120 



THE FAUMERS' CABINET. 



TOL. L 



A. A yoke of oxen which girt six feet six | 

 inches, cannot be liept in good flesh in vvin-i 

 ter, on less than fifty pounds of good English 

 hay per day, or fifteen hundred a month, 

 without labor, by giving as much as they 

 will eat — which is the only way to keep up 

 their flesh. 



B. There is no sort of need of their con- 

 suming such a quantity, or so much expense, 

 per day — in the first place they will keep 

 their flesh full as well by giving them some- 

 thing less than they will eat, if given to 

 them ; thus kept, their appetites will always 

 be sharp and good, and they will better 

 relish their food, and of course it will nourish 

 them as much more ; there will be no waste, 

 in the next place. Much may be saved in 

 the expense, by mixing straw, or poor hay, 

 with the good ; if thoroughly mixed, they 

 cannot avoid eating the less expensive hay. 

 As all animals (man not excepted) are fond 

 of a change of Diet., much may be saved 

 by Browse and a few roots. Thus I can 

 keep a yoke of oxen for half the expense 

 you name. 



A. But it must take some time and trouble 

 to mix the hay, straw, &c., in the manner 

 you propose, and 1 have been in the habit 

 of feeding my cattle without this trouble, and 

 giving them what they will eat. 



B. So I apprehended, and I was not clear 

 but that you was so sparing of your trouble, 

 that you neither carded your oxen, or see 

 that they drank when they needed water, or 

 that they were littered properly, and of course 

 laid happily. Much depends, my friend, on 

 these little things, if you desire to save hay, 

 which we both agree, is of no small conse- 

 quence this year, or indeed any year. 



A. I will try your mode of keeping cattle, 

 and if it succeeds I shall be much obliged, 

 for my purse will not be drained as I ex- 

 pected, in keeping my stock through the 

 approaching foddering time. 



B. I am satisfied that good wheat straw, 

 and a small quantity of roots every day will 

 keep up their flesh, without any hay in cold 

 winter weather, this has been sufliciently 

 tried. By this time I hope you are satisfied 

 that stock may be kept much cheaper than 

 you had supposed, if you are, you will not 

 sacrifice them this fall. 



A. I certainly shall not, until I have tried 

 your mode of wintering stock — if it suc- 

 ceeds, it must be of great consequence to 

 farmers, even in seasons when hay is not 

 very dear. 



B. Why should we not learn something, 

 by being deprived by Providence of the usual 

 quantity of forage ] — Maine Farmer. 



A Mr. Walker, of Doncaster, stacked, in 

 ten hours, twenty tons of hay. 



Wfiicn is the best time to Plongh? 



The above question is one of no small 

 importance to tiie farmer. Most of our land 

 is ploughed in the spring — a part is ploughed 

 in the summer, and a part is ploughed in the 

 fall. Although we admit that tanners should 

 embrace the opportunity to plough when their 

 leisure or time will allow, yet every one will 

 say that in breaking up a sward land it 

 makes some difference when it should be 

 done ; whether in the summer or autumn or 

 spring. The reasons for this difference de- 

 pend upon the action of the decaying sod on 

 the crops. Some assert that the sod, if 

 ploughed in the summer, is decomposed by 

 the time that the surnmercrop is commencing, 

 and the crop has the benefit of it, whereas, 

 if ploughed late in the fall or in the sprinor, 

 the sod does not become wholly decomposed, 

 and the crop cannot receive the whole benefit 

 of it. In conversation with an observing and 

 very intelligent farmer, the other day, — he 

 observed that his crops which were put upon 

 a summer fallow, invariably looked well in 

 the first part of the season, but at the latter 

 part, when maturing the seed, they fall short 

 of those which were put upon a spring fallow. 

 Now there may be something in this, and 

 perhaps the following may be the reason of 

 it. It has been found that for a green succu- 

 lent growth, or for the production of leaves, 

 straw, &c. manure that is undergoing fer- 

 mentation, is best, while for the production 

 of seed or fruit, manure that has been fer- 

 mented is the best. Now may not the sum- 

 mer ploughed, become fermented, or decom- 

 posed, and its energy finished, or done too 

 early — while the latter is delayed till the 

 seed is matured 1 We merely make these 

 suggestions with the hope of eliciting in- 

 formation from those who know more about 

 the business. — Maine Farmer. 



Prospects of Agricsiltiire iu tlie 



United States. 



That an almost total revolulion in the 

 agriculture of the United States will ere lono 

 have been effected, we think can admit of no 

 reasonable doubt. It therefore behooves all 

 those, and they constitute the great mass 

 of our population, who depend fur their sub- 

 sistence on the most ancient, most useful, and 

 most honorable of all occupations, to be in- 

 dustrious in preparing themselves for the 

 approaching change, by acquiring all thai 

 information which is necessary to enable 

 them to adapt their course to that new state 

 of things by which they will shortly be 

 surrounded, and to which they must accom- 

 modate themselves, if they wish to participat« 

 in that general prosperity which awaits the 



