Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-27

the man calling opon Hercules for help
may apply to us Self help is one d
the manifest Of the manly virtues. Let
us not call upon Liebig or Horsford fol
for that which they have no means Of do
ing, and which we can dc as well or bet
ter than they.
Now what are the questions to be in
vestigated by dairyman's association
These relate to the COW, her selection for
dairy uses her food, its quantity, quail
ty, use !; her management; the manufac-
! ture, preservation and sale other products
In the first place let us see about cows OF
milking stock.
| MILKING STOCK.
It seems to me that the practical ides
which underlies our dairy industries, il
that which regards the COW simply as .
factor machine SO to speak, whose ap.
propriate function it is to transform grass,
roots aud grain into cheese on the one
hand, or into butter on the other. 1t is
further well to recognize the fact that the
animal may be, and in reality is, in her
perfect development, a facter OF the one
or the other, not of both. For it is an un,
deniable fact that some cows give milk
rich in cheese and poor in butter, and
conversely.
Starting with this idea, the farmer who
has given amount of feed, has to meet
this question, in wise and deliberate en-
quiry, seeking for the most profitable use
Of his land through what cows-through
what factors can he convert his given
amount Of food into the largest amount
of either dairy product ? Or in other words
through what kind of cows can be trans
form the food into the most cheese, if he
purposes cheese making, or into the most
butter, if he purposes butter making. So
that practically the question is, not so
much what breed of cows will give the
most cheese or butter, as through what
breed of COWS can his food be transformed
into the most cheese or butter. The ten
dency of superficial observation is to the
higher valuation Of the individual COW
giving the largest quantity of milk, while
from a more careful study Of the matter,
it may prove that such a COW is not al
ways the best factor. The real question
is what cow transforms ton of hay or
other specified quantity of food into the
most cheese or butter.
In approaching this subject, it is well
to recognize the fact that it is vexed
question-vexed by the pecuniary inter
ests of the rival breeders of varied races
-vexed, that is, complicated, with the
idea of the possibility OF a race of cattle
answering to the somewhat mythical horse
of-all-work that it is complicated with
the idea of the possibility or reality of a
race good for the dairy, good for beef, and
good for the yoke. However, it seems to
me that for the present this idea should be
laid aside, and the question pursued in the
interest of the dairy. And further, that
the investigation should not have refer
ence, with us, to the threefold products
milk, cheese, butter-so much as to the
two-butter and cheese.
The whole matter seems separable into
the following propositions: First, gen.
eral one, having regard to the size of the
animal. Second, and more especial, hay
ing regard to race or breed.
In the first place. then, do large COWS
require more food than small ones Sec
ond, do large cows give more milk than
small ones? Or, in another form, do cows
consume food according to their live
weight Do cows consume food accord
ing to the amount of milk given2
Something in regard to this matter is
already settled settled so well that no in
vestigations which this society may make
can throw much hight upon it.
In the first place, l think it is settled,
beyond all controversy, that, in almost all
domestic animals, their conditions being
the same in regard to flesh, reproduction
age, work, exposure, &C., the amount of
food consumed is in exact proportion to
the live weight. While this may not be
exactly true as to individuals, it is true in
regard to classes or numbers.
1t is also true that there are other
things in the individual animal, besides
mere live weight, which influence the
amount of food consumed. For instance
the compactness of the wool on sheep
the compactness, &c, of the hair ON cat
tie the condition, as to flesh disposition
as to quietness, docility, sc. pregnancy
Or lactation, as well as health or hardness
Of constitution. So the individuals, ar
ranged in classes according to their sew
eral peculiarities, would show that the
Of food is modified by these
peculiarlties.
Thus, 100 sheep, weighing so pounds
each, we'll and thlckly woolled, would be
found to eat less than 100 sheep, weighing
80 pounds each, clothed with loose and
open wool or, 100 COWS, weighing each
/ 900 pounds, i'll milk, would consume
more food than 100 such COWS farrow.
These several propositions, we'll deter
mined by trained experimenters, are SO
conformable to common experience that 1t
seems to me that our Investigations must
commence here. If not so coniormable,
then the first thing is to test these PROPOSE
tiods, or so many of them as are seriously
questioned
If, however, these propositions are taken
to be true, the question coming up for So
luton is this: Do large cattle, as class,
yield as much milk In proportion to food
consumed as do small cattle 8? Be it re-
membered that the question is not as to
breed or race, but as to size.
ANoWI ~" Cdu tIlo Uo uClcI
Shall it be determined accurately or loose |
ly2 Shall it be determined definitely, or
so that it shall be left open for endless
doubt and controversy Is it worth de-
termining What will it cost +? Not
much besides care, labor, thought, honesty.
Win this association plead poverty in
shese items of world-spread wealth ?
How is it to be done In several
ways; best thus: Let this association Sc
ect one man, having on his farm the facil-
ties. and in himself the personal qualities,
or the experiment. Let it select COM
nittee of its members who, with the expe-
live within handy reach Of one
another, and have The personal qualities
lifting them for the experiment.
The facilities required are stabling, so
arranged tina, the classes of cows can be
housed and fed alike, yet separately.
Jonveniences for weighing and storing the
God alike and separately (; for keeping,
and testing the milk, alike and