PRACTICAL FARM E a 



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lias at his disposal, and what luiinber of such 

 animals as he intends to keep that will be likely to 

 supply with pasture. In the fall he should make 

 similar inquiries relaiive to the quantity of hay, 

 and other fodder which he has provided for 

 wintering his f-tock. How many tons of hay has 

 he in store. If roots, straw, stalks, and other ar- 

 ticles of coarse fodder are to be used, then let 

 liim inquire how great is the quantity of hay may 

 they be supposed to be equivalent. These should 

 be the first inquiries, and then another should 

 follow : What amount of stock is it likely these 

 ])rovisions will be sufficient to keep through the 

 winter? When these questions are settled, the 

 rule always should be, to keep a smaller number 

 of animals than it is supposed the means of keep- 

 ing might, under favorable circumstances, be suf- 

 ficient to sustain. The remark which I am now 

 about to make is, in my view, of more than 

 ordinary importance, and 1 desire you to regard 

 it accordingly. The remark is that from being 

 under-stocked, injuries rarely result ; and if they 

 do, they are generally small and trifling ; but to 

 be overstocked is always disastrous. It is far 

 better to be able to sell half a dozen tons of hay 

 in the spring than to starve your stock through 

 the winter, and after all, he obliged to buy even 

 the smallest quantity. It should be considered 

 too, that close grazing in the sumnier injures pas- 

 ture, and scanty feeding, either in summer or 

 winter, ruins the stock. 



In order to be able to make judicious apportion- 

 ments, according to t'.ie preceding suggestions, it 

 is very necessary to know, as nearly as practica- 

 ble, how much pasture, and what quantity of hay 

 and other keeping, will be required to keep any 

 given amount of stock through a year. Should it 

 be inquired how much pasture, and what quanti- 

 ty of hay are usually required to keep a horse, or 

 an ox, or a cow, through a year, it is believed 

 very few farmers would be able to answer the 

 question. It would be well for farmers to ascer- 

 tain themselves, much more than they do, to make 

 accurate observations, in regard to these and ma- 

 ny other things, I do not claim to be master of 

 the subject to which I am now calling your atten- 

 tion, nor can I suppose that the idea of infallibility 

 should be attached to the estimates which I am 

 about to submit. From the best lights that have 

 been spread before me, I am led to conclude, that 

 when hay alone is depended on, it usually re- 

 quires two tons of hay to winter a horse — Ibr one 

 ox about as nmch — for a cow one and a half ton 

 — for twelve sheep the same as for a cow. It is 

 believed, that for summering either a horse or an 

 ox, at least three acres of good pasture, or an 

 equivalent thereto, will be required. For sum- 

 mering a cow, two and a half acres may suffice — 

 tliesanie for summering twelve sheep. 



To the cattle breeder, few things are more im- 

 portant than to know the best manner of nursirig 

 and rearing calves. I have taken some pains to 

 avail myself of lights on this subject, in which I 

 have not been altogether unsuccessful, nor yet 

 successful to the extent of my desires and expec- 

 taions. It is gt-nerally conceded, that the ancients 

 practice of letting calves suck is not the best, and 

 so far as I know, the practice is generally discon- 

 tinued. For several reasons which cannot be 

 explained in this letter, ii is supposed to be better 

 to take them off at a very early age, and having- 

 learned them to drink milk, feed them with that 

 article till they are old enough to be weaned. — 

 Yet if new milk is the article of food chieMy de- 

 pended on, the expense of nursing calves in this 

 way is scarcely less than when they are allowed 

 to suck, and it amounts to a considerable item. — 

 For this reason it has long since been considered 

 as a desideratum to devise some less expensive 

 and equally successful way of nursing calyes. I 

 am glad to say, there is good reason to believe this 

 has been done. 



Several correspondents of the Genesee Farmer 

 have published in that journal the details of their 

 successful practice in nursing calves on skimmed 

 milk, and without the use of any othei. Whey 

 has been used for the same purpose, and it is said 

 w th perfectly good success. When either skim- 

 med milk or whey is to be used as an article of 

 food for calves, the practice is, in the first place, 

 to warm it to ai)out the temperature of new milk. 

 Boiling it, and afterwards letting it cool down to 

 that temperature, it is said to be better. '1 lus 

 being done, the next process is to niix it wilb a 

 small quantity of meal. It may be Indian meal, 

 or it may be fine bran, or meal made of oats or 

 barley. * As preventives of disease, and preserva- 

 tives of good health in the young animals, it is 

 recommended to make frequently small additions 

 to their food of such articles as are known to be 

 useful for such ])ur{)0ses. Particularly, flax seed 

 is recommended for that use. 'i his, it is said, 

 should be boiled or soaked to fit it for use, and 

 then it may be given frequently at the rate of two 

 or three spooiisfull for a calf. It is recommended 

 also, to place before calves lumps of chalk, which 

 it is said they will lick, to the great advantage of 

 their health. Or the chalk may be pulverized, 

 and small quantities given thfm in their food. It 

 scarcely need be added here, that calves, as well 

 as other animals, require salt, and should have it 

 in suitable portions. In all cases, when calves 

 have attained to any considerable age, they should 

 have hay or grass within their veach, of which 

 they may eat enough to form what is called tlie 

 cud. It is believed that with proper attention to 

 these requisites, and others which experience and 

 sound judgment will suggest, there will be found 



