188 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DEC. 1», 184» 



KEEPING COWS UP IN SUMMER— GREEN 

 FEED, MANURE, &c. 



To Ihe Editor of the Mass. Plowman : 



Sir : You will recollect sonietiiiie since I called 

 at your office and subscribed for your paper, with 

 which I am well pleased. I promised in conversa- 

 tion with you, to give my experience in regard to 

 the mode of keeping cows. 



Sir I am not a farmer, but a practical mechanic. 

 I like to see experience and practice as well as 

 theory in life. I do not fancy that I am relating 

 any thing unusual; but to tho.se who keep one 

 Cow and hire their pasturing, it may be useful. 



My cow was raised in the neighborhood. I 

 bought her two years ago last spring, then a heifer. 

 She is small and I have kept her up two seasons 

 and fed her upon green feed. I have occupied 

 about one half acre of ground, well set to clover 

 and fine grass. It is in tolerable condition, though 

 I think one quarter of an acre in a high state of 

 cultivation, managed ariglit, would abundantly 

 support a cow through the summer season. 



My statements are simply these. My cow calv- 

 ed the 12th of May. I kept the calf 7 weeks. I 

 set the milk first, took off the cream, then scalded 

 a portion of the milk with about one pint of meal 

 fed it three times per day : it (the calf) brought but 

 5 dollars. We made 30 pounds of butter in the 

 lime. For six months we used 3 gallons of milk 

 per week, and made G7 lbs. of butter. 



Calf sold for $5 00 



83 pounds of cheese worth 8c. t> 64 



67 pounds of butter, 20c. 13 40 



3 galls, milk per week, at 4c. per qt. 12 00 



$37 04 

 Now, sir, the advantages of keeping cows yard- 

 ed, are, first, they will evidently give more milk; 

 secondly, you can save much in manure. I have 

 made during the year past, over 4 cords of ma- 

 nure, worth 5 dollars per cord, and with a very lit- 

 tle exertion shall probably make f> cords next year. 

 Again, every one who has a garden, in the course 

 of the summer finds a great many weeds to dispose 

 of: if you have a cow at hand she will readily eat 

 them, for it gives them a good relish for their grass. 

 My cow instead of growing thin by the heal of 

 summer and annoyance of flies, has thriven, or she 

 is in a far better case than she was last spring. 

 Yours, most respectfully, 



SIDNEY PERKINS. 



DRY WOOD AND GREEN WOOD WHICH GIVES MOST 



HEAT ? 



I wish to say a word on the article of fuel. I 

 frequently in the papers read an article by some 

 theorists on the advantage of seasoning wood for 

 the use of a family: they frequently have stated 

 that there is more heat in dry than in green wood: 

 in some kinds of wood this is evidently the case, 

 as with pine, poplar, and some others; but witli 

 sapling oak, as far as my experience goes, I con- 

 tend that there is more heat in it when green than 

 when dry, especially if seasoned out of doors. 

 Frequently I have had wood dried out of doors, par- 

 ticularly old frow oak that would not burn nearly so 

 free as green taken directly from the stump. 



The sap of trees is composed of something more 

 than water, and not of this alone, as is fre([uently 

 supposed. This is evidently the case with the sap 

 of the rock-maple, the pitch-pine, the fir, &,c. For 

 instance, cut two lots of wood; coal or char one 

 when green, and lot the other dry before charring. 



The coal from the green wood will be as much heavi- 

 er as the green wood was heavier than the dry, and 

 will substantially heat in a blacksmith's fire as much 

 more iron, and spend as much farther as it is heavi- 

 er than the other. 



Of this I am able to speak from experience ; 

 now if the sap was nothing but water, this I think 

 could not be. I have tried wood almost every 

 way, and by experience I prefer the following as 

 the best econouiy for the poor. The rich may do 

 as they please. 



Select one tliird, and never over one half dry, 

 for unless you have a bad stove indeed, you can 

 cook equally as well, and be as comfortably warmed, 

 and save one quarter of the expense. Every man 

 that can, should season his wood under cover, as its 

 value is much increased thereby. 



True economy is the wealth of the nation — and it 

 should be the pride of all our pursuits, the pillar of 

 our domestic happiness — for it makes the most of 

 our own means for supplying our own wants, and 

 for being useful to others. It is truly the poor 

 man's wealth and capital. 



Yours, &c. S. P. 



Remarlts. — We are obliged to Mr Perkins for 

 his communication, and hope he will favor us again. 

 His ingenious suggestions may set many to think- 

 ing. 



A good farmer in Westboro', tells us he intends 

 to make a fair trial of the plan of soiling cows 

 through the summer season ; that is, keeping them 

 in a yard and feeding them with green fodder. For 

 ourself we have never tried this mode of feeding. 

 The Hon. Josiah Quincy has tried it for many 

 years, and he thinks it a good mode where the land 

 is suitable. 



The English practice soiling extensively. The 

 manure made from a cow so kept, will be worth 

 twice as much as from one kept in the usual way. 

 It seems that Mr Perkins has made 4 cords and 

 that he thinks he can make six with a little exer- 

 tion. This agrees with a statement in our last pa- 

 per that one cow would make manure enough for 

 an acre of tillage land each season. We have 

 often said a middling cow will make twice as much 

 manure as a middling hog. 



But the great difficulty with most farmers is, that 

 they have lands so rough or bo distant that they 

 cannot be easily njown and the green crops carted 

 to the yard. Another objection is the increased 

 labor of tending the cowa. But our correspondent 

 suggests that a mechanic who keeps but one, may 

 feed her from half an acre of land, or even one 

 fourth of an acre, if it is made rich. Now if half 

 an acre will be sufficient, it will be the cheapest 

 keeping that a mechanic can have ; for the labor 

 of mowing enough for his cow, each day, would be 

 less than the labor of driving 80 rods to a pasture ; 

 and a mechanic whose business is constantly at 

 his own shop, could cut his grass without the least 

 inconvenience. Nay, he might be absent for a 

 day, and more, for his fodder would keep longer 

 than the manna of the men of Israel, and any of 

 his family could deal it out. 



We should like to see many more trials of this 

 mode of feeding. We are not yet prepared to re- 

 commend it strenuously to our friends, though we 

 think there are many strong arguments in its fa- 

 vor. It is a fact that in hot weather, in fly lime, 

 cows are much more fond of getting into the barn, 

 or under it, than of remaining out; so are horses, 

 though Ihey are not so annoyed with flies. 



Racks may be so made as to save nearly all th 

 fodder ; and where a man's land lies close to tli 

 barn and can be mown, it may be the most econc 

 mical mode of keeping his cattle. If six, or evr 

 four cords of manure can be made from a cow, 

 will make a tolerable dressing, even for land ; 

 tillage. But grass lands may be kept in good o! 

 der with one fourth part of what is required fe 

 grain or for potatoes. We invite our hlacksmitl 

 and our shoemakers to make a partial trial of th 

 mode of keeping. 



In regard to the comparative economy of usin 

 dry and green wood, much may be said. It is bi 

 lieved by many that a green stick of hard wood, 

 you can make it burn, will give out more heat tha 

 the same stick when dried, and we are inclined 1 

 adopt this opinion. One advantage of dry wood i 

 you may keep a fire with it without putting o 

 half a cord at a time. If you have a stove, wil 

 short pipes, not liable to be choked up, you may t 

 well use green wood as dry, after your fire is we 

 kindled. We are pretty confident there is no loi 

 in it; there may be considerable gain, as our co 

 respondent suggests; and his assertion in regai 

 to charred wood, green and dry, is worth attcndini 

 to. The sap of wood is not pure water. The wai 

 nut and the rock maple have sap that is full of st' 

 gar ; and both these kinds of wood are more vali 

 able for fuel when green than when dry. Bol 

 will burn freely enough in any common fire-plac 

 and these are the best kinds of fuel in the countr 

 Next come the yellow locust and the apple tre 

 The sap of these also is quite rich, and both wi 

 burn well in a green state. — Ed. Plowman. 



VALUE OF THE EXPORTS OF AMERICA! 

 PRODUCE. 



Summary statement of the value of the Exports, 

 the growth, produce and manufacture of tl 

 United States, during the year commencing t 

 the Ist day of October, 1840, and ending on tl 

 30th of September, 1841 : 



The Sea. 

 Fisheries — 



Diied fish, or cod fisheries, $602,81 



Pickled fish, or river fisheries (herring, 



shad, salmon, mackerel,) 148,9* 



Whale and other fish oil, l,2OG,0C 



Whalebone, 34.3,3C 



The Forest. 

 Skins and furs, 

 Ginseng, 

 Products of wood — 



Staves, shingles, boards, 



hewn timber, $2,54!>,812 



Other lumber, 200,175 



Masts and spars, 58,991 



Oak bark and other dye, 153,519 



All manufactures of wood, 548,308 

 Naval stores, tar, pitch, rosin 



and turpentine, 084,514 



Ashes, pot and pearl, 573,026 



$2,840,85 



993,2f; 

 437,24 



J}griculture. 

 Products of animals — 



Beef, tallow, hides, horned 



cattle, 904,918 



Butter and cjieesc, 504,815 



4,834,341 

 6,204,85 



