ee —————
[ Continued from 1st page.]
this system cost annually for food
alone, $310 20 more than they pro-
duce? Is this necessary? Is there
not a better way, a cheaper way than
this? If there is not, I submit the
uestion to your judgment as practical
thinking, careful men, would it not be
far better to sell off every hoof of cat-
tle from your farms and refuse entirely
to own’or keep such unprofitable, or
rather such exceedingly expensive
stock? It seems to me that there can
be but one answer given in reply.
Let us examine and see whether
there is not another and better way.
The losses that have been enumera-
ted have occurred mainely from the
expenses necessarily attendent upon the
grazing of cattle. “Can these expenses
be lessened ? If so, how? We 1, 1st.
The inside fences must be gotten rid of.
They are all loss and no profit. This
could be done were farmers to do as has
been suggested. Sell off all their cattle
and keep none at all during the grazing
season of the year. This would not
only enable the farmer to abandon his
inside fences, but would at the same
time cut off the other sources of loss
growing out of the whole system of
grazing. This, of course, would make
it necessary that for part of the year
the farmer would have to buy his milk
and butter. If all farmers were to
adopt this plan, these articles would |
have to be dispensed with and great
discomfort be ood occasioned. So
the plan becomes impraeticable, because
enough butter and milk for the farmer's
family is nearly a necessity and ¢nough
COWS to supply this necessity are there-
fore needed, even should they cost some-
what more than they produce. If the
figures that I have made are correct, it
would follow that more cattle than
enough to supply this need would only
lead to greater loss. So that it would
seem most advantageous to keep as few as
the necessities of the case will ermit.
Three Goon cows will sup ly this want
during the summer, and al the rest can
be sold. A small portion of land may
be fenced in for these three, and they be
permitted to graze as before. This
or a rectangular piece 8x82 rods with a
division fence, making in all 154 rods
of fence which at $1.65 per rod is equal
to $254.10, or only about 15 per cent of
the cost of fencing under the former
method or a saving of 85 per cent. This
would be a step in the right direction.
But, however great an improvement it
may be upon the plan commonly pur-
sued, still it is open to objection. Some
fence yet remains and although com-
paratively a small amount, yet it is
costing night and day, and you are also
still paying more for your butter than
it would cost you at the store; besides
there still continues the losses caused by
the tramping of the cattle and the waste
of their manure.
Cannot even this enclosure be avoid-
ed? Suppose these three cows were
placed within your barn yard and sup-
plied with plenty of nutritious food,
with free access to pure fresh water, and
an opportunity to get into the shade
away from the heat of the sun in sum-
mer, and from the cold driving rains of
the Spring and Fall. Suppose this were
praeticable, would not all their objec-
tions be fully met and the question an-
swered ? Can this be done? Is it
practicable ? This is the problem,
that must first be solved, if we would
abolish the system that has been shown
to be so injurious to the land and expen-
sive for the pocket.
Is it practicable to enclose cattle in a
yard during the summer and supply
them with food ? Let us sce. The ob-
ject the farmer has in turning his cattle
out upon the pastures, is that they may
secure, daily a supply, of nourishing
food sufficient to sustain life, promote
growth, contribute to the supply of milk
and add to their quality of flesh. His
object, whether he attains it or not is
another question. His object in keep-
ing cattle at all and supplying them
with food is not mainly for the amuse-
ment that they afford, but that they
may be u source of profit to him and
thus increase his wealth. "What isthere
to prevent this object being attained in
ayard 100feet square as well asin a field
100 rods square ? There is of course, in
the first no pasture, but whilst this
is true, it does not therefore follow that
there is no food. Is it necessary in or-
der that an animalshall exist and thrive
and fulfill the conditions mentioned,
Would. take six. acr
that it shall fot its living by cropping
grass for itself?
. Would it make much difference in the
nutritious quality of the forage, or in its
acceptability to the animal, if it were
cut with a knife instead of being pulled
off between teeth and gums ?
Does it add much to the product of
the animal, to be compelled to walk
miles in the hot sun or cold rain in order
to appease the cravings of hunger or
to satisfy its thirst? Is there any great
advantage to be gained by causing ani-
mals to eat crushed and mangled grass,
saturated with urine and defiled with
excrement, that would not be accom-
plished by supplying them with Panty
of fresh, sweet, nutritious, wholesome
food in a quiet, dry and cool enclosure ?
But some one says where shall we go to
get the grass? I reply just where the
cattle get it, right out in the fields
where the cattle go. The very same
grass, differing only in that it is clean
and sweet and free from noxious and
bitter weeds.
Give it to them in their racks or
mangers in the yard, morning, noon
and night, fresh from the field, full of
all its juices and rich with every ounce
of nourishment that it can hold. Does
any one think that they will not eat it ?
You know that they will. Experience
has demonstrated that they will not
only eat it, but will thrive and produce
more milk and butter than by any sys-
tem of pasturage ever yet devised. In
many counties it is about the only sys-
tem that is pursued. In Germany it is
the common practice. In France trav-
ellers say that one can travel for days
and see no fence. In the Netherlands
cattle are fed in.yards. In parts of
England the same is practiced, and
here in our own country there are nu-
merous instances of the successful prac-
tice of keoping cattle during the Sum-
mer in yards. In the Connecticut val-
ley for part of the year cattle are soiled.
In parts of New York State the same
is done, whilst many dairies are conduc-
ted upon this principle in the vicinity
of large cities. All statistics and expat
rience upon the matter go to show that
with plenty of green food supplied in
yards, eattle will not oly eat with
avidity but thrive more rapidly than by
any other system now inuse.” p
But, says the objector, you cannot
get green forage for your cattle as early
in the Spring as if they were turned out
to grass, and in the Fall you have
nothing except dry food to feed.
To avoid this sow rye the pre-
vious Fall and you will be able to
start with green forage as carly as and
even with your pasturing neighbor, and
by sowing a patch of corn you can
have abundance of forage for the Fall
until the frost appears, and after that
“ig have the second crop of grass, and
y a little care can have roots and other
succulent food to feed along with drier
forage. But the objector contends all
this is expensive and troublesome. Let
us look for a moment at the expense.
By the System of pasturing, it took two
acres of land to keep each cow, and in
estimating the cost of keeping wo sup-
posed that each acre of pasture would
produce, notwithstanding all the de-
stuction occasioned by tramping and
the other injuries involved by the sys-
tem of pasturing, one ton of hay. "Is
there anything in this theory of tramp-
ing, oris it but a bugbear to scare the
timid? By the plan proposed there
could, of course, be no loss from these
sources named, but every spear of grass
can be used for food.
Mr. Josiah Quincy writes that for
years he has kept twenty head of cows
upon geventeen acres of land that by
the other system took 50 acres, and
that he never lacked food. Here is a
saving of 83 acres, out of 50. Joshua
St. Clair states that 80 head were soiled
on 17} acres from May 20 to October 1.
(Am. F. Book 272.) In general it has
been shown that in this country half an
acre to the head is sufficient for Sum-
mer food or a ratio as compared with
pasturing 1 to 4. In England the pro-
portion is still greater being, as 1 to 7.
In order that we may be safe, say
that the proportion is as 1 to 4, or that
4 an acre will keep a cow. There would
be saved three fourths of the land em-
ployed by the other method, and this
saving is due almost entirely to the
plants being free from the injuries they
formerly sustained. The labor or the
trouble consequent upon the adoption of
this plan may be reduced to a mini-
mum, by using plots of ground conti-
guous to the cattle yards, so that, ina
few minutes, less time indeed than it
often takes to bring these cattle from
the field, fresh forage can be cut and
placed in the racks. Suppose the labor
and trouble were far greater than by
the other plan, the manure saved would
amply repay it all. Taking then the
figures as given in the estimates already
made, what do we find ?
That the three cows soiled cost as fol-
lows :
Produce on 1}4 acres of land cultivated
a8 before $ 15 00
Bix tons of hay during winter... wu. 60 00
Interest on 8 acres @ 00 each@.06 7 2
18 bush. of corn @ 50..ccereeevereees sericirriests 9 00
THOMAS A. HICKS & BRO.,
[Successors to Wilson & Hicks.]
Wholesale and Retail
HARDWARE DEALERS,
0
Iron, Paints, Oil, Glass, &e,
Buildér’s Hardware.
Coach Maker’s Goods.
STOVES OF ALL KINDS,
Making a total cost of the said produce
0
Cows produce same as by the other plan 112 50
Leaving a net profit of.......oee sessasnesenene 21 30
er year. Not an enormous profit to
be saved, but the important matter is
there is no loss.
The limits of this paper forbid more
than this brief and imperfect reference
to this soiling process, but inquirers
after more particular information are
directed to consult the admired work of
the Hon. Josiah Quincy, of Mass.,
who probably gave the subject more
careful trial oe investigation than any
other practical experimenter in the
country.
Here then is a way, a better way, a
cheaper way than the one heretofore
ursued. And ‘there's millions in it.”
f have estimated from the census of
1870 that the inside fences of the farms
of Centre county have actually cost
more than two millions, or an amount
equal to the entire products of all the
farms of the county for one year, or
twice as much as the value of all the
live stock in the county. These fences
represent a yearly cost to the farmers of
the county of about five hundred
thousand dollars, ($500,000) an amount
nearly equal to the value of all the
wheat raised in the county in one year,
or the entire value of the corn crop of
the county, and is equal to an annual
tax of $15.00 per head upon every man,
woman and child in the county. All
this might be saved to go into the im-
provement of lands, the education of
children, self culture and the promotion
of christian morality throughout the
land. Nature, reason and observation
cry out against the old practice and
ucement that can be offered 18
held out to those who would “ry the
new. New to us, but old and tried and
successful in those other lands, where
our wasteful system would drivefarmers
into the lowest poverty were they to
pursue it.
Thus millions upon millions are
thrown away by the farmers of this
county every year for want of knowl-
edge and for want of thought, and now
to the question of your committee :
“What is the best plan for Centre
county farmers to pursue with reference
to inside fences under existing laws ?’’
I reply throw them out and keep your
cattle in your yurds.
1776. 1876.
MONTGOMERY ¢& CO.,
MERCHANT TAILORS AND CLOTHIERS,
Hats, Caps and Men's Furnishing Goods,
No. 7, Brockerhoft Row, Bellefonte, Pa. Sat-
isfaction guaranteed in every sale.
SUITS READY MADE AND TO ORDER,
from $16, $18, $20, $22, $25, up to $40, warranted
all wool, finest fabrie, sure fit. Overcoats all
kinds of prices—$10 UPWARDS.
Will not be undersold in anything in our
line. The largest, latest aud most complete
stock of Hats in Central Pennsylvania.
SHIRTS A SPECIALTY.
Grain taken in exchange for merchandise—
at the highest market rates.
SCHROYER & SON
are selling
FURNITURE OF ALL KINDS
very low for eash, They have just filled their
ware-rooms with new style, Bed room Sets.
Call before you buy or you will miss it.
UNDERTAKING GOODS
always on hand, and funerals attended with a
good hearse. Call on Schroyer & Son, Bishop
street, opposite McClures saddler shop before
you buy and save 25 per cent.
GROCERIES! GROCERIES!
GREAT EXCITEMENT !
Over great reduction in prices at the
Grocery House of S. A, BREW & SON, in
Humes’s block next door to Post Office. The
undersigned announces to the public that
they have lately reduced their prices to the
lowest possible cash basis and are determined
not to be undersold. We claim for the fol-
lowing reasons to be able to sell at small
profits : 1st, we pay small rent, 2d, we pay no
salaries, 3d, we let the price and quality of our
goods advertise for themselves, 4th, we are
at all times ready to deal in country produce,
both for cash orin exchange, Will be pleased
to have you call and examine our stock.
S. A. BREW & SON.
GO TO
»rJOHN BRACKBILLS.es
WHERE YOU WILL FIND
A GOOD VARIETY
of all kinds of
FURNITURE AND WALL PAPER,
at a great reduction of prices.
SPRING STREET, BELLEFONTE, PA.
W. McCLELLAN,
Merchant Tailor.
Clothing made at the Shortest
Notice and in the most Fach:
ionable Style.
BROCKERHOFF HOUSE,
BELLEFONTE, - - PA.
DUNCAN, HALE & CO.,
Bellefonte, Pa.
MANUFACTURERS OF
Flour, FeeaQ,
and dealers in
ALL KINDS OF GRAIN.
The highest market price paid for
WHEAT, Ry" T
CORN, OATS, &C.
BOOTS, SHOES & LEATHER.
GRAHAM & SON
Have, without exception, the largest and best
stock of
Boots «& Shoes
in Centre gouniy. We have the exclusive
sale of Edwin C. Burts, celebrated fine shoes,
in Bellefonte, the best in the world, 8 widths.
In addition to our stock of Boots and Shoes
we have a splendid assortment of Sole
Leather ; French, German and Country Calf
Skins ; Moroccas, Lining and all kind of Shoe
Findings.
Bellefonte, Pa.
HARPER & BROS'.,
Dealers in
DRY GOODS,
NOTIONS,
GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS,
READY-MADE CLOTHING,
HAT, CAPS, &c.
—
100 000 Bushels of Grain wanted atthe
) highest Lath prises,
Spring Street, ellefonte, Pa.
It will pay you to go to
HERRINGTON'S DRUG STORE,
on Alleghany Street, next door to Hicks &
Bro's., Hardware Emporium. A full stock of
DRUGS AND CHEMICALS
constantly on hand. All the leading Patent
Medicines and everything usually kept in a
first class Drug Store. Particular and prompt
attention given to the wants of Farmers and
others who live in the country,
THE BEST PRAIRIE LANDS
Towa and Nebraska,
for sale by the
Burlington & Missouri iver B. B. Co.
on ten years’ credit at 6 per cent interest.
One million acres in Iowa and Southern Ne-
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combine Farming and Stock Raising,
Products will pay for land and Improvements.
LARGE DISCOUNT FOR CASH.
For circulars that will describe fully these
lands, and the terms of sale, apply to or ad-
dress, LAND COMMISSIONER,
Burlington, Iowa, for Iowa Lands.
or Lincoln, Neb,, for Nebraska Lands.
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