AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL, THE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN.— Washington. 
CONDUCTING EDITOR, PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 
ORANGE JUDD, A. M. ALLEN &. CO., 189 Water-st., New-York. 
VOL, XIY.-NO. li.] NEW-YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1855. [NEW SERIES.-NO. 89. 
Jar |3raspert«0, (forms, 
t^“SEE LAST PAGE.j^ 
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Publishers of this journal will please read 
“ Special Notices ,” on last page. 
All letters relating to Editorial mat¬ 
ters should be addressed to Mr. Orange 
Judd, (the Conducting Editor). 
Letters inclosing subscriptions and on oth¬ 
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Co., Publishers, and also those referring to 
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separate sheets. 
PREPARE FOR SOILING STOCK-TO EVERY 
FARMER. 
We have already published several arti¬ 
cles on crops for soiling, but the importance 
of this matter to every farmer, leads us to 
recur to it again at this seasonable time. 
One year ago, (May 17th, 1854) we wrote an 
article predicting a drouth, and urging farm¬ 
ers to prepare an extra three months’ sup¬ 
ply of green food for their stock. We have 
heard directly from a number of persons, who 
acted upon the hints then thrown out and 
derived great profit therefrom. One farmer 
in New-Jersey sowed three acres of corn 
for fodder, and afterwards stated to us in a 
private letter that it was worth more than a 
hundred dollars to his stock during the dry 
season. We noticed, in No. 51 (Aug. 30, 
1854), the success of another on the Hudson 
river, who sowed seven acres of corn broad¬ 
cast and in hills, and when the severest 
drouth was prevailing his cows, fed upon the 
green corn-stalks, were giving an unusual 
quantity of rich milk, and “ an extra supply 
of firkins were necessary for the great 
amount of butter produced.” 
Now we do not predict another drouth this 
summer, for this can hardly be expected, 
since we seldom if ever have two successive 
very dry seasons ; yet we are quite con¬ 
fident there will be wanted all the food for 
cattle that can be grown by ordinary means, 
and even by extraordinary. There is not 
now, as usual, a supply of old fodder to be 
left over for next year. During the present 
month we have traveled some 2,000 miles, 
and in all that distance have seen but one 
stack of hav, where we are accustomed to 
find hundreds or thousands of them at the 
same period. Cattle will need to be turned 
out sooner than usual, which will prevent 
much of the luxuriant growth that would be 
witnessed if the fields were depastured at a 
later period. Then this demand for early 
forage will cause many fields to be pastured 
which would at other times be mowed. 
Again, the high price of all market animals 
will lead to rearing a much larger stock of 
calves than usual. With the present pros¬ 
pect of home and foreign demand for meat, 
no judicious farmer will send his calves to 
the shambles. 
The above considerations point to an un¬ 
usual demand for fodder, and it becomes all 
cultivators of land, and stock raisers, to look 
out for every means of husbanding and in¬ 
creasing their supply for home and market 
purposes. We know of no more feasible 
means of accomplishing this at this season, 
than by sowing corn for soiling —that is, to 
be cut up and fed to cattle, instead of allow¬ 
ing them to gather it by grazing. We have 
conversed with many farmers who have 
read agricultural papers for years, but they 
have not got hold of this subject, and have 
no intelligent idea of this matter of soiling 
cattle, either as to its utility or of the meth¬ 
od to be pursued. They have passed over 
unread all articles on this subject, supposing 
that “ soiling ” referred to some new-fangled 
notion to be looked into only by farmers in 
other countries, or by those situated near 
our cities. To such we say, that this is a 
subject of the highest importance to every 
farmer, no matter what his locality or situa¬ 
tion, if so be that he has stock to be fed or 
grazed. 
We are by no means in favor of a general 
system of soiling cattle—that is, keeping 
them in stables or yards and carrying all 
their food to them. We say we do not agree 
with those who recommend this plan as the 
best in all situations. On the contrary, we 
think there are very few farms upon which 
such a system is economical; but every one 
knows that there is, in most years, a period 
of some weeks, during midsummer, when 
the pastures are parched by heat more or 
less, and cattle do not flourish as well as 
they do earlier or later. Often it is the 
case that, during this dry season, stock be¬ 
come so reduced in flesh that they hardly 
recover sufficiently to be well prepared to 
withstand the rigors of the winter. Now all 
this can be easily remedied by having an ex¬ 
tra supply of green corn-stalks to cut up and 
feed, just at the season when the pasture- 
grounds will be in the poorest condition. 
The expense will be very trifling compared 
with the advantage to be derived. 
Corn withstands hot weather better than 
most other crops, and if sown or planted in 
drills, at successive periods between this and 
the second week in July, it will yield a large 
supply of most excellent green food. 
A plot of ground which will support one 
animal on grass, if plowed up and sown with 
corn, will furnish food for two or three ani¬ 
mals during the same period. On this ac¬ 
count it will be found economical to sow 
more or less corn for fodder, even though 
we are assured of a wet season and an 
abundance of grass. Mr. M. W. Philips (see 
No. 40, June 14th, 1854,) states that he has 
cut 36,000 pounds (18 tuns) of green corn¬ 
stalks* from a single acre, and 8,000 pounds 
(4 tuns) of cured millet. 
Our advice to all farmers is, prepare one 
acre of ground for every eight full grown 
neat stock, or at least one for every twelve, 
and devote it to soiling purposes. There 
are exceptions to this general recommenda¬ 
tion; as, for instance, where there is a wide 
range of pasture-land unfitted for the scythe; 
but even then, a small supply of extra food 
for dry weather is advisable. It will pay. 
Where land is high-priced, and where 
there is a ready market for hay and milk, 
the amount may well be increased to one 
acre for six, or even four animals, so as to 
have not only a supply for summer feeding, 
but also a quantity over, to cure for winter 
forage. 
Method of Cultivating Corn for Soiling. 
—Prepare the ground as for ordinary plant¬ 
ing—that is, plow deep, or what is better, 
use the subsoil plow, and manure well when 
practicable, if the land is not already in good 
heart. The corn may be sown broadcast, 
and harrowed in or covered with the culti¬ 
vator or a shallow plowing. About 3 bush¬ 
els of seed per acre, more or less, will be 
required. The sweet varieties are generally 
to be preferred. The more seed there is 
sown the smaller and better for feeding will 
be the stalks. It is better, however, to sow 
the corn in drills, 15 to 20 inches apart. 
The drill or seed-sower will do this best, 
but in the absence of this implement, a shal¬ 
low furrow may be marked out, the corn be 
dropped in by hand, and covered with a hoe. 
One successful farmer practices, and recom¬ 
mends, preparing the ground first; then to 
give it a shallow plowing, and have the corn 
dropped in every second furrow, to be cov¬ 
ered with the plow at the next round. The 
field to be finished off by passing alight har¬ 
row over it, and follow this, if need be, by a 
roller. He has found this a rapid and suc- 
* Probably equal to 9 or 10 tuns of cured fodder, which 
is almost as good, pound for pound, as hay, for feeding 
neat stock. 
