The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1859-06-22
lgruultur0I.
Dairy Management,


management of dairy, was furnished by
correspondent to the Southcrm Planter.
and vii! afford some valuable suee eStions.
and especially in relation to regularity
And lst. OF the feeding and general
treatment of our milk cows in winter
AS the habits Of our community are in.
duslraI, we Use at half past five o'clock
III Winter, and that chores may be done.
and all things ready for business, our
herdsman rises at half past four o'clock.
and feeds the stock with hav. ceanses
stalls, and prepares foi milking, which is
performed at six O'Clock. At eight o'clock
they are messed, giving one peck of
oeets, carrots or potatoes, and two quarts
OF wheat bran or shorts to each COW, wet
to swill. At nine o'clock they are again
fed with hay, also at twelve, and three
and seven o'clock in the evening. About
ha.fpast -four o'clock, L. NJ, they are
again messed, as in the morning ; if less
roots are given, more bran is added. TO
tie amount Of four quarts per II ess.
Our Winter milk COWS are watercd in
the stall, morning and evening, all they
will drink. Twice per week our COWS re
ccivc, just before watering, two table,
SpooniuIs OF fine salt per head, in Winter,
and little more when on grass.
We feed cabbage, turnips, &c, freely.
and to prevent the taste in the milk and
butter, we put one quart Of boiling water
to ten quarts OF new milk, when it is set
Tor cream. We have learned that in seven
or eight hours from the time OF feeding
the above articles, milk will taste badly.
consequently care is taken to inform the
dairy woman whenever these articles are
fed. The water thus applied, renders the
milk and butter perfectly swee, and
good.
In Snmmer, we seldom milk but twice
each day, at D O'Clock, \. NJ, and half.
past 6, i. NJ. Ia all points mentioned
we are very regular and precise, for which
we have clocks in our stables.
,. OF rearing calves. All calves in
tended to be raised are weaned at four
weeks old, and fed by band, except bulls.
or some special breeders, which we pener
ally put on poor cow for the season.
when commencing to feed by hand, we
! only give about fo1r quarts of new milk
Tor the first four DAYS for the second
four days, We add half moruug's milk e.
night, or rjcc "cr$a =, az eight davs, feed
ml.E twenty four hours old, continnnp
this through the season, iucrrasinr the
quantity to SIX quarts, and taking the
milk even when skinned at the oydina.
ry time, finding they do better than not
to have it at all. BY degrees a little bran
| Is added % the milk, in order 70 learn
them 10 eat II. When learned, thev are
led about Que pint each, per day, togeth
er With roots aud hay at pleasure. Thev
at AL times have free access to water,
which is brought to their stall by auue,
duct. Calves fed on milk need water.
3. Ot the feeding of fattening hogs. At
present we DO not keep them when we
did so, their food wa, al! cooked, except
their swI'! from the dairy and kitchen.-
They were regularly fed three times each
dav, giving them, on an ~ erage, ABOUT
eight quarts of corn per head, per day :;
that Is, for the last four weeks before
slaughter, in which time no swill or roots
are fed the object of this is, to harden
the pork perhaps it would net be yerv
profitable to feed this way for market
The whole period Of fattening was about
three months the first eight weeks DO.
tatoes, pumpkins, squashes, &c, &c, are
cooked and put with the cooked meal :;
the meal being cooked by itself requires
long time to cook they are fed Of this
mixture, all they will eat, three times
each day. Our hogs used 10 average
aboat 500 los. for a drove Of fifty or
more-they have averaged as high as
GOO. 1t is the decided opinion Of some of
our best herdSmen, that, since all we can
have Of hog is the carcass. the sooner
this is obtained, the better; of course, we
feed all they will eat Of fattening materi
al as above from birth till Slaughter
Others think they will arrive at about the
same size by common food for store hogs.
But one thing our experience justifes,
and that is, that a pig may be made to
attain three times the weight in the first
SIX months Of its existence by rich and
plentiful food, tina; it will by the common
method.