176 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



French beef- growers adopt largely a strict soiling system, 

 and produce a higher average weight, at a given age, than 

 any pasturing people has attained. 



6. EFFECT OF SOILING UPON MILK. 



Many persons, though satisfied of the good effects, of 

 soiling upon cattle fed for beef, fear that it will not operate 

 well in the production of milk. But as the cow gets the 

 same food in stall as she would in pasture, it is not easy to 

 see why these fears should be entertained. The cow needs 

 less exercise than almost any other domestic animal, and 

 getting the fresh grass fed to her in stall, we might natu- 

 rally expect an increased production of milk from a given 

 quantity of food; and this has proved to be the case, accord- 

 ing to the reports of both English and American feeders. 



Curwen, of Cumberland, England, and Harley, of Glas- 

 gow, Scotland, established dairies on the soiling system 

 (1805-10), and were very successful in supplying milk to 

 towns. They both say the quantity of milk is much greater 

 in proportion to the food consumed, than when the cows 

 were pastured in the open fields. Mr. Harley estimates one 

 acre of grass consumed by cows in stall as producing as 

 much milk as five acres pastured (Harleian Dairy). 



Mr. Quincy had no hesitation in saying that his cows 

 yielded considerably more during the whole season when 

 soiled than when pastured. Robert L. Pell, who kept a 

 dairy on this system, gave strong testimony in favor of a 

 larger yield by soiling. 



But the most striking test of the two systems in the pro- 

 duction of milk, is published by Dr. Rhode, of the Eldena 

 Royal Academy of Agriculture, of Prussia. It was con- 

 ducted through seven years of pasturing and then seven 

 years of soiling. Mr. Hermann is the experimenter. The 

 pasturing began in 1853, and ended in 1859 the soiling 

 began in 1860 and ended in 1866. From 40 to 70 cows 



