194 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



of mowing the bushes, and pulling up the young pines every 

 year or two. We then devoted a liberal share of our mowing 

 lots to pasture, and commenced making thorough work* with 

 the remaining mowing and tillage land — such as draining, 

 clearing off surface rock, and removing inside stone walls. In 

 this way we arc now fast getting our tillage land into one entire 

 lot, which very much reduces the cost of cultivation. After 

 having cleared and drained our tillage land, at very consider- 

 able expense, it seemed that we ought to make it produce 

 larger crops than it had done before. This could not be 

 effected, of course, without manure ; and of this we found it 

 impossible to make a sufficient supply during the winter season. 

 We have, therefore, fed our cows this summer on green food 

 more than usual, always in the stall. Let me here say, by the 

 way, that I am convinced that much of the prejudice against 

 corn fodder for cows is owing to the fact that most of those 

 farmers who think green cornstalks will dry up cows and lessen 

 the quantity of milk, or, at any rate, can do them no good, are 

 in the habit of feeding their cows in the pasture — throwing the 

 corn over to them directly from the field where it grows — thus 

 tempting them to hang around the field the remainder of the 

 day, instead of going off and feeding contentedly. 



We have fed, this summer, green oats, clover, southern corn, 

 and the tops of turnips and mangolds. We have made no 

 accurate experiments by which to determine the comparative 

 value of each sort of feed. We prefer a variety and change of 

 feed, and are inclined to the opinion that good English hay may 

 well form a large part of the food of milch cows in summer — 

 perhaps with as much economy as any of the green food. It 

 ought always to be on hand, to be fed when the days are rainy, 

 and when the cows have become too much relaxed by the use 

 of green food. Our cows have run in the pasture a part of 

 every day through the season. They are put into the barn and 

 milked at five o'clock in the afternoon, and turned out again at 

 from eight to twelve o'clock in the morning — according to the 

 weather and the amount of feed in the pasture. We have also 

 given to them a mess of shorts or meal every morning until 

 fall, when pumpkins took the place of grain. 



Our cows lie on a floor, four feet eight inches in length, back 

 of which is a gutter, twenty inches wide and six inches deep, 



