Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1838-03-29
WORKING COWS.

your SIuGleS - WGtChtOlCeTs
WORKING COWS.
Wo have no doubt that many farmers
who do not want cattle for travelling much
on the road will find an advantage in work.
ing cows. AS this Custom is not common
among US, it would be at once opposed by
many as inconsstant and unreasonable.-
In this respect it would be like many other
improvements. There was a time when
many farmers thought the only method to
dispose ct large quantity Of apples was to
work hard in the fall and fill up their cell
lars with cider. and then work hard in the
winter to drink it up. They would have
laughed at the thought of wintering hogs in
IA thriving condition, or fauening them
mostly on apples but experience has taught
them that apples are valuable for making
pork, and that cider drinking is attended
with trouble and expense and is injurious
to health; and had we time we would show
that many other improvements when first
introduced were regarded as changes for
the worse. sat
Why cannot cows work as well as mares
that are with foal or have to nouristi their
offspring7 Mares without injury to them
selves or their young, perform considera-
Bile labor until within a month or two Of
their time of foaling; and they again labor
in few weeks after that time; and with
kind and gentle treatment and good keep.
ing, they and their colts are better than
they would be il they were entirely idle
Look at animals throughout the wide crea-
ton and see how few among them are idle
mothers. Exercise is conducive to health
and strength; and every animal, four leg-
ged or two legged, ought to take, at least,
moderate exercise /; tits conducive to their
comfort.
Much more might be said on this subject
by way Of reasoning, but experience is the
best O. most convincing argument, and here
it is. An intelligent and excellent farmer
observes that he.found oxen to be the most
Improbable stock he kept, as il cost great
deal to keep them through the winter, and
he had but little for them to do at that sea-
son and no concluded to work cows as re-
commended in tho Yankee Farmer few
years since and from few years. expert.
ence, he finds it one Of the greatest inn
provements, by way Of ECONOMY, that no
ever made.
working pair Of cows that had ealved the
January previous they were four years
old, Of large size. He did all his plough
ing and other spring work with them.-
working them almost every day. They
gave a good mess ofmlk during the spring,
and il did not appear that their labor caus-
ed any shrinkage, excepting on two days
when a colt that was under the process Of
breaking was worked before them, and
caused them unusual fatigue. s.
III the summer he hauled his hay with
them, and found them to answer everv
way as we'll as oxen. In the winter of
1887, in which the snow was very deep,
he used his cows for breaking roads, and
they frequently got into The snow so that it
was necessary 10 shovel them out, yetthey
were not injured and were as good as OK
en- for this purpose. That year they calved
in April.
Last fall he worked another yoke of
cows, making team Of four. with which
lie ploughed, breaking greensward IS or
ID days. besides Flooghing old ground. He
did all his fall work with this team-haul-
ing rocks and wood, harvesting, &c. He
has worked them this winter, hauling heavy
loads OF wood.
About two thirds Of their food is straw
aud turnips, the rest hay. He says that
cows are quicker and smarter than oxen.
and will do a. much labor according to
their size, when kept in good condision.
aud are not SO hard to break No steers. az
all except one was perfectly kind after The
third day. He has kept bis cows very
well and treated them very kindly, and ev-
cry one must know that In working cows.
this 10 Of the greatest importance. Every
animal should be treated with kindness, bot
harsh treatment Of oxen would not be at.
tended with 90 much injury % !, would with
COWS. One of these cows l. partly. and IL
We TccOllect right. mostly of The Durham
short horned breed she 10 an exeellent
worker and o good mich COW. Another
farmer informs us that no knew Of two
COWS being worked regularly &c oxen, and
worked hard too, from the time that they
were calves 40 they we're 8 or z years old,
and they were Of large sisc and very
handsome he understood that they cave
good mess Of milk whan vol kept.
Yankas Earnss.