86 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that when we pass our heritage to our children it will be 

 better and more profitable than when we received it. 



Mv plan for conducting a dairy farm is based on dairying 

 as the principal business, raising only such vegetables, fruits, 

 etc., as are needed for home consumption. The system can 

 be modified to take in a cash field crop as well, if one is so 

 situated as to have a paying market at hand. With us at 

 Millbrook Farm we can keep busy in the production of milk, 

 the raising of stock for our dairy, and the care of a flock 

 of poultry. The latter branch goes well with dairying. For 

 convenience as an illustration, we will suppose that we have 

 a 50-acre farm, all conveniently situated near our farm build- 

 ings. In our own case I regret to say that we are not so 

 fortunate, as some of our land is three-fourths of a mile, and 

 some one mile, from the home farm. In nearly all farms 

 certain fields are adapted to growing corn, rye and clover or 

 wheat and clover, and some fields are adapted to growing 

 only hay, on account of the water level in the soil. In this 

 50-acre farm we will suppose that 30 acres will grow corn, 

 and the other 20 acres will grow only hay. Let us divide 

 this 30 acres into three fields, or, if this not just according 

 to the lay of the land, make four or five fields, but use the 

 30 acres in a series of three crops. 



We will say that we are just beginning, this coming season, 

 our system of crop rotation. If we do not care to plant all 

 this 30 acres in corn, we can gain one year's time and make 

 most excellent silage for the coming summer feeding by 

 sowing a portion, say 10 acres, to oats, about iVpril 10 to 15, 

 sowing only II/2 to 2 bushels of seed to an acre, at the same 

 time sowing 8 quarts of mammoth or medium red clover seed. 

 If your soil needs lime, as most land docs, broadcast one-half 

 ton fresh ground lime to an acre, preferably a few days in 

 advance of sowing the seed, and mix thoroughly with the soil. 

 We tried this method on one field the past season, and had 

 most magnificent results, the second crop of clover growing 

 20 to 24 inches high, and coming into full bloom. Six acres 

 of this second-crop clover furnished sixty head of cattle all 

 the green feed needed for a full month. The first crop of 

 oats and clover we placed in the silo for sunnner feeding, 

 and it gave excellent results. I^ext year avc are looking for 



