The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-09-17
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ie retained becaase il has the sanction
Of custom An Ifishman, writing home
his impressions u America. said il was
IN ''Aisy country for women and cows
but death on men and horses" Batting
hls want Of gallantry. be evidently
thougat COWS might be useful for some.
thing more than giving milk We ra ise
this question expressly for the benefit
Of small farmers The tendency now Il
to small farms; and the question how
draft animals, with the other necessary
stock are to be kept on small farm, Is
4 pressing one, A team will consume
too large q proportion Of the products
Of q small farm. To keep a pair 81
horses in proper condition costs as much
rs the keeping Of four cows. This, on
ten to twenty acre farm, is ruinous
economy, twill consume one-third to
onerhalf Of its production, as farms are
ordinarily managed A pair Of oxen
will consume as much as three cows
and III either case this expense is en-
counterod for the small return of the
team work on the farm. 1t would, no
doubt, be cheaper to hire the team
work than to keep one; but, unfortu-
nately, teams are not TO be had in times
OF greatest need And, therefore, every
farmer who would perform his labor in
season must keep bis own team. And
as we have seen, the expense Of keeping
q team, aside from the capital invested
Is too great for small farm, unless it
Is useful for other purposes.
Let us inquire, then, is 1t practicable
to perform the lobor on farm with
COWS? TO the American perhaps, this
IS novel question, and his first i'm
pressions are decidedly in the negative
He will probably think il barbarous to
subject the COW to the yoke This a.
rises from his habit, and not from the
nature Of the case. Why cannot the
COW bear labor as well as the mare Pr
The COW has a power Of endurance lit
tie inferior to the OK, and il more gem
tie and docile. Taken young, they break
to the yoke easily. The work upon o
small farm may be done with cows
without overtaxing their strength, be-
sides, as COWS are kept for the profit Of
their milk, a farmer need not be limited
to one pair, but may use two or three
pairs, and thus make the work easy for
the team, They are quicker than oxen
and stand moderate labor as well. This
is not the theory. 1t is common prac-
tic with small farmers in Germany and
France. There they work their farms
aud send their products to market with
COWS. And there can, certainly, be no
reason why American COWS cannot work
that does not applyao the European.
The next question will be, how does
labor affect the quantity of milk p
There is no doubt but hard labor will
diminish the quantity of milk; but
moderate labor with an increase OF food
viii not materially affect the milk. We.
have no doubt that COWS soiled, with
the addition of three to five pounds Of
pea meal or bran, per day, would keep
IN as good condition and give as much
milk with moderate labor as cows ran
ing In ordinary pasture.
This then is O question Of the highest
Importance to the farmer Of TWENTY-FIVE
acres or less. To him it makes all the
difference between profitable and un-
profitable farming. IF the COW gives d
little less milk, still the expense of a
team will be but trife This will also
furnish the advantageof team as pow
erful as reqaired, for the capital invest
ed IN cows will be paying, aside from
the labor, and the farmer can afford to
use it llperallg. He can plow his few
acres deep, and sub-soil, 50 as to bring
ont all its pfoductiYeness. This is sell
dom done; ans, by laying out sufficient
labor on his few acres, he might find
the amount Of his productions not far
behind has prosperous neighbors with
more land,
Now don't elevate your noses in dis
gust at the mention of this COW team
A pair Of fine rounded Devon heifes
would not look bad coupled togetaar
with well-formed yoke. Many Of you,
with sly leer upon your faces, would
De very blad 70 nave such O PAIR, and
they would look every way more bean
tiful and appropriate than a pair Of old
plugs, such as many drive. Mo- yon
had better consult your own interest
rather than your own prejudices, and
commence at once to fall into line with
a pair of fine heifers.
And you, large farmers must turn in
and help make this fashionable. 1t
would be an act of benevolence in you
to use such team, as an example to
those to whom ii is a necessity, and who
now feel delicacy in commencing the |
practice. To those who have counted
the cost Of keeping a good team, even
on farm OF one hundred acres, the inn
portance OF saving the expense Of one
viii appear no insignificant item
When this is once put into practice.
the great objection that small farms
cannot be worked without greater pro-
portional expense will fail, and the
small farmer win be as independent as
my in the land.--E. ". s. in Rural /
NclC Torker.
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POLITICAL.