FERTILIZERS AND FRUIT. 23 



this orchard properly has developed one of the most interesting phases 

 of the fertilizer question that we have seen. 



Mr. Hart's orchard comprises 90 acres— none of which was cropped 

 or pastured. On the same farm were 70 acres of rather light soil. 

 The proposition was to make the 70 acres provide the great amount of 

 manure needed on the orchard and at the same time grow more fertile. 

 That is to say, let 70 acres feed 90, at a profit. Mr. Hart decided to 

 keep dairy cows — enough to consume all the forage produced on the 70 

 acres— buying all grain. Then the point was to raise all possible 

 fodder on the 70 acres. To do this, ensilage and soiling crops were 

 introduced, and so well pushed that 35 head of stock were kept on the 

 farm, with every promise that double that number, or one animal to 

 each acre, could be fed. Two plants were chiefly responsible for this 

 work— Indian corn and prickly comfrey— the ensilage and soiling 

 systems. From the last of July till the last of May— 10 months— the 

 corn provided food for the cows as fodder or in the silo. All through 

 June the prickly comfrey kept the cows in forage. The hay was cut as 

 early as possible and the hay fields then pastured— thus keeping the 

 cows until corn fodder was ready. The cows were fed on- strong grain 

 foods and the manure carefully saved for use on the orchards. Thus 

 the 70 acres were made to feed the 90. 



How the Cows Fed the Orchard. 



I visited the farm last June purposely to watch the feeding of 

 prickly comfrey. It has often been said that cows will not eat this 

 plant, and that even if they were starved to it, they will never thrive 

 on it. I went into the patch myself and cut some of the comfrey and 

 carried it to the cows. Did they eat it ? Certainly they did, as readily 

 as a boy would eat a piece of pumpkin pie. 



Mr. Hart says that he has never known a cow to eat the comfrey at 

 first at her own free will. Starve them into it ? Oh, no— coaxing beats 

 starving for profit. The comfrey is run through a fodder cutter and 

 grain is sprinkled over it. In order to get the grain, the cows eat up 

 the comfrey, and after a few meals, acquire such a liking for it that 

 they will eat it as readily as any other soiling crop. This I can well 

 believe from the way they started at a big ox-load of it that had just 

 been hauled in. Mr. Hart said that cows would often leave good 

 pasture to eat in the comfrey patch. He has two acres set in comfrey 

 within short hauling distance of the barn. Two men with scythes can 

 soon cut down and load enough to feed the cows, which do not leave 

 the stable while given this food. 



As was stated before the comfrey is fed during June. Then the 



