168 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



1859, says: "A mistaken notion that a considerable 

 extent of land is requisite to enable a farmer to keep many 

 head of cattle, led to a most wasteful portion of it being 

 retained for the sole purpose of pasturage ; and thus, com- 

 pared with its inherent productive power, was made 

 useless." 



Mr. Quincy was very desirous of showing the small 

 farmer how he might compete with the farmer of two or 

 more times his number of acres, by adopting this more 

 economical system of feeding; and that same necessity 

 exists now, twenty years later, but under much more 

 encouraging circumstances. We can now enter upon the 

 task of showing the benefits of this system in detail, with 

 the assuring knowledge that a hundred are ready to listen 

 where one gave a ready ear twenty years ago. It is not 

 anticipated that soiling will obtain, except in a very partial 

 way, for many years yet, on the great farms of the West ; 

 but on the smaller ones there, and on the medium-sized 

 farms of the older States, soiling is likely to make much 

 progress during the next ten to twenty years. It has a 

 most important bearing on the meat production of the 

 future, enabling the farmer upon high-priced Eastern 

 lands to compete successfully with the cheap land and 

 grain of the West in the production of beef and mutton. 

 The improvements of the last few years, by which green 

 food can cheaply be preserved for winter use, will also give 

 the thorough soiling system an immense advantage over 

 the out-door system of feeding in the West giving the 

 stock in the cold Eastern States the food of perpetual 

 summer. 



As we aim to adapt this instruction to a wide extent of 

 country many desiring to understand this system in all 

 its phases we shall discuss its several economic aspects, 

 from the standpoint of twenty-five years' experience. We 

 will take these up in their order, setting forth the ad van t- 



