16 



liberal treatment of cur cows from the beginning to the 

 close of the year, it would well repay our efforts. Look 

 at any lai'ge milk establishment, and mark the provi- 

 dent care with which succulent food of various descrip- 

 tions and in bountiful supplies, is furnished to its cows. 

 If the pasturing in summer is short, they are soiled from 

 the mowing lots, or are fed with green corn stalks rais- 

 ed expressly for that purpose. So we^ll convinced have 

 I been of the benefit of this latter species of feed, that 

 on a farm where a dozen of cows are usually kept for 

 the dairy, I have the past and the present season sowed 

 about a third of an acre with corn, in drills near to- 

 gether, and dressed with a compost of one half mead- 

 ow mud, hove by the frost, and one half green manure. 

 On the stalks raised last year on this ground, the stock 

 of cows with four oxen were liberally fed at each eve- 

 ning for five weeks, beginning about the middle of Au- 

 gust. This carried the cows through the dry season, 

 without pinching or drying. The kind of corn then 

 sowed, was our common Northern corn, of rather small- 

 er stalk than usually prevails, so that butts and all 

 were entirely consumed. This year I sowed the South- 

 ern yellow riat corn, but it has grown so rank, averag- 

 ing eight or ten feet in height, that a large part of the 

 stalk is left untouched by the cattle. The produce of 

 a square rod was weighed September fifth, and found to 

 yield about 30 tons to the acre. From the rankness of 

 its growth it is not so palatable to the cows, as stalks 

 from our own corn. The sweet corn stalk would doubt- 

 less be preferable to either, and though recommended 

 for trial by the first president of this Society, at its first 

 public meeting as long ago as 1818, I have not been a- 

 ble to learn of its culture, except in a recent instance, 

 for the object before named. It is eaten with the keen- 

 est relish by cows, and from the sweetness of its juices, 

 there can be little doubt that by the free use of it, their 

 milk would be of the richest quality. 



While on the subject of the dairy, I w^ould suggest 

 whether a churn, superior to any in common use, one 

 which should require less time and labor in churning. 



