The Cecil Whig

Farm
On the Advantages of Soiling.

The following was written to a young farmer who has established himself on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and who asked the writer for information upon the subject, and published in the "American Farmer."

"If one is situated in a position where he has fertile grass lands at a cost of $30 to $40 per acre, (such as southwest Virginia or Kentucky,) I hardly think that soiling will pay, as the cost of labor to feed the stock would amount to more than the interest on the land: but where, as in our section, there is very little good grazing land, and what there is is worth so much an acre that the interest on the investment would more than pay the cost of labor. then think that soiling pays. For instance: on my farm, of 120 acres, I kept last year an average of 45 head of Short horns, young and old. If my land had been good grazing land, it would have taken nearly the whole of it to pasture them through the season; whereas, I not only raised green food enough for them all. and had them in excellent condition, but I raised hay, straw and corn fodder enough to very nearly last them through the winter, and, in addition. roots enough for them,-say 4.000 bushels of mangolds, 6,000 bushels rutabaga turnips. also 240 bushels rye and 500 bushels oats. This in the face of a drouth that caused me to cut over more land to get at green feed than I otherwise would have done, and that would have caused my cattle to suffer very much if they had been on pasture I am satisfied that with me soiling is the best way to feed my cattle. and that they are just as healthy fed on my plan as if they were pastured.

Now. in answer to your questions:

1st. 'What crops do you use for soiling?' I use rye, orchard grass and clover, lucerne, oats, and corn sowed in drills. Last year I tried Hungarian grass, but it was planted too late, and the drouth prevented it from doing much. Sowed corn is better than any. thing except lucerne for soiling.

2nd. 'When seeded?' The rye is sown, as usual, in the Fall. The oats are sown as early as possible, and then my seedings follow, as regularly as possible, every ten days. 1873-first planted oats for soiling 3rd April, 3 acres; second planting oats 14th Apr., 3 acres; third planting oats 23rd Apr., 3 acres: corn followed in regular rota tion then until the middle of July. For my stock I sowed last year three acres at every seeding. The ground for all these crops is made as rich and as finely powdered as can be done, the object being to raise as much green feed to the acre as possible. I have raised three crops in one year off the same piece of ground-rye for soiling, followed by sowed corn, and then planted the first week in August with rutabagas. I also follow my Early Rose potatoes with a crop of the rutabaga. The oats and rye are sown broadcast; the corn is sowed in drills about thirty inches apart; the drills are laid off with a small marking plow, and the corn is sown by hand. and covered with the front tooth taken out. The corn is worked as often as it will permit.

3rd. 'How fed ?

We commence feeding the rye as soon as it heads out -feeding at first sparingly, so as not to bloat the cows, or give them the scours. Then follow with orchard grass and clover, or Lucerne, as the case may be; then with oats. and then with corn which crop lasts until frost. First cut rye 6th of May, 1873; then cut lucerne 14th May, followed by orchard grass 18th May : this and clover lasted until 11th June, when we commenced cutting oats: these lasted until the 15th July when we commenced cutting corn and continued on this until frost. All the land sowed in oats for soiling was afterwards sowed with corn in drills. and the fodder saved for winter feeding. Of course the lucerne comes in several times. The green-fed is cut with the scythe and is fed out in square boxes with a V-shaped opening in each of the four sides. and is fed to them in a lot of about two acres. This is to give them room to exercise. The breeding cows and yearlings are not stabled during the Summer.

4th. 'Do you feed other than green food during the Summer months?'- My object being to keep my cattle in good condition, and not to pull them down during their time of milking, I have always fed those cows that were milking, four quarts of mill-feed night and morning. Those cows that were dry got no feed. I always allow my cows to go dry three months before calving. The yearlings and two-year olds I always feed well, even in Summer, as the main object is early maturity.

5th. 'What root crops do you raise? I raise mangel wurtzel and swedes or rutabaga turnips. The mangolds are planted as early in April (about the 15th) as possible to sow, and to at the same time avoid having the young plants cut down by the frost. The ground is prepared in the best manner possible. For instance, the four acres that I planted in mangolds last year were prepared as follows: the year before it had been planted in potatoes and followed by swedes; that Fall it was plowed and subsoiled to the depth of 15 inches: in the Spring stable manure was spread over it, a liberal coating: then it was plowed, then harrowed with a heavy harrow, and followed with a Thomas harrow. It was then rolled, so as to give a smooth surface for drilling. The seed was then sowed on the flat surface. with Holbrook's drill, in drills 28 inches apart, using about 3 pounds of seed to the acre. On part of this land 300 pounds of Kainit to the acre was sown on the drills: this in the first of the season appeared to be the best, but when the crop was harvested we could see no difference in the yield between it and other parts The yield on these four acres was 4,000 bushels. This, while not a large crop, was good considering the season.

The Swedes are planted generally about the last of July. I had two different lots in Swedes last year. One of six acres was planted in Early Rose potatoes and these followed by Swedes. The potatoes were manured with barn-yard manure and Kainit; the land was prepared for the Swedes in the same way as for the mangolds, with the exception that it was not subsoiled. The seed was sown in the same manner, using 2 1/2 pounds seed to the acre, and then sowing 300 pounds of bone dust to the acre on the drills. Finished sowing these on the 31st July.- The other piece, of three acres, was sod land, plowed in the Fall, and was the first piece that we sowed with corn for soiling. This was prepared after fodder was cut, in the same way as the other, with the exception that a good coat of barn-yard manure was plowed in. Finished drilling this with Swedes the 7th day of August. The yield on these nine acres was about 6,000 bushels

6th. 'How fed ?' 7th. 'What is your winter feed?' The mangolds, or turnips, we generally commence with, and finish with mangolds: they are cut up with a Nourse-Mason root-cutter, bought of Sinclair & Co., Baltimore, more. Our winter feed consists of half a bushel of roots and four quarts of mill-feed to the grown animals, morning and night, with all the cut oat-straw or cut fodder that they will eat. To the yearlings and calves we feed good timothy and clover hay, turnips, mill-feed and corn chop,--varying the feed according to the capacity of the animal. The calves get milk until they are six months old. Have never weighed the hay, so that I cannot say how much each animal will eat I hope that this will answer your purpose.

Yours truly,

CHAS. E. COFFIN."