The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-05-21

A Paper read Jetore the Meeting Of the
State Board Of Agriculture, at 81.
AlJsnS, March I, 1872, By Albert
Chapman, Esq, Of Middlebnry,
The worthy Secretary of this Board
has requested me to read paper at this
meeting upon the above subject. can
not hope to present much to the Dairy
men OF Franklin County that they do not
already know much better than [ do, but
all have their individual experiences and
have observed facts, which, when put
with those of others, together make up
mass of information of much practical
value.
We are much in want of accurate, crit-
cal and impartial trial Of the different
breeds of all cur farm stock, under the
same treatment, and in the same location,
This, unfortunately, we seldom have. We
have many trials of the different breeds
of cattle, something like the following:
Farmer A, finding that the old mongrel
race his father left him, or that he has
been keeping for number of years gives
Indifferent results, concludes to try some
of the improved breeds, hoping thereby
to realize moro profit. Accordingly,
following some fancy that had been plant
cd in his mind by the specimens he has
seen exhibited at some fair, he selects
some specimens of the breed his fancy
dictates. Having invested goodly sum
from his hard earnings, he naturally gives
them much better care and attention, and
they prove more profitable than his old
mongrel stock. The result is such as
might be anticipated-he is fully confirm
cd in the opinion that his judgment was
correct when his breed was selected. His
neighbor B, having similar experience
with another breed, is equally sure that
his judgment was better than was that Of
his neighbor A, and that the breed he
had selected is much more profitable
than any other; while farmer G. with
more caution than either, has, with care
and thought, and unprecedented by fcti-
tious fitting and show animals, selected a
breed that is much more profitable than
either. All these are perfectly honest in
their convictions when they advocate the
superior claims of the breeds they have
tried, and are by no means open to the
charge Of endeavoring to deceive others
when they recommend their favorites.
The great trouble is, two Of them have
deceived themselves as to the comparative
merits of the three breeds on trial, while
they have not been deceived in regard to
the superior merit of what they have
tried, as compared with what they were
keeping before.
There is hardly doubt but any of the
improved breeds with good care and keep
ing, will prove more profitable than the
Old mongres with neglect and short al.
lowance.
There is another source Of difference
and speculation that is the results Of
breeding bulls of the improved breeds
upon the common stock of the country, as
experienced everywhere, especially as il
affects the dairy qualities Of the resulting
progeny. For such a cross bull may
be selected from stock of cattle of very
Indifferent dairy qualities in themselves
and bred to common, mixed stock, ant
the results will, in larger proportion o
instances, prove better average Of milk
ers than the breed from which the bull
was selected, or the stock upon which HI
was breed, produced. But this result
would be far from proving that mucl
better mixers might not have been OBJ
tanned by breeding from bull selected
from a stock noted for real superiority il
dairy qualifications. Many may be in
fuenced and satisfied by the success @
such an experiment too much to investi
gate the matter and adopt a better an
more profitable plan.
Another great cause Of difference i
opinion is, the great variation in the sew
eral animals of the same breed, and tn
want of knowledge Of this variance
Among all our farmers how few have an
accurate knowledge Of the variation i
their own herds, or their real compare
tive value. They know that "Old Spot,
weighing eleven or twelve hundred pound
gives pailful or more Of milk, but the
have never tested the quality separated
to determine whether the two.thirds of
pailful they get from Little Brindle,
weighing seven or eight hundred pound
may not make even more butter; an
often for the want Of the knowledge sue
trial would give the more proftab
Little Brindle" is sold at two-thirds tt
price he could have been procured f
the larger COW, and "Old Spot" is ke]
for n number of years at much great
cost, and her owner deccives himself wit
the idea he has retained the most prof
able COW. But the farmers good wi
often detects the difference. She fin
that with "Little Brinde" has depart'
the greater part of the golden butte
She finds that although she has nearly
much milk, she does not get her cream
quickly or in so large quantities, and tn
the process of churning is much mo
tedious, and the product of an inferi
quality.
As an illustration Of this want
knowledge Of the difference in the val
of the milk from animals of the SAL
herds, would mention that in We
critical trial of the milk of a herd of t
Jerseys of which | had charge numt
of years, the quantity of milk that "
required to make pound of butter W
found to vary with the different co
three or four quarts, and the COW that
all thought gave the richest milk, prov
hardly on par with the average. 7
color of the milk was very rich, but
did not contain so large percentage
butter as some others that had not be
rated so high. We kept an account
all the income from each COW, and VII
the balance was struck at the end of
year, this COW was found in debt, VIII
an actual profit of over hundred doll
had been realized from cows that b
been regarded inferior to her and o,
which she had generally been award