circumstance, to account for the apparent smallness of the quantity of milk afforded, in proportion to the number of milch-cows.

I was so circumstanced, as to be compelled to dispose of the greatest part of my stock before my winter crop was exhausted; having no preparation for soiling them in the house during summer, nor any distant pastures of less value than the lands I occupied near to the town, to continue them for another season. Much of the success of the experiment depended on the condition the stock should be in, to enable me to dispose of them early, and with little loss. I have been amused at the various objections which have been brought forward against my mode of feeding milch-cows. What has been most strongly urged, is, the injury to their health, by constantly keeping them in the house. One gentleman gravely brings forward an instance of a farmer's losing 28 milch-cows out of 120, by feeding them on potatoes, and supposes the advantage of feeding my colliers cheaply, makes the loss of a few milch-cows of no consequence.-In four years, I have lost but one cow, and that from a blow; In no instance have I ever seen any reason to believe the health of the cattle to be injured; on the contrary, their condition is superior to that of any neighbouring stock. What was said of them last year, by a farmer and miller of extensive practice, is a just description, that the milch cows were in such condition he should have supposed them "miller's cows, with the public for their feeder." The heifers I have annually sold, have been in such forward cor.dition, as to bring nearly

their original cost. I had eight three-years old heifers, intended to be kept for stock; a bull and four cows for fattening; and besides these, I wintered thirtyfive head of Highland heifers, and sixty-five sheep.

In dry and moderate weather, the milch-cows re mained out from ten o'clock till towards evening. From their being kept in open sheds they were less sensibly affected by the cold. A greater degree of warmth is supposed to be favourable to their milking; but I do not believe, so kept, they would have been in such thriving and healthy condition.

The first cattle sheds erected at the Schoose were with open arches. Experience has taught me that a draft of cold air is very injurious to milch cows, and greatly prejudicial to their milking. A further fault was that the sheds were not sufficiently lofty; in consequence of this, the heat from the reflection of the sun on the roof distressed the cattle in summer. The sheds were also too narrow, and had no contrivance to collect and preserve the urine. These I have taken down aud rebuilt; they are now so lofty, as to prevent the cattle being too warm, or suffering from partial drafts of air. The urine is preserved, and collected in pits, from which it is pumped into barrels, and taken to saturate the mould. Latterly the potatoe-halm has been collected, and brought into a yard, and on these the urine is thrown, by which means it is converted into very good manure: such of the halm as can be got perfectly dry, we use in spring for litter.

I found it advisable to make use of the cabbages first: they required much labour and unremitting at tention

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tention in freeing them of decayed leaves; and after frost, the difficulty is still greater; it is, however, indispensably necessary, in order to prevent the milk from being tainted.

I had last year thirty-five tons and a half of cabbages per acre, or 2352 plants at a distance of four feet and a half from each other, and with but fourteen tons of manure; some of the cabbages weighed 55lb.: the same ground has this year produced sixty Winchesters of barley, for one sown with Mr. M'Dowell's drill.

The last two years, I have not been successful with cabbages, the severity of the winter having destroyed my young plants. Cabbages are a great convenience in case of a long duration of frost, when turnips cannot be procured. The 1000 headed cabbage I have found answer a tolerable purpose, but I have no idea of their repaying the labour of stripping the leaves.

The cabbages planted were the drum-head cabbage. I wish an equal weighty and more hardy kind could be obtained, that would stand the winter better, as the cost of cleaning and stripping the decayed leaves tends greatly to reduce their value.

The common turnip followed; next the Swedish and kohlrabi; and last the coleseed. This latter article of food I found to be most productive of milk, and it has the further advantage of standing till the end of May, and latterly to the middle of June, by which time luIcern is fit to cut.

I made a further experiment in feeding milch-cows, by giving oil cake. This novelty encountered still greater prejudice. On trial it soon appeared that the

milk was considerably richer, its flavour not affected, and the quantity also much: increased.

An attempt was made to prejudice the public against the Schoose milk. The children (no doubt set upon doing it) followed the cart, crying out, "oil-cake milk." A little experience soon overcame the prejudice, and it is now sought for from its superior richness, in preference to any milk brought to the

town.

To this I attribute the uncommon condition of the whole stock so fed. The certificates, which accompany this, will be fully satisfactory upon that point.

My dairy commenced the 1st of October, 1804, and continued constantly supplying the town till the 18th of May, 1805. As a part of the heifers were not purchased till late in October, the whole not in milk till the middle of November, I have extended the period thirty days above the two hundred, upon which the calculation of food is founded, to complete that period for the whole stock; and allowance must be made for this small excess.

The time of milking in the morning was between six and seven; immediately afterwards, a feed of cabbages was given, as long as they lasted. At ten o'clock, previous to turning out, two pounds of oilcake each. In favourable days they had turnips in the pasture, with the tops and tails cut off; on returning to the sheds, they were served with cabbages; be tween that time and four they were milked: this was followed by a second allowance of two pounds of oil. cake each; afterwards a third feed of cabbages; and

at

at six o'clock a foddering of straw from six to eight pounds.

The labour of cutting off the tops and tails of the turnips was amply compensated by the advantage of feeding the wintering Highland cattle with them in preference to straw.

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The expense of green food does not stand the farmer in one halfpenny per stone; the tops and tails of the turnip must be considered of still less value, whilst straw cannot be estimated under two-pence. I have with some difficulty introduced the purchasing of straw by the stone. The price has been advanced to 2 per stone. By weight the purchaser knows what he gets; whilst sold by the wisp, it depended on the character and feelings of the seller, and was cheap or dear accordingly. Notwithstanding the disparity of cost, there is still a greater difference in their nutrition. What I wintered as above, upon the refuse of green food, were in condition for killing two months earlier, and exceeded any of the same kind I ever had, both in weight of carcase and tallow, and brought from two to three pounds per head more than I had ever obtained for the like stock at any former period.

The plan I followed in estimating the profits upon the experiment, was, in the first instance, to put a value on the green crop, supposing it to be sold by the farmer to the milkman; and afterwards to unite together the two profits. I may be supposed to have over-rated the cost as well as the value of the green crops; this, however, is matter of opinion, and must depend in a great measure upon situation, An acre

of