206 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



soiling. There is much land that can only be profitably pas- 

 tured. It is only comparatively level, arable land that permits 

 the introduction of soiling; and on cheap, level western 

 prairie, where labor is more valuable than land, soiling will 

 not pay till land rises to a value of fifty dollars per acre. 

 This system may, however, be partially used even in hilly 

 Vermont. Many farms have some very rough fields, which 

 can only be pastured; but a large part of the farm being 

 arable and fertile, crops may very profitably be grown for 

 partial feeding when pastures are short. These farms, with 

 one-half in hill pastures, having the other half in rich, 

 alluvial soil, may double the stock kept, by using one-fourth 

 of the tillable land for soiling crops. The increase in stock 

 will so increase the manure as to double the winter fodder, 

 and thus carry them through the year. In this way many 

 farms, having a portion of soiling land, may carry a larger 

 stock than other farms, all arable, on which stock is only 

 pastured. But we do not advise a sudden change from 

 pasturing to soiling, even on the farm best adapted to it. 

 It requires preparation to change from one system to the 

 other, and this preparation should be carefully considered 

 and fully made. The want of such preparation has usually 

 caused great disappointment ; and we therefore advise that 

 only a small addition should be made to the stock at first, 

 leaving the pasture nearly the same, but providing clover 

 and a small allowance of the most important soiling crops, 

 thus giving the stock what they can eat besides the pasture, 

 and then reducing the pasture year by year, as the new sys- 

 tem is better understood. t)airymen will find soiling to 

 grow rapidly in their confidence, if they will provide this 

 green food for their cows at evening and morning in the 

 stable, allowing them to run in the pasture through the 

 day. This will keep the pasture in good condition; and 

 giving the cows full feed, they will give an increased yield 

 of milk through the season. They will soon see how much 



