SOILINGf. 185 



seems to be practically deleterious. Cows eating wet grass 

 in barn will fall off in milk nearly as much as if out in the 

 storm. 



Mr. F. S. Peer, who has written a practical work on soil- 

 ing, having practiced this system wholly for some eight 

 years, recommends a stout self-rake reaper for cutting 

 soiling crops, leaving the fodder in thick, heavy gavels, 

 easily pitched from the gavel upon the wagon. It might 

 also be pitched on with the loader, at the rate of a ton in 

 five minutes. One advantage of cutting with a reaper 

 would be its less liability to dry before hauling to stable. 



It will be seen that our feeder, when the weather is pro- 

 pitious, has easily put in his day's supply for the hundred 

 head in the forenoon ; that the team is released for other 

 work in the afternoon, and the feeder has time, not only 

 for feeding, but for cleaning, littering, etc. The hay-loader 

 will pick up the grass about as clean as it is usually 

 pitched out of a windrow; then a horse-rake, passing over 

 the ground, will gather up all the scatterings. 



In cutting clover for feeding, the labor will be about the 

 same, although it is somewhat easier to gather, and often 

 produces a greater weight upon an acre; but it also con- 

 tains a larger percentage of sap or water. As soon as the 

 clover gets large enough to cut, it is well to inix rye and 

 clover together for feeding, as clover contains a larger per- 

 centage of albuminoids than the rye, and, mingled together, 

 they form a well-balanced ration. All the soiling crops, 

 except, perhaps, fodder-corn, may be 'elevated upon the 

 wagon by the hay-loader, and the labor will be about the 

 same as that described with winter rye. 



From this statement, it becomes evident a good man 

 may perform all the hand-labor for soiling 100 head of 

 cattle. How much more could he do than keep the fences 

 in repair on the land required to pasture 100 head? Esti- 

 mated in the ordinary way, the hand-labor would cost $1 



