Chapter IV: Part 4

The compost heap may be kept in the cow-yard, and must be in the shade. It should, therefore, be placed on the north side of the stable, and trees should be planted east and west of it. It must not be under cover nor washed by running water, nor receive the water from the roof of the stable; but the rain should fall on it directly from the skies to promote decomposition, and to prevent the escape of its volatile constituents. The manure of the stall, and the saturated earth of the brine pit, are mixed together to form the compost heap, and all the refuse material of the farm, garden, and yard, should be thrown on it. It ought to be kept in a compact body, level on top, and protected by boards on the sides to prevent it from spreading. No ashes or lime should ever be applied to it.

Regarding the material for absorbing the liquid excretions of the cow, nothing better can be found than prepared muck; but as this is seldom obtainable, the scrapings of the streets of a city, or even of a public road, may be used instead. If these cannot be had, the surface soil of the dairy farm answer the purpose. Whatever substance is employed must be thoroughly dried. The middle of summer is the proper time to prepare it. About four cart loads of it, as dry as they can be made, should be kept in the stable, or in some other place where it is not liable to attract moisture; and that amount will last the year round.

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT ARTICHOKES.

I have now given my instructions for keeping a cow, and it is evident from what I have written, that the Jerusalem Artichoke is my main dependence for her support. The other points that I have touched upon, are of minor importance, when compared with the value that I have attached to this plant. My own experience with the plant satisfies me that I have not overstated its merits. On rich land a single stalk will produce from a peck to half a bushel of the tubers. Last year was an exceptionably unfavorable one in this locality, on account of drouth in summer and fall; and yet the artichokes that I planted between the trees in my peach orchard yielded abundantly. I have fattened cattle on them without any additional food excepting a little hay, until they were fit for the butcher; and my horses thrive on them when fed in connection with hay, doing full work without grain. A brother of mine planted artichokes in a field that had been in cultivation for more than a century, and yet in spite of the drouth, of indifferent culture without manure, and of an early frost that prematurely killed the plants, the yield amounted to between five hundred and six hundred bushels to the acre.

RURAL ECONOMY.

Boussingault in his “Rural Economy,” pp. 159-160 says: “The Jerusalem Artichoke rises to a hight of from nine to ten feet; it flowers late, and I have not yet seen it ripen its seeds. It is propagated by the tubers which it produces, and which are regarded, for good reason, a most excellent food for cattle.... There are few plants more hardy and so little nice about the soil as the Jerusalem Artichoke; it succeeds everywhere with the single condition that the ground be not wet.... Of all the plants that engage the husbandman, the Jerusalem Artichoke is that which produces the most at the least expense of manure and manual labor. Kade states that a square patch of Jerusalem Artichokes in a garden was still in full productive vigor at the end of thirty-three years, throwing out stems from seven to ten feet in length, although for a very long time the plant had neither received any care or any manure. I could quote many examples of the great reproductive power of the Helianthus; I can affirm, nevertheless, that in order to obtain abundant crops, it is necessary to afford a little manure.... Schwertz estimates the mean quantity of dry leaves and stems at three tons, one cwt., one quarter and fifteen pounds per acre.”

Again, p. 401—“Experiment with horses.—Jerusalem potatoes are held excellent food for the horse; they are eaten greedily, and he thrives on them. In this second experiment 30.8 pounds of Jerusalems cut into slices were substituted for eleven pounds of hay, the same theoretical equivalents being assumed for them as for the common potato. The ration now consisted of hay, eleven pounds; straw, five and a half pounds; oats, seven and a half pounds, and Jerusalem potatoes, 30.8 pounds. Having been accustomed to this regimen for some days, the teams were weighed, and having gone on for eleven days, they were weighed again:

_Team No. 1._ _No. 2._ _Both Teams._ _Mean per horse._
In eleven days, gain 55 loss 33 gain 22 gain .9

“A result which leads to the conclusion that the equivalent assumed for the Jerusalem potato was correct; the animals had done their work, and gained one with another nine-tenths of a pound in weight.”

Again, p. 406.—“One hundred pounds of good meadow-hay may be taken, as ascertained by experiment, to be equivalent to

280 of Potatoes, by analysis equal to 315
280 of Jerusalems, ” ” 311
400 of Beets, ” ” 548
400 of Swedes (too little), ” ” 676
400 of Carrots, ” ” 382

Again, p. 415.—“One thousand parts (by weight) of the forage gathered at Bechelbroun in its ordinary state contained:

_Mineral _Azote._ _Phos. _Lime._ _Bone
Substances._ Acid._ Earth._
Potatoes, 9.64 3.70 1.09 .17 .33
Beet, 7.70 2.10 .46 .54 .95
Turnip, 5.70 1.30 .35 .62 .72
Jerusalems, 12.47 3.75 1.35 .29 .53

Again, p. 449.—“Seventh experiment—with a cow two hundred and ninety days after calving.—In this trial the ration consisted of Jerusalem potatoes equivalent to thirty-three pounds of hay, under which the milk may be said to have remained stationary, though it was above rather than under the six pints per diem, as in the sixth experiment,” (with Irish potatoes).

I consider, therefore, that, according to experiment and analysis, the Jerusalem Artichoke is fully equal to the potato as food for stock, and greatly superior to beets, turnips, and carrots. In the regimen that I have prescribed for the cow, I have given the Jerusalem Artichoke the preference over all other roots, because I deem it superior to them in all respects. It contains more nutriment than any of them, excepting the potato; it is less exhaustive of the soil, and more efficacious in improving it; it produces a larger crop; it is less liable to failure in adverse weather; it keeps better and with less care; it is eaten with a greater relish by stock; and it requires less labor in cultivating, harvesting, and feeding it. Analysis has shown that it contains its carbonaceous principles in the form of sugar instead of starch, 14.8 parts of uncrystallizable sugar having been found in one hundred parts of the tuber. It has no starch cells to be broken up by boiling, in order to make it a digestible aliment; and how large soever the tubers may be, they can be fed without being cut into slices, on account of their fragility and brittleness, being masticated by the cow without difficulty or danger of choking.

The Jerusalem Artichoke is little known and cultivated in this country, and its merits are not fully appreciated anywhere. The reason probably is because there is but a limited demand for it in the market. But it should not be neglected on that account; for it is not the less valuable, because the profits derived from it are indirect. It should never be raised as a volunteer crop, as is too often the case, but should be regularly planted and worked like other products. I have discussed this plant as advantageous food for “one” cow, and I may add that it is equally meritorious for any number of cows. But its advantages do not stop here. Horses, cattle, sheep, and swine, thrive and fatten on it, and the millions of acres of exhausted and deteriorated lands, that descend as a profitless inheritance from generation to generation in the Eastern and Southern States, can be improved and kept fertile, with profit to the farmer during the process of renovation, without the aid of artificial fertilizers or imported manures, by feeding the tubers of the Jerusalem Artichoke to stock on the farm.

VIEWS AND PRACTICE OF A PRACTICAL FARMER.

BY F. E. GOTT, SPENCERPORT, N. Y.

Having been a practical farmer all my life, with considerable experience in the care of stock and dairying, I give you the result of my experience. The system of management which would be profitably adopted by one would be utterly impracticable for another. In my own case I have about one acre of land, one half of which I set apart for production of food for my cow, while the remainder is occupied by the buildings in part, and the rest is devoted to the culture of small fruits. Without this land I should be obliged to hire my cow pastured through the summer, at a cost of about fifty cents per week, which I am now able to save by practising a system of soiling. The advantages of which are numerous.

PROFIT IN BUYING PART OF THE FEED.

I am aware that the amount of land which I have devoted to this purpose is inadequate. One acre would be none too much to supply a cow with food through the year, but I can realize more profit by purchasing a portion of the necessary food and devoting part of my land to the culture of small fruits, the amount of money received from the sales of which, will more than pay for the feed that I could raise on the same land.

My barn (figs. 19 and 20) is inexpensive, yet it answers every purpose. It consists of a box-pen for the cow, an open shed and a pig-sty, the whole covered by one roof, and occupying a space twenty feet in length by fourteen feet in breadth. It is constructed of hemlock lumber. The posts on the front are twelve feet in hight, while those on the back side are eight. It is boarded vertically and battened on the sides, and the roof is also covered with rough boards, laid on double, breaking joints so that no water can leak through. The box for the cow is eight feet by ten, and is six feet and four inches high in the clear. Adjoining this is a feeding passage four feet by eight. The arrangement of doors is shown in the accompanying sketch. The middle portion of the building is an open shed, and is seven feet wide by fourteen feet long. It is used principally for storing dry muck and also as a cover for the manure pile. Adjoining the open shed is the pig-pen. While the partition between the cow-stall and shed is carried up to the floor above, making a tight box stall, that between the pig-sty and shed is only built four feet from the ground, leaving the upper part open. A floor is laid at a hight of six feet ten inches from the ground, which provides storage room for hay above. I would suggest, as an improvement to this plan, that the whole be built two feet higher, making the long posts fourteen feet instead of twelve, and the short ones ten instead of eight, thereby securing more room above. There would then be sufficient room for the storage of over two thousand pounds of clover hay. Of course the provision I have made for a pig is outside of the question under consideration, but in view of the fact that wherever a cow is kept, a pig may also be profitably raised and fattened on the skim-milk and much that would otherwise be wasted, and at the same time increase greatly the value of the manure heap, I think such provision should be made, especially as the cost of such an addition to the cow’s shed is but little. In case it is not desirable to keep a pig, the space may be used as a calf-pen or for the storage of straw. The cost of the building which I have described should not exceed fifty dollars.

The only way to secure a good cow, is to keep trying until we get such a cow as we want and then hold on to her. We may have to change several times before we can bring this about, but there is no infallible rule for selecting a good cow. Were I to select one for myself, I should select one not over five years old, of gentle, quiet disposition, with a large barrel; one whose udder is large and well formed, with teats set well apart, of good size, and projecting slightly outward from each other, and with large milk veins.

The method which I have adopted in the management of my cow, has this in its favor, that it has been highly and uniformly profitable to me.

MANAGING THE MANURE PILE.

I shall first present my mode of making manure, and of applying the same. The prevalent idea among those who keep a single cow or other domestic animal is, that the manure, instead of being saved and protected from loss with the greatest care, is a nuisance, which should be summarily disposed of. It is an established fact that the liquid portion of the excrement nearly, if not quite, equals in value the solid portion, and in order to save both we must provide some means by which the liquid and volatile portions of the manure may be prevented from going to waste. This is best accomplished by means of absorbents, and there is nothing better or cheaper for this purpose than dried muck or earth, a good supply of which should be constantly kept under cover where it is easily accessible. Fortunately I am so situated that I can obtain a supply quite easily. There is within half a mile from my place a large tract of swamp land, from which I can obtain, for a low price, all the “muck” I need. Every fall, I store away under my shed a sufficient quantity to last me through the winter. This had previously been thrown into piles and dried. It is quite essential that it should be thoroughly dried, so that it will readily absorb the liquid manure, and this may be accomplished by piling and allowing it to be exposed to sun and air for six months or a year before wanted for use. The bottom of the stall is covered with ten or twelve inches of the dry muck, over which I scatter a light covering of cut straw or sawdust, so as to secure a clean bed, and prevent the particles of dirt and muck from sticking to the cow and dropping from thence into the pail. The dry earth readily absorbs the liquid droppings and whenever it becomes saturated with the same, may be removed, together with the manure and soiled straw, to a pile beneath the covered shed, when a fresh supply of dry muck, enough to replace that which was removed is carried in and the whole is again covered with the cut straw. An occasional sprinkling of plaster (gypsum) is applied both to the litter in the stall and to the manure heap, which prevents any loss of ammonia, and hence all unpleasant odors are avoided. Whenever a forkful of manure is put on the pile, it is immediately covered with muck. Twice each year this is hauled on to the land. Manure thus treated will not waste, either by the leaching out of soluble matter, by the escape of ammonia, or by fire-fanging. And as there is no coarse material, such as long straw or corn stalks mingled with it, it is always in a suitable condition to use. If dry earth or muck cannot be obtained, cut straw or sawdust may be substituted. But earth, being an excellent deodorizer itself, and containing, as it does, much valuable fertilizing matter, is much to be preferred.

If artificial fertilizers are used, they may at any time be mixed with the compost heap. Also, when a pig is kept, its pen should be cleaned daily and the litter, mingled with the general pile, will add greatly to its value. Common salt may occasionally be added to the compost heap with advantage, but ashes never, as they tend to liberate the ammonia and thereby cause waste.

YARD ROOM AND EXERCISE.

It is not necessary to have a large yard connected with the stable, as a cow is seldom inclined to exercise her locomotive powers more than is required to secure her food, and if this is placed before her at suitable times and in sufficient quantity to supply her demands, she will remain perfectly contented in an enclosure twenty feet square. In planning our buildings let us bear in mind that sunlight is essential to perfect health. Therefore we should have the yard on the sunny side of the building. At the same time we should see that there is a shady corner, where the cow may take herself during intense heat. A hint in this direction is sufficient. Nothing can be more cruel than to force any dumb animal to stand exposed to the rays of an August mid-day sun, or where she is tormented nearly to death by flies. Yet we often see just such inhuman neglect on the part of those who should know better.

Although in many respects desirable, a pasture lot is not absolutely essential, and in the case of the villager, whose land is measured by feet instead of acres, it must be dispensed with. Hence we have recourse to what is termed the soiling system, which is simply cultivating such crops as will produce a succession of green food throughout the season, and placing the same before the cow in such quantities and at such times as she may require, instead of allowing her to tramp around after her feed, and thereby waste more than she eats. It requires some skill and judgment to carry out this plan successfully, but wherever it has bean practised judiciously and intelligently, the results have been uniformly satisfactory. As to what amount of land is required in order to keep a cow through the year, I will not pretend to say; nor do I think it advisable to try to produce the entire amount of food required for a full year’s sustenance.

HAY.

I know that for me it is far better to purchase what hay will be needed to feed through the winter than to attempt to grow it. Besides, our village lots are much too small to be profitably converted into hay fields, and even if there should be more land than is necessary to furnish the soiling crops for summer feeding, it is usually much better economy to employ the same in the cultivation of small fruits, which, as I have before stated, more than pays for what hay is required, besides supplying us with many luxuries.

In my own case, I have set apart one-half of an acre from which to supply the cow with food during a period extending from May first to November first. Now this will be entirely insufficient, except under the very best cultivation and management, which, of course, I am bound to bestow upon it. That it is sufficient, with proper care, I have repeatedly proved. Such results could hardly be expected, however, from land which has received no previous preparation, and is worn, wormy, and weedy. Let us assume, then, that our half acre is in a good, fair state of productiveness. To produce a continuous supply of wholesome fodder, I find a system of rotation must be practised, and have subdivided my half acre into four equal parts, containing each one-eighth of an acre, or twenty square rods. These I shall designate as plots one, two, three, and four. Plot one is at the present time in clover, having been seeded one year ago, and will be ready for use about June. Plot two was sown to winter rye last October, and will be seeded down with clover this spring. From this patch of rye I shall obtain the earliest feed, and will begin using it about May first. Plot three will be sown with corn, drilled thickly in rows two and a half feet apart, which, if sown as soon as danger from frost is past, will be ready for use about August first. Plot four will be sown to mangels or sugar beets. I prefer the latter, and this is the only crop cultivated for winter use. Both this crop and the corn are planted with a garden seed drill, while the rye is sown broadcast. On the first of May I begin cutting the rye. Up to this time the cow has been fed on clover, hay, and grain.

I calculate to have the cow drop her calf at about April first. To this end I have her served about June twenty-fifth. Of course, we cannot always have our own way in this matter, but, accident excepted, we can usually manage so as to approximate the time. During a period of a few days subsequent to parturition, I feed quite sparingly—however, allowing her all the long hay she will eat, together with a peck of beets twice a day, but no grain of any kind, this reduced ration being necessary to avoid the danger which might result from the too abundant secretion of milk at this time, which high feeding would tend to produce. If at the end of the fifth day after calving, no bad results have occurred, such as milk fever, and there is little or no caking of the bag, I begin to gradually increase the feed, until, at the tenth day, I reach the normal standard, which is as follows:

DAILY FEEDING.

At half-past five A. M. I feed her four quarts of a mixture consisting of one part each of corn meal and oat meal, and two parts of bran. Four quarts of this is mixed with a heaping half bushel of cut (chaffed) hay, moistened but not soaked. While she is occupied in eating, I clean the manure from the stable, remove all dirt from her udder, and any that would be likely to drop into the pail while milking. Sometimes a sponge and water are required to accomplish this, but usually an old piece of a blanket kept for the purpose is all that is necessary. I then milk and carry the milk directly to the house before it has time to cool or absorb odors, which, even with the utmost care and cleanliness cannot be entirely avoided. After breakfast, I give the cow a peck of sliced beets, on which has been sprinkled about a dessert spoonful of salt, which completes her breakfast. At this time it is a very good plan to use the curry comb or card for ten or fifteen minutes, though I must confess that I sometimes neglect this part of the programme: still I think that my cow gets far more indulgence in this direction than most cows in the neighborhood. After she has finished eating, if the weather is not too unfavorable, I allow her to run out in the yard, where, at noon, I give her just as much long hay as she will eat up clean, and no more.

There is at all times plenty of fresh water in the yard, to which she can help herself whenever she so desires; otherwise she would need to have it supplied to her at least twice a day, but not immediately before or after a feed of grain. At half-past five in the afternoon she receives the same amount of food, and prepared in the same manner as in the morning. This method is continued until the crop of rye is large enough for use. All changes from dry to green feed must be made gradually, if we would avoid loss. By this time our supply of roots will be exhausted, but the green food, in a measure, takes the place of them. I continue to give the same amount of grain throughout the summer as I did through the month of April, and also to mix it with chaffed hay slightly moistened, as this insures the complete mastication and thorough intermingling with the saliva, which is so essential to perfect digestion and assimilation. As the supply of green food increases, I diminish the quantity of chaffed hay until but one-half the former amount is used, which quantity is continued through the soiling season. The one-eighth acre of rye will last until about June fifteenth, at which time the red clover will be large enough to feed. We should not change abruptly from one kind of green food to another, but increase the one and diminish the other gradually until the change is complete. To ascertain the exact amount needed for a feed of this kind, as well as of the other green crops, requires some judgment on the part of the feeder; but a very safe rule is to feed just such an amount as the cow will eat clean, and no more. We cannot specify exactly what would be a proper amount in every case, neither can we spend time to weigh each ration, but, by observing carefully, we are enabled to determine very closely. I find that my cow will eat, besides her other feed, a good armful of green fodder three times a day. I always cut a day’s supply on the afternoon preceding, and allow it to remain in the swath, where it will wilt, and a portion of the water evaporate, thereby rendering it more wholesome than when fed immediately after cutting, and I think my cow relishes it better. By the fifteenth or twentieth of July the clover will have become so ripe as to necessitate the cutting and curing of any that may be left at that time. It may still be fed, however, for a few days, or until the sowed corn becomes large enough to take its place, which is generally about the first of August. This crop, and the second cutting of the clover, will complete the course, and will furnish feed until well along into October, or the first of November, after which I depend on purchased food.

WINTER FEED AND TREATMENT.

If not previously done, I now procure three thousand pounds of the best early cut clover hay. As my shed is not sufficiently large to store away this amount, I am obliged to stack part of it. I also procure bran and meal. The amount of these which I require for a year’s supply is: of bran, one thousand pounds; of corn meal, one thousand pounds; and of oat meal, seven hundred and fifty pounds. These amounts, well mixed together, will furnish a feed of eight quarts per day, which amount is diminished during the period in which the cow is dry, and is sometimes increased, if by any means other food is short. It is not advisable to procure all this feed at once, for, if stored, it would be quite likely to heat and mould before it could be used, besides being subject to loss from rats and other vermin. I therefore procure one-sixth of this amount, or two months’ supply at a time, and I have often found it convenient and profitable to buy the corn and oats and have them ground myself. The course pursued in feeding from November first until February fifteenth, at which time the cow becomes dry, is similar to that which I have described for the month of April. It is better to dry off the cow four, five, or even six weeks prior to calving. Sometimes, in order to do this, it will be necessary to omit the grain and diminish the quantity of roots for a few days, but after she becomes quite dry I resume feeding as before, except perhaps to lessen the amount of grain until within a few days of calving, when I omit the grain entirely until, as I have before stated, the danger from milk fever, etc., is past.

CALVING.

Some people continue to milk their cows until within a very short time of calving. This is very poor economy. The milk at such times is thin and insipid, and unfit for food. I have never found any “preparatory treatment” of the cow prior to parturition, such as physicing, etc., to be necessary; but place her on short rations for a few days—administering, as one writer terms it, “judicious starvation.” The feed of roots is continued, as they exert a laxative effect on the bowels and tissues, thereby obviating the necessity of giving a huge dose of Epsom Salts. In an experience of fifteen years, by following this plan of restricting the diet, I have not had a case of milk fever, apoplexy, or retention of placenta, and but one case which called for assistance, and this was due wholly to an accident. When a single cow is kept, she is, of course, exempt from the ill consequences which so often result from crowding and fighting with other cows, and, if kindly treated and provided with comfortable accommodations for feeding and shelter, she will seldom have any trouble. But cases where assistance is indispensable do sometimes occur, even under the best management, the most frequent of which is the retention of the placenta or after-birth. If, at the end of twenty-four hours, the cow has not “cleaned,” it is then time to undertake the removal of the placenta. This can be accomplished by carefully introducing the right arm of a man having a small hand, which should previously be well greased, into the cavity of the uterus, when the connecting attachments will readily be found and may be separated, after which the whole may be brought away. These attachments are often quite numerous, and care should be taken that all are detached, and that the whole of the after-birth is removed, as serious results sometimes occur when a portion of it is retained.

If, from any cause, the fœtus has got into an unnatural position, or shows any other presentation than that of the two fore feet and muzzle, natural labor may be rendered impossible, and assistance will be required in order to set matters right. There are several abnormal positions in which the calf may be presented, while there are but two positions in which delivery is practicable. In the natural position the two fore feet and nose are the parts which make their first appearance. When this is the case we may generally conclude that our services will not be required. If, on the other hand, there is any alteration of this position, either by the absence of the head or of one or both feet, or if, when labor pains have continued for some time, there is no presentation at all, it will be necessary to investigate the cause. The owner’s duty, in cases of this nature, will be to restore it, by judicious manipulation, to its normal position, or to such a position as will render delivery practicable. If, from the nature of the case, the fore legs and nose of the fœtus cannot be brought into such a position, we must endeavor to bring up the hind legs and deliver it in that position. It frequently occurs in this position, as well as sometimes in the natural one, that traction will have to be applied. In such cases it should be applied simultaneously with the throes of the cow. In rare cases it becomes necessary to amputate portions of the fœtus and bring them away separately, which operation should be left to the veterinary surgeon. In fact, whenever assistance is required, it is better to employ the services of a competent surgeon, if such can be obtained. But where professional assistance cannot be obtained, it is much better to use one’s own judgment than to depend on the village cow doctor, who is usually one of the most ignorant persons in the community. Happily, cases requiring any assistance, where a single cow is kept, are rare.

For _Mamitis_ or garget I have given successfully the following powder twice daily: Pulverized Digitalis, one drahm; Nitre, one ounce; Cream of Tartar, one-half ounce; mix and give in the feed. If the bag is caked and hard, let the calf run with the cow for a few days.

I do not consider it profitable to raise the calf, therefore I dispose of it as soon as possible. There are always plenty of farmers or farmers’ boys who are glad to buy a good calf to raise, and will willingly pay one or two dollars for the same, and take it right away. I prefer to raise and fatten a pig instead.

ACCIDENTS AND FAILURES.

It is no more than fair for me to say concerning my plan of feeding, that I have occasionally been obliged to modify some of the details, on account of unfavorable circumstances. For instance, I have been forced to cut grass from the highway in front of my house, to supply a deficiency in some crop, caused by unfavorable weather, or some accident or other. In the spring of 1878, my clover failed to catch, leaving me to make up for the loss of that crop as well as I could. It was certainly most unfortunate, inasmuch as it seriously interfered with the whole system of rotation. To carry out the plan of soiling successfully requires considerable time and labor. And on the whole, unless one has plenty of the former at his disposal, and a good wholesome inclination for the latter, he could do full as well to adopt the old time practice of having his cow pastured by the week, in which case no other labor than milking would be required, while, if she were allowed a feed of meal or bran at the time of milking, night and morning, very satisfactory results would be obtained.

ONE YEAR’S RESULTS.

To show what I have accomplished by it, I will give an account of the products of my cow “Polly,” for the year ending April first, 1880, together with a statement of the actual expenses of her keeping. Besides what was used in a family of four, I have sold one hundred and sixty-nine pounds of butter, at an average of twenty cents per pound, which amounts to thirty-three dollars and eighty cents; eight hundred and twenty-eight quarts of milk, at six cents per quart, forty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents; eighteen quarts of butter-milk, at three cents per quart, fifty-four cents; eleven quarts of sour milk, at two cents, twenty-two cents; one calf, four days old, one dollar and seventy-five cents; total, eighty-five dollars and ninety-nine cents. To this I may add one hundred and twenty pounds of butter consumed at home, twenty-four dollars, and about two hundred and thirty quarts of milk, worth thirteen dollars and eighty cents; making in all, one hundred and twenty-three dollars and seventy-nine cents. The cost of feed was as follows: One thousand pounds bran, nine dollars and sixty cents; one thousand pounds corn meal, eleven dollars and fifty cents; seven hundred and fifty pounds of oatmeal, nine dollars and eighty five cents; three thousand pounds clover hay, thirteen dollars and fifty cents; two hundred pounds rye straw, one dollar and fifty cents; muck, two dollars; total, forty-seven dollars and ninety-five cents; leaving a balance of seventy-five dollars and eighty-four cents. As I keep a horse, I have the necessary tools for cultivating the land myself, I have not added the cost of cultivation as an item in the expense column, and perhaps it may be said that I should also have added interest on land and buildings. As an offset to these, I would call attention to the valuable pile of manure, and furthermore I have made no account of a large amount of skim-milk, on which I raised a pig. This pig was fed nothing but sour milk, and a very few small potatoes, until about four weeks prior to butchering, when he was “finished off” on corn meal. He weighed, after being dressed, December twenty-eighth, two hundred and seventy-eight pounds. The profits from this cow would undoubtedly have been larger had I sold all the milk, instead of making butter out of a part of it, but I did not make mere profit my sole object in the matter. I wished to supply my family with those necessary luxuries which, I believe, are rendered even sweeter by the consciousness of their being the products of our own labor. The pleasure which I have taken in caring for my pet cow, and in providing for her wants, and the pride I feel in exhibiting both my cow and the delicious rich milk and yellow butter, with which she so bountifully supplies us, amply repays me for my part of the labor. I have made no account of using concentrated food, such as oil-cake and cotton-seed meal, for the reason that I have had very little experience in the use of them. Whenever an animal has become thin and poor, these articles of food may be used to advantage to increase the flesh and bring the animal into good condition. But I never let my cow get poor, and I find that good hay, with corn, oats, and bran, answers every purpose, and is fully adequate to all her requirements. My system of rotation is as follows: The one-eighth acre of clover sod of the preceding year is well manured either during the winter or in the spring, and well fitted up and sown to beets or mangels. This crop occupies the land during the whole season. The same plot is again plowed the next spring for sowed corn. After this crop is off it is again manured and sown to rye, and the following spring is again seeded to clover. It is kept in clover one year, yielding two crops during the season, after which it is treated as before. Each of the four plots undergoes the same treatment; thus a complete rotation is established.

KEEPING A COW ON CAPE COD.

BY M. T. T. NICKERSON, SOUTH DENNIS, MASS.

We live in a section of country where nature has not been lavish with her gifts. Our soil is sandy and only produces paying crops by high cultivation. Farming with us comes near to being one of the lost arts. We are not tillers of the soil. Living, as we do, within sound of the Atlantic surf, as it beats its everlasting measure upon our coast, we, from associations of birth and early training, plow the Ocean for a living, the furrows frequently stretching from pole to pole, or to the opposite side of the globe. Few, very few, keep cows. A large proportion of our people do not keep any, and it is not common to find many that have more than one.

We keep a good grade Jersey, and will give our way of keeping one cow, having learned long ago, that stock of any kind paid for good care. Keeping a lot of cattle or hogs, or poultry, and simply feeding what we happen to have, or what we can buy cheap, leaving them to shift for themselves in cold and stormy weather, or giving them wet uncomfortable stables, always results in disease to the stock and loss to the owner.

We sow as early in the spring as the ground is in condition to work, forty rods with a mixture of oats and peas, and forty rods in spring rye. We commence cutting our oats and peas as soon as the peas begin to bloom. Where we have a good stand, a rod per day, divided in three feeds, morning, noon, and night, is generally enough. As soon as we have cut about ten rods we plow under the stubble, and plant Early Minnesota Sweet Corn—rows two and one half feet apart—hills two feet in the rows, leaving two and three stalks in a hill. The next ten rods we serve in the same manner. If our rye is now grown enough to cut with profit we commence feeding it, and cut the balance of our oats and peas, and cure them for winter.

If our rye is not fit to cut for soiling, we continue to use our oats and peas until it is, and then cure for winter what is left. As soon as the last of our oats are off, we plant about four rods with beets (mangel wurzel). We prefer the Globe varieties, as the yield is better on our soil. The balance of our oat-and-pea ground we sow with Hungarian grass.

As soon as we have cut ten rods of our rye, we manage as with our oats, turn under the stubble and again plant sweet corn. The earlier the variety the better. We prefer the Early Minnesota. As soon as we have cleared off the next ten rods of our rye, we plant from two to four rods with turnips. The balance we sow with a mixture of Hungarian and the earliest “Canada Gray” pea. We now feed our rye until our first planting of corn and Hungarian will do to feed, when we turn under the rest of the rye stubble (curing what is left of the rye for winter), sow half with Hungarian and the balance we sow (not plant) with sweet corn. As soon as our first planting of corn is cut up, we sow two or three rows broadcast with flat turnips, some of the strap-leaved varieties, hoeing or raking them in by hand. We continue to plant or sow some quick-growing variety of corn, peas, grass, grain, or roots, even when it is very doubtful if we shall receive any return for our time and work; but we frequently get a fair yield from our third planting. I presume a great many will be sceptical in regard to this “third crop business.” It must be remembered that our first sowing is made very early in the spring, and that we do not wait until any of our forage crops mature, but we cut them long before they would be ripe, thereby shortening the time of their growth and leaving the ground to be planted with something else.

The above is no iron rule, but subject to great variations. Our plan is to sow as early as possible in the spring with the earliest maturing grass or grain we can get, and from the time we commence cutting until there is no possibility of getting any return. We sow and plant wherever we have a few rods of bare ground, as soon as any of our crops are maturing or there is something coming forward to take its place. We cut and cure what is left for winter. We advise close seeding in all cases, roots, of course, excepted.

COW KEPT ON HALF AN ACRE.

If the season is favorable, we manage to keep our one cow nicely on half an acre, or rather on the fodder grown on half an acre. But sometimes, on account of drouth or late frost, we are obliged to buy a little hay in the spring.

It is impossible for us to say how much feed must be bought. We generally have a bag of corn (two bushels), and a bag of oats (two and a half bushels), ground together, feeding from two to four quarts a day, according to the amount of roots used, and the season of the year, feeding meal very sparingly in summer. We frequently reserve two or three rods in the spring for early turnips, to be fed when large enough for profit, but always feed turnips immediately after milking to prevent flavoring the milk. We generally have a few cabbage plants started to set where the corn misses, or the beets or turnips fail to come up, or in any corner or by-place where there is room for a cabbage to grow. Sometimes we reserve a few rods for cabbages late in the season, as we find them excellent for a change of feed either winter or summer. We advise, in all cases, the use of the earliest varieties of grass, grain, or vegetables, as we cannot afford the time and ground occupied by some of the larger and taller growing varieties, being convinced, from actual experience, that two and three crops of early varieties, although small, are more profitable than one crop of the larger late varieties.

THE STABLE AND THE MANURE CELLAR

The stable for our cow is a shed nine by sixteen, built on the south side of our carriage and wagon house. One-half of the shed is partitioned off and enclosed for winter use or stormy weather; the other half of the shed is open on the south side, and our yard is about sixteen by thirty, including the shed. We think it would be better to have it larger, but we get along with it nicely. We find the best way to dispose of her manure is to have a small cellar underneath the stable, with cemented bottom and sides, so as to be water tight, the stable to have a tight floor with a gutter behind the cow to receive the droppings and urine, with a scuttle or trap door in the gutter to let it all go into the cellar. For bedding, we use forest leaves, and use them liberally. Where forest leaves cannot be obtained, any refuse hay or straw will answer, but the cow as well as the horse should have plenty of good dry bedding. To mix with the urine and droppings of the cow, we put into the cellar, sea-weed, muck, turf, slops from the house, and soap suds, or anything we think will make good compost. We gather up the droppings from the yard and throw them into the cellar. We keep our yard well laid with forest leaves. If those are not available, we use the next best thing we can get. In the fall, when we cart the manure out of the cellar, we gather up what has accumulated in the yard and put it into the cellar. In this way we save all of the manure, and in excellent condition. Now, to make it better and save the labor of pitching it over, we keep a pig where he can have access to the cellar, and if not disposed to work, we keep him on short feed and scatter corn in the cellar, so that in order to get it, he will have to root the whole mass over in good shape.

We cart our manure out in the fall, distributing it over our land as evenly as possible, and plow it under as deep as we can. We do not sow anything for next year’s use, as we think we get a better return from our land to sow early in the spring and continue it through the summer. It is a mistaken idea, or rather a grave blunder, to undertake to grow good crops of anything without the liberal use of manures. As soon as our land will do to work in the spring, we sow our oats, peas, and rye, giving a top dressing of guano, superphosphates, or bone meal, which we repeat with each successive sowing, also giving each hill of corn and rows of beets and turnips a small quantity. We alternate the top dressings, that is, if we use superphosphate the first sowing, we use ground bone or guano the second, and vice versa, as we find the continuous use of any one kind of manure or fertilizer is as injurious as continuous planting of corn or potatoes, without rotating with something else.

BARRELS FOR KEEPING ROOTS.

We have a way of our own for keeping our roots in the absence of a vegetable cellar, or when we do not want them in the house cellar. We take any old barrels and set them in the ground, the chiner just coming to the top of the ground (we do not want a head in either end of the barrels). Into these headless barrels we put our beets, turnips, cabbage, etc. As the weather grows cold we cover the barrels with some loose boards. Whenever it is cold enough to freeze hard, we throw over them enough hay or straw to keep out the wet. By this method we can, with very little trouble at any time, get out a barrel or part of a barrel of roots. In this way the roots keep in fine condition. Late in the spring, turnips and beets will be as brittle and good as when pulled in the fall. Our subject is “keeping one cow,” but any one that feels disposed to try it, will find the above a very fine way to keep turnips, beets, cabbage, or celery, for family use.

We prefer to have our cow calve about the first of April, as we then have time to make veal of the calf before we begin to make grass butter. There is generally, in any place, a better demand for milk through the winter, and better prices, hence if one wishes to sell milk and buy butter, it would perhaps be better to have her calve in the fall.

We hardly feel competent to advise, if help is needed in calving. As her time of calving draws nigh, we give our cow extra care and attention. If the bowels are kept in a healthy condition, we apprehend there is rarely trouble, from the fact that our cows have always calved without the need of help.

If there is ready sale for milk at paying prices, we would dispose of the calf in some way, when it is a few days old, but if milk is not salable at good prices, it is better to let the calf have the milk until from four to six weeks old, and then if the butcher will not give us a fair price for it, we get some one to dress it for us, and sell it among our neighbors, who are generally glad to buy it. In that way we get from eight to twelve dollars for our calf. We think it as well for the cow to keep the calf for that length of time. It seems to satisfy a necessity of her nature to have her baby suck and draw its nourishment from her. We know of no better picture of contentment than to see an old cow suckling her calf after being away from it all day.

We advise regular hours of milking night and morning, and kind, gentle treatment, carding in winter, cleanliness and thorough ventilation of stable at all times. In summertime, if confined in a yard, a thin sheet to keep off the flies will be found very comfortable for the cow, and profitable to the owner. I presume some will ridicule the idea of blanketing the cow, but why not as well as the horse? Again, if confined in a yard, she should have plenty of clean pure water, and plenty of shade. Keeping a cow, with us, is not altogether a matter of fancy or pleasure, but of convenience, economy, comfort, profit, and health, in having pure sweet milk and fresh butter.

ALFALFA OR LUCERN.

BY SAM’L C. HAMMER, DOWNEY CITY, CAL.

I have lived in Tennessee, in Texas, and now reside in California. I have been using Alfalfa for some eight or ten years, and from my own personal care of and attention to this article, I maintain one can obtain more milk the year round from it, without change to other food, than from any one thing grown. Besides, Alfalfa can be grown at less expense, and is attended with less labor, whether fed green or cured, than any other feed.

Alfalfa can be grown in Canada, it is said. If so, then any one has the chance to try this wonderful friend to the farmer. Once sown on deeply cultivated land, free of weeds, it is good for ten years, or even more, with us. Twenty pounds is abundant seed for an acre—some think too much; but it should be sown thickly. Let it stand thick, and it is finer and more tender. Where sown sparsely it becomes woody and coarse. It can be cut here as early as March, where mowing and not grazing is adhered to, and it should never be grazed or “staked” (fed off by tethered cattle). From seven to nine cuttings can be obtained from it, and from fifteen to twenty tons of cured hay a year made to the acre; that is, if on good land and if the crop fully occupies the ground, and is cut just as a few scattering blooms are observed. This hay must be cured as rapidly as possible, raked in windrows and bunched the second day, rather letting it cure in bunches than in any other manner, to prevent leaves falling off; then housing or “shedding” it soon as possible, sprinkling salt through it as stacked, to prevent mould.