244 



Soiling of Cattle. 



Vol. VI. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Soiling of Cattle. 



Sir, — At the commencement of spring I 

 was given to understand that Mr. Jabez Jen- 

 kins, of West Whiteland, had determined to 

 put to the test of experience the English mode 

 of summer soiling, and from his known cha- 

 racter and capability I was led to expect a 

 full and faithful account of the result ; but 

 hitherto we are without information on the 

 subject. I wonder if he could be induced to 

 describe the means which he used, and the 

 success attending them, more especially as 

 it regards the health and comfort of the stock, 

 many persons entertaining the idea that even 

 partial confinement for so long a period would 

 be found of injurious consequence ; would he 

 therefore say what was the extent of quarters 

 allowed them for exercise, and whether the 

 whole space was littered or covered with any 

 foreign substance to receive their manure 

 when dropped ] for without this provision, I 

 fear that much waste would be sustained. 

 The subject has always appeared to me a 

 very interesting one, and I had often wished 

 that some person, who had it in his power to 

 do justice to the scheme, would undertake 

 the experiment in this country, and see if 

 any other than the consideration of the ex- 

 pense of labour attending it could be brought 

 against it : it is found to be economical and 

 profitable on the continent of Europe, and if 

 nothing more than the difference in the price 

 of labour here and there can be brought 

 against the practice amongst us, it must in- 

 deed be a poor business that could not afford 

 about the amount of half a man's wages when 

 divided amongst a score of cattle. For my- 

 self, I should not readily bo brought to be- 

 lieve that so trifling a matter would be able 

 to turn the scale in a fair experiment. 



Many essays have been written on this 

 subject, and we are yet calling for " more 

 facts" — indeed I begin to think your corres- 

 pondent, who proposes that farmers should 

 grow their own facts, is about right, and if I 

 were differently situated, I would set about 

 it, but my land is in pasture at present, and 

 divided into small portions, and I should not 

 feel justified in changing my course until I 

 had mure data to proceed ujxin. Would, 

 therefore, our friend Mr. Jenkins furnish them 

 at his early convenience, and inform us of the 

 extent of crop which he found sufncient for 

 the support of a given number of cattle for a 

 given space of time ? And in the meantime 

 I send for insertion in the pages of the Cabi- 

 net an excellent paper from the American 

 Farmer, the writer, however, appearing alx)ut 

 as uninformed on the subject as myself, and 

 seeking the same " fact." J. Godson. 



Feb. 20, 1842. 



" The question has often been discussed, 

 whether it be better to depasture stock, or 

 soil them ? that is, whether it be more eco- 

 nomical to let them run on the meadows and 

 gather their own food, or keep them up 

 through the grass season, and cut and carry 

 the grass to them ; but as yet the old custom 

 of depasturing prevails, though every one 

 who has made the experiment of soiling, bears 

 testimony to its superiority on the score of 

 the economy of provender, as well as manure. 

 In England, where there has been much ex- 

 perience, the difference in favour of the last 

 system of feeding, is so apparent, that but 

 very few attempt to controvert the claims 

 which are there put forth in behalf of its ad- 

 vantages. To be sure, labour, a great essen- 

 tial, is in that country much cheaper than 

 here, but as half the labour of a hand would 

 be competent to cut a sufficient quantity of 

 clover for, and to fodder 20 head of cattle, 

 that should not be permitted tooperate to the 

 non-adoption of the plan, as the cost would 

 not be anything in comparison with the value 

 of the extra quantity of manure which would 

 be made under a well-devised and properly 

 executed system of soiling, over and above 

 that which arises from depasturing. Even 

 if it took the same quantity of land to support 

 cattle under the former system, which it does 

 not, still the great saving in manure alone 

 should be of sufficient moment to influence 

 the judgment in behalf of the latter. Let us 

 see how the two systems compare : 



" In grazing, an acre of good grass is con- 

 sidered necessary to the support of each head 

 of stock ; of ordinary grass one and a half, 

 or two acres are not more than enough. In 

 England, where the soiling system has been 

 very generally adopted, and carried on with 

 care, according to Mr. Curwen's experience, 

 three acres of grass cut and carried, supplied 

 30 milch-cows, with 28 lbs. each, daily, du- 

 ring a period of 200 days. To have supplied 

 a similar number of cows, with a like quanti- 

 ty for the same period, would in the usual 

 way of management, have required 75 acres 

 of land for its production. And to have gra- 

 zed such a number of cows at liberty that 

 length of time, must, it is obvious, have taken 

 a very considerable number of acres. Again 

 he says : 



" ' This vast produce from so small a piece 

 of land, may at first appear very problemati- 

 cal ; but experience and good management 

 will soon convince the dairyman that he may 

 realize the advantage, great as it may ap- 

 pear. To enable the meadow to support this 

 exhaustion from the scythe, it should be 

 cleared at the end of every autumn, from all 

 kinds of weeds and rubbish, and fresh gras.s- 

 seeds of the best kinds, cast upon the bare 

 places. A coat of good rotten manure, or 



