THE GENESEE FARMER. 



53 



iTien turned to grass; and in two weeks after, I 

 began retailing the best of the two-year-olds to the 

 bntchers in the neighboring villages, at from $7.25 

 to $S each; and in that way I sold all the two- 

 jear-olds but four, which, with the yearlings, I have 

 still. I weighed them some three months ago, after 

 shutting them up fourteen hours without food or 

 water, and they averaged -over 132^ lbs. I have 

 no doubt but they now average over 140 lbs. I am 

 feeding nearly half a pound of oil-cake meal and 

 nearly half a pound of oats each per day. 



Now, aoy man of common capacity can see at 

 ■once that the better they are fed the better they 

 pay. I paid only $2 each for them, and thought 

 them a hard bargain at that, as there were one- 

 third more lambs than yearlings. They sheared 

 nearly five pounds -of wool each ; and had they been 

 in good condition in the fall, I have no doubt they 

 would have shorn one to two pouads more each. 

 I offered to pay the shearers by the number of ticks 

 they might lind— that is, to give six cents for each 

 tick, as compensation for shearing; but there were 

 no ticks found. 



Now, Messrs. Editors, if farmers will keep sheep 

 to propagate ticks, I am not to blame, for, several 

 times I have given just such advice through the 

 agricultural papers. 



In conclusion, I would add, that high feeding, 

 high manuring, and reasonably deep tillage, are the 

 only means of improving the wretchedly-abused 

 soil of Western New York ; and sooner or later it 

 must be done, or tlie result will be disastrous ; and 

 it must begin with high feeding. I have all my 

 farm drained, of course. I had nearly lost sight of 

 that very important part, which, if not already 

 begun, should commence at the same time as high 

 feeding. I can not believe that any farmer can 

 oegin either and look back until he has done all he 

 can do. I write what I know I have fully proved, 

 and I know it is the only true course for the farm- 

 er's own good, as well as that of his country. 



Near Geneva, Jan'^, 1858. JOHN JOHNSTON. 



"NOTIONS" ON FODDEEINa STOCK. 



Mt part of the "chores," this winter, is to do the 

 "out-door foddering" — to attend to the wants of 

 the sheep and cows kept in the barn-yard. I have 

 forty sheep and thirty lambs, five cows and two 

 yearling heifers, to care for, and, I tell you, it takes 

 some "calculation" as well as attention to keep them 

 all contented. I say contented, for I hold content- 

 ment to be the "mQlenial state" of all domestic 

 animals. Contented they will be, if they have food 

 when hungry, drink when dry, quiet when dis- 

 posed to be meditative, a warm shed and good bed 

 to retire to at pleasure. I don't say I always suc- 

 ceed in attaining this "acme of comfort," but it is 

 what I "aim at." 



The sheep have a shed and yard by themselves ; 

 the lambs ditto. The cows also have sheds, and 

 the remainder of the yard. I think it would be a 

 good plan to give the yearlings — "Cherry" and 

 "Beulali 2d" — a yard and shed by themselves, so 

 that tkey need never stand in awe of their maternal 

 parents, who punish all impertinence severely. My 

 watering place is a pond about five rods outside the 

 yard, and is kept open through the day. 



Now-a-dajs, I am feeding corn-stalks, oat straw 



and chaff, and bean straw. After daylight, I give 

 my cattle a feeding of corn-stalks, and sometimes 

 let out the sheep to partake of the same. I give 

 the lambs a feeding of bean straw at this time. I 

 say, "sometimes let out the sheep." Not unless 

 the yard is frozen dry, do I do this ; and on tlie 

 state of the yard, also, depends the amount of stalks 

 given out at once. If wet, I only give half as much, 

 and feed again the midtUe of the forenoon. About 

 this time, I give the sheep a quantity of oat chaff 

 in their feeding boxes, and shut them into their 

 yard. I now let out the lambs, to allow them to 

 get water, and feed from the straw stacks, through 

 the middle of the day. 



At noon, I feed "all around," with oat straw. 

 The middle of the afternoon, slop the milch cows, 

 shut the lambs into their yard, and open that of 

 the sheep, giving, if previous foddering is eaten up 

 pretty clean, a promise of early foddering before 

 sundown. Then the lambs have oat chaff', the 

 sheep bean straw, and the cows corn-stalks once 

 more. If the weather is wet, and the stock seem 

 to have poor appetites, I give at night a foddering 

 of good hay ; or, if more convenieut, do so at noon. 



— Now let me tell my troubles ; perliaps some 

 of your correspondents can give me a remedy. — 

 There will come snowing and thawing days, when 

 everything is wet, and barn-yards and sheds gen- 

 erally muddy, however well they may be littered. 

 I never had a rack or feeding-box which would 

 keep corn-stalks from getting under the feet of 

 cows in such weather. I never had stock that 

 would eat their fodder as clean on such days as in 

 clear cold weather ; so I then give them a little of 

 my best hay, once a day, a few corn-stalks, and let 

 them fill up at the straw stacks, if more is wanted. 

 My sheep have racks under sheds ; so I get along 

 rather better with them. J. n. b. 



AGRICULTTTRE IN THE WEST. 



Editors Genesee Farmer : — The system of form- 

 ing here in the West has hitlierto been an exhausting 

 one, as though the fertility of the soil would last for 

 ever. It is high time this was changed, and a judi- 

 cious course of cropping practiced, with renovating 

 ones for the land. No doubt your eastern farmers 

 are alive to this, and have probably ere now re- 

 ceived instructions and advice through your excel- 

 lent publication. I may hint to you that a good 

 thing can not often be spoken of too much, and that 

 farmers, like boys, need repetition upon repetition. 

 An article now and then, upon the improvement and 

 renovation of soUs, wiU be interesting and beneficial. 

 In Europe, the effects of bare fallows on clay soils 

 are well known. Here, on sandy and black mold, it 

 seems inapplicable, and that a crop of green manure 

 plowed under is perhaps better adapted. I would 

 like to see this subject treated on by some of your 

 able correspondents. edw. billixgslet. 



Zaive»ciUe, Montgoraery Co., 111. 



Fattening Cattle in Winter. — I have fattened 

 a number of cattle by giving them three pecks of 

 potatoes per day, with hay and no Avater. Thia 

 will make good juicy beef. When potatoes art 

 plenty, this is a cheap way to fatten cattle. FeeO 

 small' potatoes whole. Silas Busu. — Skaneateles 

 Onondwja Co., N. Y. 



