The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-02-15
AGRICULTURAL department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
CHANNEL ISLANDS CATTLE.

The following essay, by }. p. SWAIN,
of Bronxvile, New York, was read at its
stated meenting last month, before the
Philadelphia Society for Promoting Ag-
riculture. lie has long been investigat-
ing the history and origin Of these cattle,
and his conclusions will attract general at
tention, especially among the breeders Of
Jersey stock -
am confident gentlemen, that if
YOU had desired learned dissertation on
Channel Island cattle, you would not
have called on me for it, neither do l
think it advisable on this occasion to dis
cuss the subject Of the difference between
the races of cattle now on the Islands,
farther than to ascertain which type OF
them is best for dairy use in our country.
l give you rather n simple history of my
experience in milch cows, and if you can
get single useful idea from it, improve
it.
Let me carry you back more than six.
ty years to the southeast corner Of Yer.
mont, and introduced you to my first
favorite COW acquaintance--the adams
cow" She was of medium size, short del
icate legs, large belly, small horns, lit
tie yellow or waxy near the head and the
tips brown. One kind of straight hair,
Of dull orange color: skin on the teats,
inside the ears, and on the body deep
golden yellow a large eater, always thin
and healthy but never poor. She gave a
good mess of rery rich milk for about
nine months in the year We did not
think it advisable to milk her longer.
The milk we estimated worth double
that of any other COW. When this COW
was in her 10Th year it was decided she
was too old to winter, and the question
arose, what should be done with her. My
mother said fatten ana eat her, to which
all objected except myself, then boy
niue years old On the first of August
the COW was in full milk, but | succeeded
in drying her during the month, and on
the first of September commenced to in
crease her feed, giving her three times
day half bushel Of potatoes, besides
pumpkins and grass, until October, when
We added ground oats and corn to the
potatoes until early in December, when
she was killed and produced ITO pounds
of tallow, and was acknowledged to be
the best COW beef in the town.-A per-
feet triumph over my soothing and teasing
playmates and wise neighbors who had
said might az well attempt to fatten a
crow.
For many years after this was en-
gagged in merchantile business and had
no special interest in farming. Twenty
five years ago | moved to Bronxville and
commenced to try experiments in breed
ing cows. | purchased the largest milk
ers and their descendants without regard
to price Amongst them was the hand
soonest descendant Of the Gorham COW.
also imported the largest and best mixer
that could be purchased in France. This
COW gave larger quantity Of good milk
than any COW ever knew, but had not
constitution enough to keep it up but q
short time. had six of these famous
mixers, all of different breeds, but moi
one of them all produced good COW Of
bull. All without exception had weak
constitutions, were subject to disease an(
difficulties in breeding. l wish coul(
attribute this to my ignorance, but | hav'
enquired diligently, and find no excep
tions to the results under the same circum
stances.
In the summer of 1874 employe,
some very intelligent Guernsey mechanic
to build factory, and they interested m
in the cows of their native Island.
had a personal and business friend il
the late Capt. James Funk, (permit m
here to digess from my subject to describ
my agent in this business.) He was 70
50 years master ola ship carrying tn
most valuable cargoes that ever crosse
the ocean never made any other tina
the port of his destination, never calle
on IN insurance company for Il dollar, fo
any ship he commanded, and never use
profanc word on board his ship. He ha
as clear a head and as keen an eye for
ship or an animal as any one | ever knew
Although he nominally went az Capt. {
his ship, he employed another captain VIII
attended to all the minutia ofhis ship, an
gave him plenty of leisure while his We
sci was in Havre, to go where he please
He thoroughly searched the Channel |
lands and procured the best specimens
cattle from each Of the Islands. Oh
from Attorney, one from Guernsey OF
from Sark and four from Jersey. In h
estimation it required four to get ia
representation Of the COWS from Jerse
When the Guernsey COW arrived in Bron
vile, an old sister sitting on my piazz
exclaimed, "Why that looks just like o.
old Adams cow" Two years after,
old neighbor, celebrated dairyman al
breeder, came to see my herd, and
he saw this cow he remarked, this isyo
old "Adams COW" come to life again.
have for my own convenience call
this race of cows, Norman. The fl
bull obtained of this Norman breed W
from the n Bddle stock, through t
late II. l.. Colt, of Patterson. From Il
bull and a COW of much the same XIII
more delicately formed animal, bre'
bull which called Colt Attorney.
this bull the Norman COW which | nam
Guernsey had two calves, Cottie, N
owned by Geo. p. Nelson, Esq, Scar
dale, n. Y, and the other Katie, n
owned by James Hall, of Tuckahoe,
Y. These cows, one II and the other
years old, have uniformly averaged alb
"a 1-2 lbs. of milk per day for Ell
months in each year, and from IA to
lbs. 9 or of butter per week, and sc
as vigorous as when they were four ye
old. All the descendants of these cow
Norman bulls have been good mixers
eraging as good as the original.
| then put the Norman cow to v
handsome Jersey bull (imported), but
what now call high blood, and altho