An essay on the improvement to be made in the cultivation of small farms by the introduction of green crops, and housefeeding the stock thereon : originally published in an address to the small farmers on the estates of the Earl of Gosford and Colonel Close, in the county of Armagh.

Front matter

^TRODUCTION OF GKEEN CROPS, AND HOUSEFEEDING THE ** ■ STOCK THEREON :

ORIGIN &LLY PUBLISHED IN AN ADDRESS TO THE SMALL FARMERS

ON THE ESTATES OP THE

Contents

CHAPTER r.

Introductory Argument— .Increase of Stock by House-feed¬ ing — Increase of Manure— Calculations in regard to each—. More profit by feeding a Milcb Cow on Turnips or Rape, and paying a fair value for such food, than by feeding on Hay or Straw, if to be had for nothing — Great advantage to Cotters — Benefit attending the proper Rotation of Crops — Ne- ^ cessity for appointment of an Agriculturist . . . . .

Chapter II

Directions for the Preservation of Health — Advantages of Cleanliness and Ventilation in this respect — Danger of ne¬ glecting them in cases of Infectious Complaints — Recom¬ mendation of Temperance Societies — Great Saving by abstaining from Dram Drinking

CHAPTER HI

Maxims of universal application in Farming — As to Draining, ^ Destruction of Weeds, Cropping — Management of Manure " Heaps — Square Enclosures — Levelling useless Ditches— i Horses not suitable to Small Farms — Consumption of Straw in Thatch

CONTENTS.

Chapter IV

General Observations upon Ploughing — Upon the Mode of Cultivation at present in use as to Potatoes, Turnips, Flax, and Wheat — Advantages of laying on Lime with the Potato Crop, and giving House Manure to raise Turnips — Neces¬ sity for stopping the spread of Ragweed, Coltsfoot, and Thistles, by means of the Seed — Observations as to the weed -called Prussia or Corn Charlock, the Corn Marygold and Wild Poppy — Use of Chaff as an alterative for Cattle . 3D

Chapter V

Erroneous Opinions as to Land employed in raising Cattle Crops — Different Opinions as to value of Turnips com¬ pared with Potatoes — Reasons for preferring former for the use of Small Farmers — Land to be applied to what will pro¬ duce the most money — Great Return from buying poor Springers — Objections to 'continual Tillage answered — In¬ creased , Employment and good Wages, and accumulation of Property thereby— No one to be discouraged from com¬ mencing, however poor.... 1 . 47

Chapter VI

Case of Small Farmers in reduced circumstances — Mode of Recovery pointed out — Crops according to old method com¬ pared with those recommended — Others to be substituted according to circumstances — Improvement in the power of all — Objections answered . . . . 55

Conclusion

Pressing the importance of. the subject, and explaining the Plan of Assistance to be given — Advantage of Planting Tim¬ ber for Fuel — Present state of the Small Farmer, and the appearance of the Country, contrasted with what they might — Anxious desire that this Address may be attended with Some good effects

CONTENTS.

Ill

Appendix

No. I. Labourer’s Friend Publication . 69

No. II. Rotation for a Two-acre Farm . 72

No. III. List of Agricultural Seeds suited to an English acre

of Land . 74

No. IV. List of Sundry Garden Seeds for Cottagers* Use 74 No. V. Extracts from the Accounts of the Markethill Agri¬ cultural Meetings, for the years 1833, 1834, 1835, and 1836, taken from the Newry Commercial Telegraph Newspaper 74 No. VI. Information as to the diflferent qualities of Milk as

it comes from the Cow, taken from Mark-lane Express . 87

No. VII. Successful Introduction of Improved Agriculture

on the Rich-hill Estate . 88

No. VIII. Feeding Cattle on Flax Seed . . . 89

No. IX. Method of Curing Butter, recommended in the Irish Agricultural Magazine . 90

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Chapter I

Introductory Argument — Increase of Stock by House feeding — In¬ crease of Manure — Calculations in regard to each — Cheaper to feed Milch Cows on Rape or Turnips, allowing them to be worth ten pounds per acre, than to feed on dry food, and get it far nothing — Great Advantage in regard to Cotters — Benefit attending the proper rotation of Crops — Necessity for appointment of an Agriculturist.

INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS.

You are all well aware of the disposition which at present very generally exists on the part of landlords, to diminish the number of tenants on tbeir estates, and to increase the size of their farms. It is not here necessary to inquire into the reasons which influence them in this desire : it is suffi¬ cient for my present purpose to say, that, if such a plan were extensively acted upon, the result must be the total ruin of all the small holders and cotters, who, in many cases, are as industrious and deservirtg as any other members of society.

I consider myself most fortunate that I am not obliged to act, at present, upon the system above alluded to, and that my employers, however they may feel resolved not to conti¬ nue on their estates persons of careless and indolent habits, are nevertheless determined to assist and encourage all those^ of an opposite character; and impressed with this kind feeling, are anxious I should make trial whether anything can be done to reclaim the one and to s.imulate the {other>, and if possible, to put both upon some better plan of, supporting themselves and their families', than they at present? appear to be acquainted with.

The only way in my mind to accomplish this is, by introducing such a system of agriculture as would bring the entire of the small farmers’ holdings into a productive state,

B in place of allowing nearly half their farms to remain nomi¬ nally in grazing^ but in reality producing nothing ; and, as this cannot be done without manure, and manure cannot be had without stock, the consideration naturally arises how can the greatest quantity of stock be most economically main¬ tained, and under what management can the largest quantity of manure be derived therefrom.

Now, by referring to the experience of all good farmers in all countries, and under all circumstances, it is ascertained beyond dispute, that by the practice of sowing green crops, such as clover and rye grass, winter and spring vetches, tur¬ nips, mangel wurzel, &c., the same ground which in poor pasture would scarcely feed one coio in summer^ would under the crops mentioned, feed three, or perhaps four the whole year round — by keeping the cattle in the house, and bringing the food there to them and the manure produced by one of these cows so fed, and well bedded with the straw saved by the supply of better food, would be more than equal to that produced by three cows pastured in summer and fed in winter upon dry straw or hay, and badly littered.

Here then are two assertions well worthy your serious attention — first, that three cows may be provided with food in the house all the year from the same quantity of ground which will scarcely feed one under pasture for the summer ; and secondly, that one cow so fed in the house will give, as much manure as three fed in the field. I call these import¬ ant assertions, for if they are really founded in fact, then any of you who may now be only able to keep one cow, would by changing his plan be able to keep three, and each one of these producing as much manure as three fed in the way you have hitherto been accustomed to adopt — the result must be, that you would have nine times as much manure by the new method as you have hitherto had by the old. Now, as I don't

* The advantage of cutting the clover and bringing it to the cow, has been strongly exemplified this year, in the case of M‘Parlane and Feenan, of Druinheney. They held a divided farm, and had exactly the same crop of clover, both in quantity and quality. M^Parlane cut his and fed two cows plentifully in the house. Feenan grazed his — and it proved a short allowance for one. And the succeeding crop after the clover is always much cleaner and better when it has been cut than when it has been pastured, though many farmers think otherwise.

think there can be a single individual among you, so blind as not to see at once the great advantage it would be to have such an immense addition to his manure heap, it appears to me that the best thing I can do is, in the first instance, to endeavour to impress firmly upon your minds the conviction that this fact, so much entitled to your attention^ and yet so little attended to^ is in reality a truth that may be relied on, and may be practically adopted without any fear of disappoint-* ment. It is upon this foundation that the practicability of almost every improvement I mean to suggest in the cropping of your land must ultimately depend ; and it is therefore indispensable to the success of any arguments I may offer, to place it before you in the clearest point of view, and remove from your minds every doubt whatever upon the subject.

To draw the necessary proof, therefore, from what comes under your own observation, I may say every day of your lives, and which must therefore have more weight with you than any thing else I could say, I refer you with confidence to the exhausted miserable pasture upon which your cattle are now almost universally fed, two to three acres of which are often barely sufficient to keep one cow alive for the sum-^ mer months^ but by no means to ajfford her a sufficiency of food. Now, one acre of good clover and rye-grass, one rood of vetches and three roods of turnips, (making up in all two acres, which are now allotted for grazing one cow in summer) taking a stolen crop of rape after the vetches, will afford ample provision for three cows the year round. For you all know that an acre of good clover will house-feed three cows from the middle of May to the Middle of October; and with the help of a rood of vetches you will be able to to save half the first cutting for hay to use during the winter. Then when the first frosts, about the middle of October, may have stripped the clover of its leaves, the early sown rape, which ought to be put in ridge by ridge as the vetches are cut, and the land well manured, (if the seed has been sown by the middle of July,)^ will be ready to cut and feed the

• If the vetches are too late to allow the sowing of the rape to commence at that time, it ought to be raised in a seed bed, and transplanted, which may be continued with advantage to the end of August, putting the plants in as thick as possible. Mr. Wil*

B 2 cattle until the turnips are ripe. Here then you have plainly provision secured until towards the middle of November; and we have to calculate what remains to feed the cattle until the middle of the May following. For this purpose there is a rood of turnips for each cow. Now, an acre of the white globe, and yellow Aberdeen turnip ought to produce from thirty-five to forty tons per acre ; but supposing one- half to be of the Swedish kind, let us calculate only on twenty-eight tons to the acre, which is not more than an average produce, even if they were all Swedish, and see what that calculation will yield per day for one hundred and ninety days, wliich is rather more than the six months. If an acre yields twen¬ ty-eight tons, a rood will yield seven tons, wliich being brought into pounds, will amount to fifieen thousand six hundred and eighty pounds; and this divided by one hundred and ninety days, will leave eighty-three pounds of turnips for each cow, every day, which with a small portion of the hay and straw you are possessed of, is a very sufficient allow¬ ance for a common sized milch cow ; and over and above all this, you have the second growth of tiie rood of rape coming forward in March and April, w^hich would feed all the three cows much longer than would be necessary to meet the coming clover crop, even in the latest season.

Here then the facts of the case are brouglit before you for your owm decision, and I fearlessly appeal to yourselves — is it true that two to three acres (I make my calculation on two only) are frequently allotted to graze one cow during summer ; And again — is it true that an acre of clover and giass seed,

liam Scott, a tenant of the Earl of Charlemont's, who has been induced to try rape, from reading the first edition of this Address, asserts, that he has obtained from one square perch of transplanted rape, the amazing return of thirty-one stone five pounds, which would be nearly at the rate of thirty-two tons the English acre, and he would have two cuttings afterwards in March and May, sujiposing which to be only half as good as the first, there would be the enormous produce of sixty-four tons per acre — whic h seems so aston¬ ishing, that I questioned him particularly as to the fact, which he positively asserted to be the case, and that the ground measured was not superior to the rest of the field. If tlie rape, however, is too late, and therefore unfit to cut in October with advantage, the globe turnip will then be fully ripe, if planted in proper time, and the rood of turnips would hold out to the middle of April, from which time the rape w’ould yield ample food until the clover came in.

a rood of vetches, and three roods of turnips, with the stolen crop of rape after the vetches, will fully supply food for three cows the year round f I defy any one of you to reply to either of these questions in the negative. The straw of the farm, in any case, belongs to the cattle ; but in the latter case, where turnips are provided for food, it is chiefly used for beddino:, and the additional quantity of grain which will be raised by means of the increased quantity of manured land, will always keep pace with the increase of stock, and provide the increased qi.antily of bedding required. I think, therefore, 1 am warranted in considering my first assertion proved ; nan>ely, that the ground generally allotted to feed one cow, will in reality supply food for three — and have now only to offer some calculations as to the accumulation of manure; which I hope will be considered equally conclusive.

During the summer months, your cow which is only in the house at milking time, (and perhaps not even then, for the practice is sometimes to milk her in the field,) can afford little or no addition to the manure heap, being upon the grass both day and night; and even in winter and spring, whilst there is any open weather, they are always to be seen, ranging over the fields in search of food, so that f think you cannot but admit (upon a calculation for the entire year round,) the ainma! is not in the house more than eight hours out of the I weiitv-fonr, and it is only the manure made durin^^ this pe riod which can be reckoned upon ; therefore upon this supposition, (which 1 think is sutficienily correct to show the streni^th of ni v aroument), if there is any truth in arithmetic, one cow fed as 1 calculated on, in the house for the entire twenty-four hours, will yield as mucli manure as three cows that are only kept in the house iov eight hours — the quality of the food being supposed the same in both cases; and this would manifestly prove my assertion that one cow fed within, would give as much manure as three fed without: and there¬ fore when three can be kept in the one way, as I have already shown, for one kept in the other ^ it is as clear as three times three make nine, that the result of the calculation will be just as I have stated — namely, that the farmer will obtain by the change of system nine times as much manure in the one case as he would have had in the other.

Now, if after all that has been said, (which seems to me at least quite convincing,) any of you should be so astonished by the quantity of the manure thus proved to be gained, as still to have some misgivings on the subject, and be inclined to think that matters would not turn out so favourable in practice as I have shown in theory^ I would wish any such person to consider one very material point which I have not yet touched upon — for in the foregoing, the argument is founded entirely on the time the animals are kept within, viz. — it is stated that one cow kept within for twenty-four hours will give as much manure as three cows which are only kept in for eight hours, the food being assumed to be the same in both cases ; but it is quite evident, that if the cow kept within should be fed with turnips, and bedded ivith the straw which the others are fed upon, leaving them little or no hed^ ding whatever^ that the calculations must turn decidedly in favour of the animal which is well fed and bedded, both as regards the quantity and quality of the manure — so that it appears the estimate I have made is decidedly under the mark.

I may here be challenged to name any one who has really accumulated nine times as much manure in the manner I have stated to be practicable. My answer to this would be, that no one individual has thought it necessary to apply all the land formerly allotted to grazing his stock, to i\\c purpose of raising green crops, to feed them on in the house. As fast as the manure heap has enabled them to do so, those who have adopted the house-feeding system, have been anxious to bring their useless grazing into potatoes, and lofieat or other grain — enough of the old prejudice still remaining to make them think they were serving themselves by so doing ;* and they have not given the ground saved to the raising of turnips,

• I am well satisfied in my own mind, that cattle crops will pay more at present in milk and butter than any other crops whatever, except flax or wheat ; and if the farmers’ wives could be prevailed on to put less salt in their butter intended for the English 3Iarket, the price would be greatly improved, and the Dutch butter would be driven out of the market. Should a farmer be induced to increase his stock, so as to make a firkin or half a firkin once a fortnight, the conveyance by steam is so rapid and so certain, that the butter might be safely exported to Liverpool or London, nearly fresh ; and those merchants engaged in the trade would do a public service by bespeaking from the farmers of their acquaintance, butter to be made up in this manner, end to expoit it under a different brand, which would soon bring the matter to proof. See Appendix upon this subject.

mangel wurzel, &c. and of course have not kept cattle to consume them — but I fearlessly refer any doubtful inquirer on the subject, to go to the houses of those men who have gained the premiums offered by the Earl of Gosford and Col. Close, for the encouragement of house-feeding — Moses Greer of Corlust — Ingram of Drum honey — John Hogg of Drumgaw, or James Bradford of Drumminnis, or any of the others most convenient to him, and let him examine their manure heaps, and examine themselves, as I have no doubt they have been upon many occasions, and then let him judge for himself, whether there is any reason to doubt the truth of what I have stated. But the case does not require that I should rigidly adhere to the strict letter of the argument, I need only ask you to think what you might do in your farms, if you had but six, five, or even four times as much manure as you now have ; or rather let me ask what is it you might not do if you had such a supply; surely you would not in such a case let the land lie waste, as you now do, to recover itself, when you had the means of instant recovery in your own hands ; nor would you rely upon one half of your farm to pay the rent of the whole, when you had the means within yourself of mak¬ ing other half equally productive.

Having therefore, I think, set this matter at rest, I now proceed to state what perhaps may add much more to your surprise, namely, that many people well informed in these matters assert, the allowance of two acres of land which I have made, is by no means required for the support of three cows the year round, and that much less would do : and I confess that in making the calculation I have just laid before you, I have been allowing much more than I believe to be absolutely necessary — for this simple reason, that without going into the minutiae of what may be the very most that can be done upon a small piece of land, the advantage to be obtained merely according to the statement I have given is quite great enough to attract your attention, and put you, (if anything can) upon making some alteration in jmur present system : and the truth, both in theory and practice, of what I have pointed out is so obvious, that all possibility of con¬ tradiction or evasion, is completely set aside, which I consi¬ der a matter of no small importance. The allotment I have made of two acres for the support of three cows, is the same as alio wit. g two-thirds of an acre for each cow, which I have • no doubt you will think is a moderate allowance, but to show you the opinion of very sensible writers who have made this subject their study, I beg to mention that Mr. Allan in his little work, entitled “ Colonies at Home/^ estimates the ground * necessary to supply food for a cow t!ie year round, at only half an acre, and Mr. Cobbelt, in his work entitled “ Cottage Economy” says, that one rood of grouped will be found amply sufficient. For the particular plans pointed out by these writers, I must refer to their own writings, but will venture to remark, that, to the instructions given by Mr. Cobbett may be added a recommendation to have the cow carefully curried, which is necessary to the animaTs health when kept in a state of confinement, and will materially iiicrease the quantity of milk;* and her food mi^ht be given to her in a small straw yard for a portion of the day, for the sake of exercise ; or she might be put out upon a tether to graze for an hour or two, in good weather, if the farm afforded a suit¬ able place. And I would also strongly recomn)end particular care to be taken in transplanting the turnip plants — to raise them without breaking the smallest fibre of the root, by putting the spade completely under them, so as to loosen the earth about them, and in putting them into the ground, to take the same care that the roots are placed in the natural position, and not doubled in. Without attention to these points, the crop will be injured ; indeed, it is so seldom that transplanted turnips produce, in this country, the crop Mr. Cobbett caculates upon, that 1 should prefer your applying half an acre, or even two-thirds of an acre to the support of your cow, in order to enable you to sow your turnips in the

• When cattle are so tied up that they cannot lick themselves, as is in general the ca'^e in stall-fed cattle, the itching becomes so great that they lick themselves, when they have the power of doing so, until they create a sore which injures the flesh. Cattle kept in such a state of continual irritation, cannot, 1 think, thrive as tliey otlierwise would be likely to do, and shows the necessity of frequent currying, or being allowed the liberty of a -straw -yard for an hour or two in the day. In corroboration of this doctrine, I have heard that the practice in Ber¬ wickshire is to have stalls calculated to hold two— one half of the stall being under cover, and the other not, so that the cattle not being tied up, are left at liberty, to consult their own comfort, and in this way they are found to thrive much better.

nsual way ; or instead of them, mangel wurzel, where the around is suitable ; and if half an acre, or two-thirds of aa acre, with the addition of a trifling quantity of straw, will insure an ample supply of food for a cow during the entire year, 1 think none of you will consider the ground misapplied. It is so hard, however, to get persons unaccustomed to be directed by printed instructions, either fully to understand them, or if they do, to put them in practice, that although I allude to the directions given by these writers, for the instruc¬ tion of all wi)0 may chuse to adopt them, and particularly for the benefit of cotters who only have a house and garden, my own opinion is, that the simple plan I have laid down, which every small farmer can easily comprehend, and can as easily carry into practice, without interfering in the general cultivation of his farm, is the best system to recommend to you for adoption ; and I think it is quite evident from what has been said on the subject, that if you take advantage of the kail and cabbage* which you may raise in your gardens and potato ridges, as will hereafter be pointed out, together with the additional stolen crops which may be raised in the rest of your farms, of rape, stubble turnips, or annual clover, after the crops of grain, or on the early potato and vetch ground, as pointed out under the head of rotation of crops, that the quantity of land specially applied to the feeding of your cattle, may be reduced to the half acre, which is the quantity Mr. Allen calculates upon. It appears to me, therefore, quite undeniable, that the foregoing can be carried into practice, and if so, and upon a plan which requires no particular trouble or skill in the management, how shameful is it for you often to let two, or perhaps three acres of land be wasted as I have stated, to graze one animal in summer, and to have her starving all the winter, upon bad hay or fusty straw. The importance of house- feeding your cattle seems to ire so great, and I have therefore said so much in regard of it, you may perhaps suppose the subject exhausted, and that nothing more can renaain to be added ; but I have still something to mention, which may perhaps appear to you more surprising than anything you have yet heard : namely,

* Mr. Matthew Hilton, agricu’turist to the Marquis cf Ormonde, informs me that Drumhead Cabt)age sowed in February, and the plants put out in May and June, will keep all through the winter.

that you will have more profit by your cows if you feed them on green food, and pay a fair price per acre for ity than if you fed them upon the hay and straw you generally give them, and got the said hay and straw for nothing. This I have no doubt will appear a very strange assertion, but it is not at all more strange than true ; and to prove it I refer to the case of James O’Neill of Garvagh — This man was a complete pauper when Lord Gosford bought the Graham Estate; but, by the assistance and instructions afforded to him, had got his small portion of land into a good state, and last summer I lent him a cow, seeing that he would be able by proper attention to have kept her in the house all tho year. He had not been possessed of one for years, perhaps never in his life; but his conduct did not afterwards show him to be deserving of what had been done for him.

He would not sow his rape in proper time, as he was de¬ sired, and I was at last obliged to discharge him from the work at Gosford, before he would be at the trouble of doing so. This neglect occasioned the crop to be late coming forward in spring, and having wasted his turnips, in begin¬ ning to them before they were ripe, and using them extra¬ vagantly, they were all finished before the rape was fit for cutting. This being the case, he turned his cow into the rape to graze, by which the crop was completely destroyed ; and this failing, he put his cow to graze upon the young clover. This being soon eaten down, I found the animal eating the tender shoots of the young quicks, in one of the new made ditches, when upon enquiry, all the foregoing circumstances came out. Being provoked at such conduct, 1 ordered the cow to be sold ; but when the day of sale came, he was able, from the improved state of his farm, to get one of his neighbours to go security for the payment of his arrears, his rent, and the price of his cow ; and, also, that he would buy rape elsewhere, and feed his cow in the house, as I required ; upon which I did not persist in my intention of selling her. He, accordingly, bought a small piece of rape ground, (ten Irish perches, or seventy yards long, and two yards broad,) which, with a little dry fodder, kept his cow in lull milk for thirty days ;* and, upon that