Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-06


stands prominently at the head when the
quantity and quality of milk is eonsi1 ered
| IL is not an uncommon occurrence for g0o1
COW 20 give milk from which IL or Is pounds
| of butter are made per week. The celebrated
COW - Flora" imported and owned by Mr..
Motley of Massachusetts,, produced more than
| 500 pOunGs of butter in one wear. Less than
) quarts of her milk would yield pound of
butter. The jersey g Lady Milton" owned
by Mr.. Converse of Massachusetts, gave in
the months of June, July and August in
1868, 1895 quarts Of milk, from which was
made a fraction over GAG pounds OF butter.
Also the Jersey COW = Cream pot" owned
| ~ Mr. Fla gler Of Massachusetts gave in the
same time l533 quarts of milk, which pro-
duced 239 l-2 pounds Of butter. Many other
cases might be stated Of similar results,
showing conclusively that the Jersey is
prominently butter COW. But the search
/ ty of the breed in its pure blood, makes It
impossible at the present to take the place
of other breeds in our dairy stock. The
| whole number Of pure jersey cows in the
| Uuited States in the spring Of 1869 was only
! 4 little more than 1000 or that number
/ Massachusetts had 233 New York 202 /;
| while Vermont had only ). Thertf re, DO "
| ever desirable it may be to obtain the pure
| Jersey COW, we must be content 70 cross it
with other coed breeds. 1t shows by the
experiments alluded to, that the cross made
| By the jersey and Durham breeds comes
next on the list as to richness Of milk and
when we consider the fact that only about
me third or one half Of the heIlers raised
make good cows, it is Of some impcrtanc,
| that in turn NJ them for beef they are OF
good size and easily fatted. The cross with
the Durham then IS desirable-tbat brCe1
| being one of the bes:, If not the best. for
| that purpose. and also as breed they are
next to the Jersey IN the richness of their
milk. In the trial alluded to the Devon was
18th and the Ayrshire 5th. or last, to the
/ quality of milk. la this trial nothing is
said to quantity HaG that been the tes',
| { have no doubt but the - last would have
| been the first, as the Ayrshire is famous
| for large u eld OF milk.
! am well aware that few farmer have the
means to test the quality Of their milk ia
this manner. and fear some come 20 the
Conclusion that scientific dairy flrming is a
theory designed for those who have plenty
If money to spend But facts are stu born
| -hings, and we may reason as much as
we please agains them, they are neverthe
| less true and under the same circumstances
will produce the same results.
Having decided to the dairy stock
whatever the breed, the next in importance
S the feed. IL is Of but little importance to
purchase extra good rvs with the expccta
zion of Iroft in the butter dairy, unlcs we
are prepared to feed we'll. The IA -mers
who und rtake to keep cows and neither
ICED them well or house thom well. Will find
that whether they have Jerseys, Durhams
native or grades they have lot Of poor cows
Sud a writer upon tins subject = \ man
Chat will starve or abuse such a mild
beautiful fOrbearing and Christian animal as
he COW, Is fit only for the desert
1t is simply absurd to expect the cow,
however good, to yield urge quantities or
rich quality Of milk unless she has sufi :ient
AID suitable food Tor I at purpose. She Is
simply machine taxing her food and after
supplying the wants and wastes Of the body
manufactures the surplus into milk.
You might as well expec, the wO)len manu-
acturer To make a superior article Of cloth
from coarse shoddy, as to expect the COW to
give superior quality OF mix when fed on
coarse and improper food. Grass is the best
md most natural feed they can have for
producing milk. So long as the feed in the
pastures remains good they need no other.
but when that becomes short, and our pas
lures dry, then some other green feed should
BE given in order 10 keep up the full h0w Of
milk. Corn fodder is perhaps grown for
that purpose more than any other feed
Some contend, (and DR.. Loring among the
number) that it is of but very little value.
but until we find some other substitute for
the green grass, it should be grown and fed
20 greater extent than now. It should
re cut at least ~ hours before feed ny IN
order to have 1t well wilted should be fed
at night in the barns after milking, ana il
pastures are very short IN feed, cows should
be fed also in the morning. Our pastures
should also be well supplied with abundlnc
Of pure water at al times. Experiments
that have been tried show beyond doubt
that the milk Of cows drinking stagnant (and
Of cour- e unwholesome) water for any LEM tn
of time, becomes - much affected a. 70 be
unfit for making good butter. Hence the
Importance not only OF good feed but water
also. The farmers Of this county have not
much reason to complain Of the summer feed.
Some OF them may have too much st ck for
their pasture it 50, see to 1t that your
dairy stock Is not short in this respect. ar
IN tbat depends in a great degree the profits
of your dairy.
One of the most difficult things the dairy
!armer has to do, is to keep up the flow
of milk from mis- cows after they come to the
barn in he fall. Eere is where many dairy
men fail. In our cold Vermont winters the
COW not only wants nutritious food but
waIn, well ventilated stable, also Varj-
Gus theori and practices are advocated. but
we should in this matter, which is to i'm
J
the experience of others, unless we are will
ing to try them ourselves. 1t has been de-
mOnstrated over and over again that. if VIZ
would keep up the flow Of milk from our
cows IN winter. 1t must be done bv extra
care and iced The best and cheapest means
mr. so doing by those v ho have large num-
bers-say from fifteen upwards-is BY steam
ing all, or nearly all food, and adding a lit.
tie fire feed or meal thereto. Accounts that
Iax- Ee L. L Il
ing of from twenty to thirty per cent l.
thus made. A P.iLdle Steancr. with all
necessary pipes, etc, set ready frr use.
would cost only from SG5 to SIS To hos.
who have only small dairy a great. siviny
eau be made, simply by cutting the feed and
mixing IN, say two quarts OF bran Or fine
ieed Tor each COW then put all into a q alter
tight feed-box. and wetting thoroughly with
hot water, put on cover, and let stand sew |
eral hours say mix in the forenoon for |.
night feed, and at night for morning feed /
giving a little dry hay at noon wheat. oats. |
or rye straw thus cut and wet, will all be 1
eat with as good relish as the best Of hav
Another important article Of feed for mich /
cows Is roots which every dairyman sbouId .
raise. Beets should be raised in LARGE ouan-
titles; but they are not only relished by the
cows, but IN the absence of all green fodder
they almost seem TO be a necessity. am
aware thdt IN all this there - some lab n
and care, but l am fully convinced that
It will pay both in quantity of milk and
'avIng fodder. Much Of our straw and /
coarse fodder is lost, unless cut, and either /
';eamed or wet in a fetd-box as before
stated
To test the relative value Of different kinds
IT feed as compared to good hay, cxperi-
rents, and close and careful com parisjn OF
he results af many trials, have been made.