264 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Every day each animal on my premises has some kind of vegetable. 

 By feeding in this way, hay is saved, the animals kept in better 

 condition, and the land where a root-crop has grown is in better 

 shape to bring into grass than after any other crop. 



" My cows, for eight months in the year, are driven to pasture, 

 when they get no grain or roots. At harvest I begin to feed 

 husks and stubble ; in December, hay. In winter my cows are 

 kept in the barn sometimes two months without turning out. I 

 am decidedly of the opinion that it is the best place for them, 

 both as regards economy and comfort to the animal. While the 

 cows remain in the barn I feed roots each morning, and at night 

 they have about four quarts of shorts, with as much of the best 

 English hay as they will eat, and card as often as possible. 



" My dry stock are fed with stalks, while they last ; then Eng- 

 lish hay, with a small quantity of roots daily. 



" In feeding horses there is but little difference of opinion. 

 Wlien worked or driven they should be fed mostly on grain. 

 When standing in winter I feed more hay and carrots and less 

 grain. I keep two horses ; they do all the ploughing, teaming 

 and driving. 



" I have eight milch cows, two heifers, and one or two calves — 

 about eight hogs in summer and four in winter — which is about 

 enough to consume the wastes of the dairy, and compost the 

 kelp and seaweed that I use about the cows, and the straw and 

 waste from the horse stable. 



" The results from this management are 1,050 pounds of but- 

 ter ; $250 worth of milk ; (amount of milk may not be exact 

 as no record is kept ;) an average of 2,250 lbs. pork ; last spring 

 sold 7 tons hay, and a large quantity of roots the coming spring. 

 Do not think I shall have more than four tons of hay to sell, and 

 a proportionable quantity of roots, as the very dry weather of last 

 season not only cut off our root-crops, but cut short the fall 

 feed. My plan of feeding cows keeps them in such condition, 

 that, with very little extra feed, they will make good beef ; and 

 in this way I work off my cows, never keeping an old cow. 

 When one is needed, I go out and buy the best heifer, or young 

 cow, I can find. 



" Thus I have endeavored to show, as briefly as possible, the 

 way we manage a little farm in Nantucket. 



" David Polger." 



