1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
351 
SUMMER FEEDING OF CATTLE. 
Pasturing from the Silo. 
The following paper was read before the 
members of Fruitland Grange, Camden, 
Delaware. 
This subject resolves itself into the 
question; “Should we use the pasture 
wholly or partially, or the silo as the 
main factor?” My contention is that 
whenever cattle are kept in numbers 
sufficient to make them an important 
factor in the farm income the silo must 
be used in Summer. While it is true 
that growing grass, young, tender, suc¬ 
culent, is the best of all foods for milk 
production, and a better ration than 
can be devised with any other materials 
whether hay, fodder, grain, mill feeds 
or silage, or all combined, it is too cost¬ 
ly for profit and too uncertain for 
safety. In Summers that pass without 
drought most farms can carry a mod¬ 
erate number of cattle, but such seasons 
are exceptional. Droughts are fairly 
certain in most seasons, and the cattle 
working hard for a scanty subsistence 
can return no profit. Moreover, the 
check suffered in the production of milk 
is not limited by the loss during the 
time of bare pastures, but continues in 
a great measure until the cow again 
freshens. Silage would have laughed 
the drought away and old Brindle would 
never cease to chew the cud of plenty 
and content, and to do her expected 
duty at the milk pail. Another objec¬ 
tion to grazing is that it destroys more 
than it utilizes and is therefore waste¬ 
ful, demanding too many acres for its 
slight and uncertain returns. Again, 
the practice of grazing often seems to 
compel the use of the newly-seeded 
stubble fields to their serious detriment 
or ruin. The silo avoids all this and in¬ 
sures an unfailing abundance of forage 
that is of very satisfactory quality if 
not quite so good as choice pasture. 
This system implies two full feeds daily 
of silage, with a lighter one at noon of 
hay or dry fodder. It enables the ac¬ 
cumulation of larger supplies of ma¬ 
nure and its application to such fields 
and crops as the farmer may prefer, and 
finally it enables him to escape the bur¬ 
den of fencing, which is a heavy drain 
upon the resources of the farm, a breed¬ 
er of weeds and a nuisance generally. 
Again, the silo can be used in Sum¬ 
mer merely to supplement the pastures 
when they get scanty and insufficient 
from drought or other causes. Provid¬ 
ing silage for this use is strongly com¬ 
mended by dairy writers and speakers 
everywhere, and is slowly coming into 
practice. So far this is only done by 
those who feed silage in Winter and 
‘ who store enough of it in the Fall to 
leave a surplus from the Winter feed¬ 
ing for the partial requirements of Sum¬ 
mer. In the North, with its short Sum¬ 
mer, this may be the only method avail¬ 
able, but in this latitude, with our Win¬ 
ter oats. Crimson clover and Alfalfa we 
can fill the silo in May for Summer use, 
and do it from the same ground that 
supplied the corn and cow peas for the 
Fall filling, thus making both silo and 
soil more active partners in our busi¬ 
ness, But if there is no silo on the 
farm still it is not necessary that our 
cows should roam over naked pastures, 
fighting flies in the hot sunshine, and 
fail in milk and profit as they do. Every 
farm should have its Alfalfa and its 
early fodder corn. For soiling no other 
forage is better than Alfalfa, and no 
other plant comes so near to furnishing 
a continuous and unfailing supply, and 
no other plant so beautifully accommo¬ 
dates its supply to the irregular and un¬ 
certain demand that may be made upon 
it. In seasonable weather Alfalfa may 
be cut every 30 days, and cutting it half 
grown does not involve any loss of total 
annual crop, hence it is a good plan to 
cut the first growth by instalments, 
commencing when half grown, as this 
olan will leave the patch in proper con¬ 
dition for soiling later and throughout 
the season. Furthermore, this plan of 
cutting secures forage of the highest 
quality, coining close to the very best 
pasturage. While these suggestions 
have been made chiefiy with reference to 
the requirements of the general farmer 
who keeps cows for the calves and the 
milk. It may readily be seen that by the 
regular and continuous use of the silo 
all the year round, our climate even 
with our light soils, formerly consid¬ 
ered so unfit for dairying, puts us into a 
position to practice this branch of ani¬ 
mal industry with many conditions in 
our favor, as to the general competition 
and with the certainty of continuous 
cash income and substantial gains in 
the productiveness of our lands. 
Delaware. e. h. bajxceoft. 
A PORTABLE FENCE FOR HOGS. 
What do you use for a temporary fence 
when you find it convenient to give the 
hogs a run on the clover or some forage 
crop? 
Should I need a portable fence for im¬ 
mediate use I would prefer woven wire 
with pickets in from three to four feet 
apart. This adds very much to the 
strength of the fence, which is frequent¬ 
ly necessary for old brood sows, and 
from what I can learn of the woven wire 
fences the one with pickets in does not 
cost any more than most others. I 
would prefer a fence from 314 to four 
feet high. It is light and easily moved. 
Lack, Pa. w. a. lothers. 
We use for this purpose a self-woven 
picket about three feet high that we 
weave with a spinning wire fence ma¬ 
chine. This is the cheapest fence that 
I know of for the purpose, but after 
much changing and then setting it up 
again it loosens it somewhat and is apt 
to lose its tightness; consequently the 
pickets will fall out by rolling them to¬ 
gether when intending to take them to 
a different patch. So I think on a long 
run a person would save money by go¬ 
ing direct to Page or its equivalent. 
New Knoxville, O. b. o, baberding. 
I have never seen anything that I 
liked better than the Page or some oth¬ 
er reliable woven wire fence for enclos¬ 
ing hogs on clover or peas for a time 
and then moving. I would recommend 
using the small cedar posts sharpened 
and driven into the ground. Posts are 
three rods apart, with fence anchored 
to ground every eight feet by twisting a 
wire around bottom wire of fence at 
one end, the other end fastened around 
the center of a stick about eight inches 
long and this stick laid down fiat in a 
hole about eight inches deep; it takes 
but a short time to put this fence up, 
for by putting it on the side of the posts 
next to the enclosed swine lot, it will 
only need stapling at top, bottom and 
center. w. a. Alexander. 
Union Springs, N. Y. 
ROUND SILO 
The “Philadelphia.” 
The only Perfect Continuous 
Open Front Silo made. See our 
Patent Roof. Ask for catalog 
E. F. SCH LIGHTER, 
321 Vine Street, 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
Also made in the west by the 
DUPLEX MFG. CO., South 
Superior, Wis. 
For Silos. 
HOOPS and LUGS. Write for Clrcu 
lars. T. E. Cross, Poughkeepsie, N. Y 
CHAMPION 
Milk Cooler—Aeralorl 
gives dehoete (laTori In milk, butter nnd I 
cheese. Removes nil cow and stable odors I 
and disease germs and makes milk keep I 
36 hours longer. Write for our free book>| 
let, *'Mllk and Its Care.’* Full line of| 
Milk 1>ealer’e Supplies always on haod« 
Champion Milk Cooler Co* 
17 Squires Street, Cortland, Nsw York. | 
^ that Is in your milk, 
y quicker and with less 
[ JL trouble than by any otlierj 
method, by using 
Superior Cream Exiraclor . 
L/^ (Poes not mix water with milk.) It] 
■gr effect* a complete separation In an hour 
f hy a circulation of cold water in an out^ 
or jacket. Kvery can Ruaranteed. Thou«- 
I and* in practical use. Why pay high price* 
for separator* no better ? Write today for 
catalog. Superior Feact Machine Co., 
183 Gd. River Ave., Detroit, Mich. 
Pat MayH.ian. 
THE ARRaS 
Cream Extractor 
The leading Cream Extractor 
on the market because milk and 
water are not mixed. You al¬ 
ways have pure, sweet milk for 
home use and not diluted for 
feeding. The most convenient 
extractor made for handling 
your milk In Winter as well a.s 
in Summer. It saves all can 
lifting, skimming and washing 
of crocks. It Is easily kept 
clean. Write for descriptive 
catalogue and special Introduo* 
tory prices to THE AKRAM 
CREAM SEPARATOR CO. 
Bloffton, Ohio. 
400,000 FABMEBS 
Scattered all over tlie World 
are finding a 
De Laval Cream Separator 
the best investment 
they ever made in dairying. 
Might not this be true with you too? 
Let the nearest local agent bring you a ma¬ 
chine to see and try for yourself. 
That is his business. It will cost you nothing. 
It may save you a great deal. 
If you don’t know the agent send for his name 
and address—and a catalogue. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
Randolph & Canal Sts., 
CHICAGO. 
General Offices: 
■ 21 Youville Square, 
MONTREAL. 
213 Filbert Street, .y . nrrDTi Aium- Qt-dcct Street, 
PHILADELPHIA. OORTLANDT bTREET, TORONTO. 
2 I 7-2 2 I Drumm St. 
SAN FRANCISCO. 
NEW YORK. 
TORONTO. 
248 Mcdermot Avenue, 
WINNIPEG. 
How’s This For a Record? 
Emporia, Kans., Jan. 2nd, 1903, 
Empire Cream Separator Co., 
Bloomfield, N. J. 
Dear Sirs: Have used one of your Empire 
Cream Separators for the past eight years, 
during which time I have been milking at all 
times from twelve to fifteen cows. The cost for 
repairs in the eight years has been only sev¬ 
enty-five cents. I have had experience with 
other separators but consider the Empire 
superior to any other, as it never caused me 
any bother. It is easy to clean and has prov¬ 
en very durable. It does good work at all 
times. L. H. VAHSHOLTZ. 
Rural Route No. 4. 
The Empire Cream Separator turns more 
easily, is more easily cleaned, does better 
work, and costs less for repairs than any 
other, because it is the simplest separator 
made. Don’t buy a separator until you 
have investigated the merits of the En pire. 
Send for our new book on Making Milch Cows Pay. 
Empire Cream Separator Company, 
Bloomfield. N. J. 
Eight “Years 
T3he 
Empire 
XOcLjr 
Fifteciv Cows 
MaKcs 
Cok/ifS 
Tetjr. 
Eight Years 
Fifteeiv Cows 
REPLENISH YOUR POCKETBOOK 
4 
by purchasing a 
U. S. CREAM SEPARATOR 
The U. S. Gets More Cream than others, 
which means more money to the user; 
With the U. S. tlie calves and pigs thrive on 
the warm sweet skimmilk, 
which means still more money to the user; 
The U. S. Wears Better and Longer, 
which means more money still to the user. 
Tiiese and other points of superiority 
>described in our catalogues make 
THE U. S. 
SEPARATOR THE MOST PROFITABLE 
TO BUY. 
279 
Vermont Farm Machine Co., Bellows Falls, Vi. 
