50 



THE GEKESEE FARMER. 



fifteen years old. In the winter of 1852-3, we fed 

 one hundred and twenty, but, as we have not actual 

 data before u.s, we ])ass them over. 



On the first of December, 1855, bought twelve 

 pet sheep, for wliich we paid eighty-six dollars. 

 On tlie 28Lh (hiy of starch following, we had them 

 butchered and sold them as follows : 



Meat of the twolve, l,'i44 lbs., at 10 cents $104 40 



Pelt«i " " at $2 24 00 



172 lbs. rendered tallow, at 11 cents 18 92 



Total $14T 32 



Fed 1,872 lbs. hay. at SO cents per cwt $14 97 



" 44 bushels corn, at 63 cents 27 72 



Cost of sheep 86 00 



128 69 



Gain $18 63 



April 6th. 1S57, sold thirtv sheep for : $319 00 



Nov. 15, 1856, paid for the thirty $150 00 



Fed 2 tons hay worth 25 00 



" 76 bushels corn, at 70 cents 53 28 



Expenses to market 15 80 



244 00 



Gain $75 00 



December, ISSV, bought a small flock of Merinos, 

 which we fed through the winter. They did us 

 so little good, and we were so chagrined at our- 

 selves for attempting to make anything of them 

 for mutton, that we kept no data. 



March 29th, 1859, sold twenty-three sheep at home for. . . $190 00 



December 1, 1858, paid for the twenty-three $103 00 



Fed 2X tons hay, at $S . . .' 20 00 



" 27 bushels corn, at 75 cents 20 25 



143 25 



Gain $46 75 



From the above, any one can draw their own 

 conclusions, whether it would pay to feed sheep in 

 winter. Would space permit, we would give a 

 more detailed account of weights, etc., but as we 

 are limited in space, for the present we end. 



SJiei-idan, Chauiauque Co., iV. Y. II. T. BAILEY. 



WOULD IT BE PKOFITABLE TO RAISE SWEET AP- 

 PLES FOa FEEDING CATTLE AND SWLIfE. 



This question certainly may be answered in the 

 afliirmative. It is a point, I believe, well estab- 

 lished, that good apples are about as nutritious as 

 potatoes, and with us a much surer crop ; double 

 the number can be raised on an acre, when the 

 trees are grown, with less than half the labor. 

 While the trees are growing, the land may be pru- 

 dently cultivated, much to the advantage of tlie 

 trees, and the crops may be made to be remunera- 

 tive. Low, hoed crops are much the best for the 

 , trees, such as potatoes, peas, beans, turnips, etc On 

 the Pelham farm, they raised one hundred and forty 

 bushels of ears of corn per acre, between the rows 

 of their fruit trees, which were eigliteen years old, 

 and this orchard was in the finest state of bearing. 

 {Downing^ Fruit and Fruit Trees of America^ p. 

 03.) This is plain proof that we may raise profit- 

 able crops among our fruit trees, and that the use 

 of the land is not lost until they come into bearing, 

 — the great objection of some to planting fruit 

 trees. 



Now, in regard to the advantages of feeding 

 apples to hogs. I have had some little experience, 

 and when I first tried it, I was surprised at the 

 result. About the first of October, some years ago, 

 I bought a number of small hogs, and put them in 

 an orchard covered with fine apples. I asked a 

 man who was well skilled in raising and fattening 



hogs, how much I could make them weigh by 

 killing time ? He answered, if I kept them late, I 

 could make them weigh from 120 to 125 lbs., net. 

 I kept them in the orchard till about the first of 

 the following January, and threw a little corn to 

 them every day, until a while before I kUled them, , 

 when I increased the amount, — but not to the: 

 extent usually given in fattening hogfe — when they 

 weighed (net weight) 165, 170, 180, etc. Better," 

 sweeter pork and bacon we never had. This con- 

 vinced me that apples could be fed to hogs with 

 great advantage. 



That apples can be made very profitable for 

 feeding hogs, I deduce from the following calcula- 

 tion: Suppose we take one acre, — uiiat applies to 

 one acre, applies to any number of acres treated in 

 the same way — and plant it in ai)ple trees a little 

 less than thirty feet apart each way, we will have 

 fifty trees to the acre. We have seen that the land 

 will produce remunerative crojis long after the 

 trees are ten years old. Suppose the tit-us to be 

 well grown and in a good bearing state at ten years 

 old, — as every man, by good cultivation, ujay have 

 them at that age — say the crop of apples on a tree 

 will increase the weight of a hog thirty pounds, — a 

 small amount — a tree will be worth, at tlie present 

 price of hogs (gross weight), $1.35; and an acre 

 would be worth $67.50 per yetir. If the acre be 

 cultivated at the same time, in other crojjs, they 

 will pay for the cultivation. Surely, this result 

 will be considered profitable. But the estimate 

 does not stop here. Five dollars each will be con- 

 sidered a small sum for the trees, and you have fifty 

 to the acre, you have added §250 to the permanent 

 value of an acre of land. We might plant a large 

 number of winter apples, say liawles' Janet (they 

 seldom miss bearing iiere), and gather them in piles 

 convenient for feeding, and cover them thickly 

 with straw. In this manner they would bo pre- 

 served nearly or quite through the winter. This 

 would greatly decrease the amount of grain neces- 

 sary to keep hogs through the winter. 



As apples are very nutritious, and as cattle relish 

 them very much, they Avould be fine feed for them; 

 but the better way to feed them to cattle would be 

 to grind them, as they someti.nes get choked by 

 them. Ground and mixed with meal, they make a 

 very fine feed for milch cows. Our country is 

 subject to long drouths. AVhen this hap[)eiis, apples 

 may be made very valuable to help out the grain 

 crops, M'here they have partially failed; the a[ii)Ie 

 not being as easily att'ected by drouth as the gi'ain 

 crops. It may be objected, that the apple does 

 not bear every year. If we will get good, reliable 

 sorts, suitable to the district of country whei-e we 

 live, and keep the land in good condition, supplying 

 it with the ingredients drawn from it by the crops, 

 an orchard will seldom fail to bear. Let us com- 

 pare the value of a crop of apples to a crop of 

 corn. Many people cultivate corn on land that 

 does not produce thirty bushels to the acre, and 

 forty bushels is more tiian an average crop. Forty 

 cents per bushel is considered a good price here — 

 |1G per acre. See the apple cro|), $67.50 per acre. 

 It may be said that corn will sell at more than 

 forty cents per bushel in some places. If so. hogs 

 will sell at more than four and a half cents per lb. ; 

 so the calculation will be equal. There is no donbt 

 that pork and beef, and milk and butter, may be 



