1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARi\IER. 



13 



pose of one or the other. By mixing the meal 

 with the cut fodder, the whole becomes flavored 

 with the taste and smell of the meal, so that 

 the cattle will eat every particle of the hay and 

 straw, and leave only a few of the hard joints 

 of the corn buts. Fed regularly three times a 

 day — about as much as they will readily eat at 

 each foddering — horses, oxen and cows thrive 

 as well as ever they did on as much uncut Eng- 

 lish hay and the same quantity of grain. Every 

 ton of good, sweet com fodder fed in this way 

 is worth, in our opinion, nearly as much as a 

 ton of English hay. The cutting is done at 

 any convenient moment, but especially in stormy 

 weather, when several hundred pounds are cut 

 in a single day, sprinkled, salted, and pjilednp. 



A most ample expei-i'ence in this mode of 

 feeding stock, has convinced us beyond a doubt, 

 that it is a much cheaper mode of using winter 

 fodder than the old one, of feeding it out long 

 and unmixed to the cattle. 



All kinds of stock like a variety of food, and 

 thrive upon it better than they wiU upon a sin- 

 gle kind, even if a portion of that variety is not 

 so nutritious as the one kind supposed. There 

 is no doubt in our mind, but that a large sav- 

 ing is made in using winter feed by the mode 

 we have described ; more than enough to pay 

 for the cutting, if a man were hired by the day 

 to do it. Any kind of meal may be used in 

 mixing — corn, rye, barley, oats, rice, or that 

 of oil cake. 



FKUIT STBALLNG. 

 Very many people are deterred from plant- 

 ing trees and vines in consequence of the 

 insecurity of the fruit, residting fiom the dep- 

 redation of poachers. Even here in New Eng- 

 land, and in other sections of the country wliich 

 enjoy our boasted system of universal educa- 

 tion, our home influences, and our religious 

 and moral principles, there is a sad laxity of 

 obligation in respect to "coveting" this species 

 of oiu" neighbor's goods. The following state- 

 ment by a New York correspondent of the 

 Cotmtry Oenileman, illustrates a "barbarism"' 

 which is altogether too prevalent, and which 

 has too long disgraced our civilization. 



A few days ago we visited a vineyard in the 

 eastern part of this State, where a man was 

 kept constantly, night and day, to protect it 

 from thieves. And we know a village in this 

 State where, some years ago, an enterprising 

 citizen set out a vineyard of about seven acres. 



and never received back enough to pay for the 



vines, owing to this atrocious system of thiev- 

 ing. Nay more : while he lay on his death- 

 bed, a vineyard of about five acres was nearly 

 despoiled ; and on the very day of the funeral, 

 in broad daylight, and in full view of the fimeial 

 cortege, parties entered a small vineyard near 

 his homestead, for the purpose of stealing, and 

 not merely for the purpose of taking a single 

 bunch to eat, but provided with baskets to can-y 

 off their plunder ! 



Hay Cutters. — Now that fodder of every 

 kind is liigh, every means of making it go as 

 far as possible ought to be employed. Among 

 them is the use of the hay cutter. Those who 

 try it, and mix the same amount of grain in the 

 fonn of meal, that they gave with the long hay. 

 will become satisfied of the economy of its use. 

 But do not purchase a small one. It may cost 

 less money than a large one, but it will not be 

 half so economical. A single jerk upon it — 

 when crowded with hay, straw, or com fod- 

 der — by a strong man, would probably render 

 it useless, whereas a larger one would withstand 

 it. But such violence should never be used 

 upon any machine. 



The saving of time between a small hay cut- 

 ter and a medium or large one, in the work 

 which they would do, would soon pay the dif- 

 ference in their cost. If there is only a small 

 number of animals-to be fed, the large or me- 

 dium machine will be the cheapest in the end. 



Reason foe Draining Land in Engl-otd. 

 In the account of his visit to Cheshii-e county, 

 England, Mr. Willard remarks that there are a 

 great many marl pits, or places where the eailh 

 has been dug out and used for composts, years 

 ago, and these places here are accumulations of 

 water which soaks down from the suiTounding 

 soil, and furnishes a supply for stock in the 

 different fields. Many of these pits are seven 

 or eight feet deep, and cover a considerable 

 space, making a respectable pond. "I was told 

 that in the driest weather water was always to 

 be found in these pits, the nature of the soil 

 being such as to hold not only the water soak- 

 ing in from springs, but that resulting from 

 rains. In this respect the country presents 

 quite a marked contrast to the dairy lands in 

 America, since to see upon a level tract of land, 

 ponds of water in the different fields, with no 

 visible outlet or inlet, was, to me at least, an 

 unusual sight." 



