AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 341 



food. Now the question of all others worthy of consideration, 

 is this : How much of this food is necessary for sustenance, and 

 how much is necessary for fuel — that is, to keep up the heat of 

 the body to about that of mild summer heat? And then comes 

 another important question ; Whether it would not 1)8 more 

 economical to burn anthracite coal at $5 a ton, than it is to burn 

 hay at $20 a ton? In other words, to warm the stable, just as 

 we do our own domicils, so that the beasts would absorb heat 

 from the fire, instead of generating it all in their stomachs from 

 food consumed. My own opinion is, that it would be not only 

 economical to make stables warm, but to heat them by fire, and 

 then we would give them a healthy ventilation. There is 

 certainly food for thought in this new proposition. 



It is only a question of economy as to which is the cheapest 

 fuel, hay and corn, or wood and ci^d. 



Dr. Waterljury — Almost every one gives too much feed at 

 once. It is better to feed cows four or five times a day. 



Dr. Wellington — Three-quarters of all hay cut for milch cows 

 is cut too ripe. I have tried the experiment fully, and find that 

 hay cut before the grass was fully in bloom was much better 

 than when cut in a riper state. It produced much more milk 

 when cut in its young and tender state. This is more especially 

 the case perhaps, with clover than with timothy, though I would 

 never let that mature before cutting. The seed never should 

 approach maturity. I never would feed in boxes. The cow 

 should be fed on a level, clean floor. Cows in Massachusetts are 

 kept in stables, confined by the head with stanchions, and 

 nowhere are cows more economically kept. 



Manure — I would if possible, always mix with peat in the 

 stable. A compost of three parts of peat and one part of cow 

 droppings makes a better manure than when made of all animal 

 excrements. Gardeners near Boston buy j^eat at $3 to $i a cord, 

 and consider it cheap manure at that. 



Mr. Porter, of New Jersey — We feed hay in racks, making the 

 cows work for all they get. We feed carrots, one peck a day. 

 We tie the cattle in stalls by chains that slide up and down on a 

 rod. We save manure by mixing sawdust with the droppings. 



