THE CULTIVATOR. 
125 
Soon after this date I commenced feeding, and kept an 
accurate account, as follows • 
Three cows,.$21 00 
Eight loads pumpkins, .. 6 00 
Thirty bushels ears cuil corn,..... 10 00 
- Twenty-four bushels potatoes,. 5 00 
Hay and grass,...;... 3 00 
Total cost,.$45 00 
Profit,. .. 23 00 
Dressed 1,700-lbs., sold at 4c ....$08 00 
They were of the native breed or stock, fed in stalls 
after cool weather, with the run of a small lot in the 
the middle of the day, to sun themselves and drink. 
- The manure is supposed to pay the trouble of feeding, 
&c. This leaves a net profit as above, of $23.00, or 
taking the cost of the raw material, produces beef at 
2 1-2 cents per pound. 
It is generally conceded to be a great saving of feed 
to stable stock, and especially cows, in .this, cold climate, 
and some maintain, (myself among the number,) that 
they should not be let out of the yard in the cold sea¬ 
son, to be pierced through with the cold winter winds, 
traveling to and from stacks to find their morning ra¬ 
tions, as is the common practice, but after having eaten 
their morning rations peaceably in their stalls, be suf¬ 
fered to lie quietly in a warm yard, provided with a 
supply of water, until the time to feed again. But at this 
point of our inquiry an important objection meets us, 
which is, an asserted material reduction in the value 
of hay, after having been _ removed from the place 
where first packed, when fresh and pliable. Few dairy¬ 
men and graziers here, can conveniently have a barn 
large enough to stable their cattle, and at the same 
time hold hay sufficient to feed through our long and 
cold winters—but find themselves under necessity of 
storing a considerable quantity of their hay in the mea¬ 
dows, to be fed'to stock in the open lots, when driven 
from their stables, or else to be drawn to the barn from 
time to time, as the mows are emptied. Thus the cold 
winds blow through it, dry up its moisture, drive out its 
sweetness, rendering it-hard, brittle, and unpalatable, 
reducing its value from 15-to 25 per cent. So say our 
old farmers. Have any of your numerous readers ever 
given the moving of hay in winter a fair trial, so as to 
be able to tell with any certainty, whether there is a 
loss, and if so, what per cent, and in what it consists. 
A correct understanding of this subject would be of 
great value to many of your readers, and well might 
they say the money expended for your paper was like 
“ good seed sown in good ground, bringing forth somq 
thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold.” But 
such information must be based upon carefully conduct¬ 
ed experiments. If any such experiments have been 
made, we hope they may soon see the light. Vermon¬ 
ter. 
[(7= We shall be glad to receive from the above cor¬ 
respondent, his promised “sketch of cheese dairying,” 
as conducted in his vicinity—also, his experience in any 
other branch'of rural economy.—E ds. 
Lice on Calves. 
Messrs. Editors —Having a pair of spring calves, 
and feeding them with good, bright early cut hay, as 
much as they wanted to eat, together with a portion of 
oil meal, twice a day, and observing at the same time, 
that they were growing poor, rough, and homely, in¬ 
stead of thriving, and appearing sleek and handsome, 
I examined them closely, and found that they were cov¬ 
ered with lice, almost innumerable. Being determined 
to destroy them, I took one quart of soft soap, and hot 
rain-water enough to work it into a good lather, and if 
a pair of calves ever got a thorough scrubbing, they were 
the ones. . It did not seem to make them sick, nor to 
injure their appetites. About one week from that time, 
the lice were quite thinned out; and now, a little over 
two weeks since they got the scrubbing, I can scarcely 
find a louse on them. The calves are now on the gain, 
and I have no doubt but what they will do well. John 
Diehl. Bristol , Ohio , Feb. 7, 1853. 
Policy of Shelter. 
Messrs. Editors — I noticed in your first num¬ 
ber an article entitled. “ What shall we do for 
fodder this winter,” in which were adduced the the¬ 
ories of animal combustion, and some conclusions 
drawn from them. Knowing that thorough in¬ 
vestigation is essential to true progress, and true 
progress is what we. as farmers, wish, I have 
ventured to advance a few ideas, as they occurred 
to me on its perusal—not in a spirit of opposition, 
but for the sake of information. Without discussing 
the truth of the theory, that artificial warmth may 
he a means of economizing fodder, I ask, is it the 
policy of our farmers to adopt it? No one, proba¬ 
bly, will deny that i! is the interest of every farmer 
to keep a healthy, well-constitutioned stock, that 
will he hardy and active in our bleak, borean win¬ 
ters. Now all animal systemsare more or lessalike. 
What is the case with man? Confinement to warm 
raoms, inactivity, &c., are some of the most fruit- 
fill means of physical degeneracy. The alarming 
extent of disease; especially consumption, among 
the females of our country, is proof sufficient of 
the evils of confinement to heated rooms and se¬ 
dentary employments. The high bred women of 
England engage in the manly sports of our Own 
country, and the extent of their physical powers, 
and the quantities of the necessaries and the lux¬ 
uries of life that disappear before them after a 
morning’s fox-hunt, would really frighten a fash¬ 
ionable lady of our country. The men of the re¬ 
volution, horn and bred amid-all the privations 
and hardships of a barren frontier, made hercu¬ 
lean men of far different mould from the effemi¬ 
nate city bred of to-day. 
Among animals, take the example of the horse. 
The Vermont horses are becoming noted for their 
speed, bottom, and power of endurance; but 
doubtless a great portion of this real worth is at- 
tributabble to their early management. It is no 
uncommon thing to find those stallions, whose 
stock proves the best, in the threshing machine, 
harnessed to huge loads of wood, or the railroad 
cart, a greater part of the year. Thus developing 
the muscles and improving the constitution, while 
the younger colts are left to pick up the oats left by 
the sheep, and shift for themselves,—afterwards 
to make the fastest, .most hardy arid high-priced 
Morgans and Black Hawks. 
Cattle are affected much in the same way, and 
if you wish a hardy muscular yoke of oxen, it is the 
common remark, “ buy those that have plenty of 
air and exercise.” Sheep are even more affected 
than either cattle or horses, by confinment. Shut 
up in warm sheds, lying upon their own manure, 
they soon become diseased and fail. An instance 
occurred under the writer’s own observation, last 
winter, (’51—’52,) so unusual for its severity. A 
flock, about sixty half-blooded Merino and Lei¬ 
cester she'ep, were fed in racks in a warm shed, 
with ample entrances at the side and end, but with 
no opportunity for the wind to reach them. The 
manure did not freeze, but they were dry, and ap¬ 
parently very comfortable. Everybody said those 
sheep would do nicely, but before spring they de¬ 
clined in flesh, and the rot began to attack them; 
they were only saved by being driven out to the 
open air, and* there kept the remainder of the 
winter. 
It is farthest from my intention to advocate 
cruelty to animals, or that stock must be exposed; 
but experience seems to indicate there are ex- 
