Loudon Free Press

Discrepant Opinions.—At a late discussion on the value of roots for feeding cows, before one of the Agricultural meetings at Boston, several interesting statements were made.
J. W. Porter said the product of the carrot crop was 19 to 20 tons to the acre—and the value in market was half that of hay—making a good acre of carrots equal to 10 tons of hay.
Col. Lincoln and others had found carrots to increase the quantity of milk; and another gentleman had found them to produce as much butter from his cows in October as in summer.
He had fed for two weeks on carrots: then for two weeks on rutabagas—he could see no difference in the results. His cow did not eat more than half as much fodder when supplied with roots. On the other hand, Russell, of Pittsfield, had tried turnips three or four years, and he thought cattle eat more hay when they had roots than without them. He had tried carrots and held much the same opinion with regard to them. Porter, of Bradford, thought carrots good food for cows, but did not think they increased the measure of milk. S. Sprague thought that turnips do not fatten cattle. Another person fed turnips to two cows; one fattened, the other did not,
Now, what is reason of these discrepant opinions? Simply for the want of precision and accuracy. This is the great cause of all the diversity of opinion among farmers on agricultural subjects. The quantity of roots given is guessed at—the quantity of hay consumed is estimated as loosely—the measure of milk yielded is stated merely to be increased—and one or two experiments perhaps, conducted in this unsatisfactory manner, are made to constitute the ground-work of an opinion, which is ever afterwards held with much tenacity. When shall we see an accurate system of weighing and measuring, in the performance of experiments, in connexion with a close observation of all controlling causes; and a repetition of trial so often and so diversified as to remove all doubt as to the operation of accidental influences?—[Country Gentleman.