Ofi Soiling Cattle. 34! 



stances, be rather short for tlie scythe, but if it were long 

 enough I should certainly expect to proceed, as soon as 

 the snow and ice are out of the way ; for a considerable 

 snow which fell on the 1st and 2d of November, and 

 laid for sometime on the grass which has been cut since, 

 produced but trivial inconvenience. A little patch of 

 tolerable grass of the same sort has been reserved, to 

 ascertain whether the old foliage, together with the 

 young sprouts, which it is expected will spring up soon- 

 er under this warm cover, will not form an early and 

 profitable cutting for cattle in the spring ; for if a late 

 and early cut can be provided for the yards, no part of 

 grazing can be managed as economical as soiling, and 

 the rapidity with which the soil may be improved by the 

 latter practice, must recommend it to attention when it 

 has been sufficiently considered to what extent manur- 

 ing may be carried on a farm, the grass grounds of 

 which are all subject to the scythe, and the hay, grass, 

 straw, leaves, weeds, corn stalks and their roots are ail- 

 attentively gathered and brought into proper use in the 

 j^ards, and that this may be effected in some situations 

 without resorting to soiling is evident, but it is equally 

 evident, that those situations are too inconsiderable to 

 produce effects materially interesting to agriculture. 

 To illustrate the extent to which manuring may be car- 

 ried, facts'will be produced as far as they will go, and 

 the deficiency supplied with speculation, which it is 

 thought will not fall far short of demonstration. This 

 farm has been subject to this system only four years, 

 and at this time may be justly considered in the infan- 

 cy of improvement, and this year 13 acres have been 

 highly manured for the summer fallow crops, and be- 



