SOILING. 315 



and the interest on their cost. Witli lean pastures, and a short 

 supply of milk, the income from the cow is partially lost, while 

 the outlay for all the dairy expenses is the same. Soiling is, 

 therefore, a necessity, in most seasons, to a profitable dairy. 



Since writing the foregoing, at our request we have received 

 from Mr. B. "W. Stewart, of North Evans, Erie Co., N. Y., a 

 most valuable article on the summer soiling of stock. "We con- 

 aider it so admirable, (although it embraces some items incidental 

 to the main one under consideration, yet closely allied to it, and 

 well worthy of study by the dairyman, and also the common 

 stock farmer,) that we insert it in full. "We need hardly add, 

 that Mr. S. has proved himself, although for many years practic- 

 ing one of the liberal professions, a thrifty and excellent farmer. 



So important a branch of our dairy economy needs all the 

 light which we can throw upon it. 



"One of the most difficult problems connected with the agri 

 culture of the older settled States, is, how to keep the soil from 

 exhaustion? And any system that promises well, in this direc- 

 tion, should be carefully examined. The old proverb, ' No cattle 

 no manure, no manure no crops,' applies here with great force. 

 If soiling, or cutting and feeding green food in summer, enables 

 the feeder to maintain, in full condition, more animals on the 

 same space of ground than pasturing, then it certainly affords 

 him more manure to return to his soil, and so far, makes the 

 future prospect of fertility more cheering. The writer has prac- 

 ticed tho soiling system for over ten years, and is desirous to 

 present all its strong points to his fellow farmers. He began 

 by soiling his horses, and found the saving so important, and the 

 convenience so great, that the next season he experimented with 

 his cows and colts likewise. Let us first detail some 



EXPERIMENTS. 



"Three experiments were tried by the writer, in three different 

 seasons, to determine how long a certain number of animals 



