“I sow this to corn in drills about this time (the last of May), so that it gets well tasseled by the time pastures begin to get rather dry, as they usually do after the middle of summer, then I begin to feed, and it helps keep up the flow of milk amazingly. It is a sweet, juicy and nutritious feed, just the thing for cows. Let me calculate a little. Why Earnest, if your land could be made to produce like this piece, you can raise coarse fodder enough for your cow for six months, on thirty square rods of ground. I like some roots for cows—we like a variety of food, so do animals. The best roots I know of to raise for stock are sugar beets or the mangels.”
Very soon after this conversation Joseph had his half acre of land plowed deep and in narrow furrows, as he had seen recommended in agricultural papers. The manure that had accumulated from the cow was used for a top-dressing for one half of the plowed portion. This was well harrowed, and three-fourths of it lightly furrowed with the plow, two and one half feet apart. The remaining one-fourth was turned into ridges as close as the furrows could be turned together. His team work was now done for the present on this part of his lot especially set apart for his cow. (The other half of the plowed lot was to be used for his main family garden, he having spaded up some beds for early vegetables.) He had provided himself with seed corn from farmer Mason’s, some mangel wurzel seed from the seed store, and also a bag of two hundred pounds of phosphate, of a brand recommended by Mr. M. The phosphate was sprinkled in the plow marks, at the rate of three hundred pounds to the acre, as near as could be judged, the soil in the bottom of the furrow was lightly stirred with a four pronged potato hook, the corn was sprinkled in, about eight kernels to the foot [sixteen to twenty is better—Ed.,] and covered about two inches deep. One half of the piece designed for corn was planted, and the other half left to be treated in the same way some two weeks later. The top was raked off the ridges designed for the mangels. A furrow was made on each with a hand hoe, and phosphate sprinkled in rather more liberally than for the corn. This was thoroughly mixed with the soil, the furrow becoming nearly level with the surface. A line was drawn by which a light mark was made with the end of the hoe handle, in which the mangel seeds were sown and covered about one inch deep, the soil being pressed down lightly with the hoe. After saving enough phosphate for the balance of the corn, and a little to experiment with on some late potatoes, the remainder was sown broadcast on the clover. It fell a little short of covering the whole, and Joseph thought that would make a good opportunity to test its virtues. His seeds came up well, and, as he had all he could attend to nights and mornings, he hired a neighbor to do his farm work, and he determined no weeds should have the benefit of his fertilizers or soil; and this part of his programme was thoroughly carried out during the growing season.
SUMMER QUARTERS.
In “Comfort’s” yard was a corner formed by the barn on one side, the hennery on another, and the board fence on a third side. Joseph put a roof over this corner, and about a foot deep of oatshucks on the ground, and fastened a box to the side of the barn for her to eat out of; and here were her summer quarters. Every morning before milking the droppings were cleaned up and piled in one corner of the yard. As soon as the clover began to blossom, an armful was cut each evening and fed to “Comfort” after her ration of dry feed, and the morning feed was discontinued. After the corn was large enough, that took the place of clover until frost threatened; then it was cut up and bound in small bundles, which were set up in large stooks, to cure for winter use.
No difference was observed in the first crop of clover in favor of the phosphate, but the second cutting was largely benefited by its use. Over one-half of the first and second cuttings were cured and stored in the barn, with all of the grass around the yard, which, with fully two-thirds of the stalks, would be nearly, if not quite enough coarse feed to last “Comfort” through the winter. The mangels yielded about twenty-five bushels, not a very large yield, but quite satisfactory, considering the soil had not really been farmed but one year. The roots were pitted near the barn for spring use. Some of the corn stalks were set so as to form a slanting roof over them; three or four inches of dirt thrown over this; afterwards enough to keep them from freezing.
About the first of November, “Comfort” was established in winter quarters in the stall, at night and during stormy days, and in the yard on pleasant days. She continued in milk until the middle of February, and was in fresh milk March eighteenth, was hearty and contented—a comfort to look at as well as to own. Joseph Earnest was well pleased with his year’s experiment.
CONCLUSIONS.
It is now three years since he brought comfort to his home in more ways than one. His little farm is improving every year in fertility and value, and even now blossoms like a thing of beauty. Some of his neighbors have followed his example, for he tells them:
“Any one who has a place to put a cow can keep one with profit, if he will make her comfortable; that it matters not whether protection from the weather is secured by logs, straw, sods, rough boards, or planed boards well painted. She must have exercise, sunshine, and fresh air. These can be obtained in a small dry yard, kept clean, as well as in ‘Uncle Sam’s’ pasture, the open prairie. She must have something of a variety of wholesome food, and a plentiful supply of pure water. No domestic animal, in proportion to its weight, needs as much water as a milch cow. She must be kept clean by litter, card, and brush. If these rules are observed with judgment and kindness, very seldom will any help be needed at time of calving. If anything goes wrong there is no better rule than to use one’s common sense, taking the advice of experienced neighbors.
“To economize manure, an abundance of good litter should be used, and the compost heap kept under cover, if possible; at any rate, not under the eaves of the barn. If, with this home-made manure, your land does not produce all it can, and you wish to buy some fertilizing material, your first choice should be good stable manure; if you cannot get that reasonably, use some reliable brand of commercial fertilizer. Have your cow ‘come in’ when it will be most for your profit or convenience, avoiding hot weather. The calf may be killed when one to three days old, saving its hide and rennet; it may be kept until five or six weeks old, fed on new milk, and ‘vealed,’ or sold for that purpose, or it may be raised on skim-milk (after it is three or four weeks old), and sold in the fall to some farmer.