughed, 

 were sown broad cast with horse tooth, 

 (gourd seed or southern corn) at the rate 

 •of four bushels of seed to the acre. The 

 seed was then lightly ploughed in with a 

 small horse plough, after which the 

 ground was rolled and harrowed. On the 

 10th of August following, he began to cut 

 upon the green crop of corn stalks on the 

 above described ground. The stalk which 

 grew from the sixteen rods of ground af- 

 forded forage for a horse fi'om the 19th of 

 August to the 8th of October, and also 

 the principal part of the food of a cow from 

 the 5th of September to the 8th of Octo- 

 ber, making fifty days keeping for the 

 ■horse and 33 for the cow. 



On the fourth of September, when this 

 •corn was five to eight feet high, but had 

 •not eared or tassel led out, the produce of 

 one square rod was cut up, and while 

 green it weighed three hundred and sev- 

 ■enty-five pounds. This was at the rate of 

 thirty tons to the acre. This three hun- 

 dred and seventy-five pounds was dried, 

 and on the 27th of October weighed eigh- 

 ty-six and a quarter pounds, which is at 

 the rate of 13,800 pounds, or about seven 

 tons to the acre. 



The advantage of sowing the horse 

 tooth coruj instead of some of the smaller 

 sorts, are, the horse tooth being a taller 

 kind, makes a much greater amount of 

 fodder. An acre of corn sowed this way 

 on good ground, would probably afford 

 green forage for 30 cows a month, or for 

 eight horses for the same length of time. 



Such is the substance of Mr. Holt's pa- 

 per, and it seems to point out a mode in 

 which Cobbett's project in keeping a cow 

 to an acre the year round can be realized. 

 Perhaps there is no food more grateful or 

 healthful to the ox or the horse than that 

 of the leaves and stalks of corn, when se- 

 cured at the proper time and in a careful 

 manner. The quantity of nutritive matter 

 the stalks contain, even under the present 

 injudicious mode of treating it, is very 

 great, and if cut and steamed as it should 



be, would add most materially to the 

 means of feeding; and every one who h^S' i' 

 travelled at the south knows the avidity 

 with which the northern as well as the 

 southern horse feeds on corn leaf fodder. 

 We would add here, that in our opinion 

 much of the relief, not to say cure, expe- 

 rienced by horses from the north subject to 

 the heaves, when taken to the south, arise 

 from substituting the clean grateful corn 

 leaf as food, in the room of tiie too fre- 

 quently mouldy, and always dusty hay of 

 the north. 



In a season of drought like the past, 

 an acre or two of corn like Mr. Holt's 

 sown broad cast, and of good growth, 

 would have been a most material aid in 

 supplying the many half starved cattle and 

 horses that were to be seen even in our 

 fertile western New York with the most 

 nourishing food; and if not wanted for that 

 purpose in the summer, by being cut and 

 dried, would make a supply of winter 

 food far greater and more valuable than 

 could be obtained in a dry state in any i 

 other way. 



The system of soiling it is evident re- 

 quire rich lands to grow the food; and it 

 is clear there is no method so well calcula- 

 ted as this to keep lands rich. We think 

 it might be made a most profitable part of 

 our mode of farming; on our rich grain 

 growing farms, by enabling us to keep 

 greater quantities of stock than we are 

 now able to do; thus securing at once 

 greater sources of comfort and profit, and 

 the most effectual means of retaining the 

 fertility of our soils. 



CHILBLAINS. 



Many persons, especially children, suf- 

 fer from chilblains, although this trouble- 

 some affection is often met vviih in the 

 most healthy constitutions; yet when the 

 disease proceeds to a very great extent 

 and degree of intensity, and occurs with 

 violence, where the exciting cause, expo- 

 sure to changes of temperature has not 

 been sudden or remarkable, we may then 

 conclude that the sufferer's diathesis is de- 

 cidedly scrofulous. This affection ought 

 consequently to excite the attention of j)a- 

 rents; for although in general it is merely 

 a local ailment, yet in some children it in- 

 dicates a general weakness of the consti- 

 tion, and in all, occasions much pain and 



