The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1872-07-24
Lcakstn Dairy Farming.


opened the discussion in very prac
teal and sensible way. He remarked
that, as a general rule, it is not tho
large leaks that ruin the farmer, but
the small ones. The large ones are
easily discovered and stopped, while
the small ones are suffered to run on
The first leak he would allude to
was the manner of driving the cows
TO and from the pasture Many dai.
rymen suffer the cows to be driven by
dogs, and not unfrequently through a
close and muddy bar-way, where per.
manent injury TO the cows is often
caused bv their crowding and hook,
ing each other BOYS are sometimes
allowed to drive them with stones and
sticks, often soaring them into a run
He would prefer a well-trained shep
herd dog TO any boy he ever saw
Carelessness in driving cows caused
leak Of from ten to fifteen per cent
,. Time and Manner Of Mixing
Here is big leak. No rough man
who Storms or yells at the cow
should be allowed in the yard The
cows should be MIXED by the clock
Each man should have his own COWS
and always milk No. / first, No.
next, and so on. 1t will not do TO
milk Polly first end Sally last in the
morning, and Sally first and Polly
last at night. Milk quickly and gent
ly, without any noise or excitement
The cows will give more milk and
more readily.
3. Care an Feeding.-It is impor-
tant not only TO provide good and
sufficient food, but it must be fed reg
ularlv. If the food is delayed, the
cows become impatient, and fret like
hungry child
T. Ktnd Of ,Stock-A great leaks
caused by keepingpoor cows. Every
wear dairymen have to milk cows that
do not pay for their keeping. Has
had cows in his herd that made 700
pounds of cheese in q season, while
others in the same herd gave not more
than 200 pounds We should select
our herd with great care, and then
endeavor to improve it. We must
raise our own dairy cows. The ma
tive cows are best TO start with, If
selected for their milking qualities.
Then get good thoroughbred bull Of
the breed we desire, and be sure that
he comes of good family of the
breed We should raise 10 per cent
every wear That is, in a dairy of 30
cows, we should every year raise five
hcifer calves, and when they come in,
turn off five of the oldest or poorest
cows. His own choice of breed is
decidedly the Durham, unless the
pastures are poor, in which case he
should prefer the Ayrshire. The
Durham is good for beef, and if a COW
fails TO be a good milker, she can be
sold to the butcher at a good price
Two wears ago there were 800 cows
sold in the fall at an average of Sl3,
which cost $40 each the previous
spring The cheese from each COW
costs 30 cents per pound, while it
was sold for IA cents. This is big
leak.
5. Letting Hay get Orer Ripe
This is great leak. He would cut
the grass when the first timothy
blossoms appear, and so with clover
IL YOU do not commence as early as
this, the last cut hay will be overripe.
Feed the early cut hay to the cows,
as soon as they come in. 1t is better
than grain.
6. Kind Of Grass.-Farmers are
as welded TO timothy and clover as
Ephraim was to his idols. They Kill
the native grasses by ploughing the
land, and then insist on making timo-
thy and clover grow where the soil is
not adapted for them This is leak
equal to feeding hog with hoe in
the pig trough.
I. Drainage is destined to work
greater revolution in our grass land
than all other things combined The
loss sustained from want of drainage
constitutes one of our worst leaks.
s. Poor Help 10 Make Butter and
Cheese.-Better abandon the business
if We cannot do the work ourselves or
get good help. There is a great deal
OF butter made that is worthless ex-
cept for grease. A few cents more a
pound weuld pay for the best help and
the best dairy utensils.
3. Allorcing Manure 10 Waste is
great leak. He would always apply
manure on the surface. As a dairy
man be would rather have one load
of manure applied on the surface than
ten loads ploughed under Would
draw out the manure fresh, and ap-
PLY il at all seasons when most con-
venient, on the meadows and pastures.
Had not foot of land on his farm
that the manure did not agree with.
II is all moonshine to fork over man.
ure and rot it, 1t leaks away. He
spreads his manure on the surface,
and goes over it with a brush har-
row.
10. Poor Implements are a great
leak. He would always get the best
that were TO be had.
There are great many more leaks.
We are all acquainted with them, and
often promise ourselves that we will
stop them. He would leave the sub
iect TO the meeting.
Mr. Curtis of Saratoga-Onc Of
the most important implements on 4
dairy farm was the curry comb. Most
farmers leave the animals to do their
own scratching. 1t isas important to
curry as il is to feed The cows like
it. They get impatient for their turn.
Knew a farmer who had a quarrel
with his hired man because he would
not curry the cows Ii is a great
mistake not to provide abundance of
green food for extra feeding in sum-
mer. The cow is a machine for con-
yerting food into milk, and the more
she will eat the better. 1t is great
folly to give abundance of food when
it happens TO be plenty and to starve
the animals when food is scarce
Comfortable quarters. shelter and a
good ward save half the food He be-
ieved Mr.. Lewis claimed that it saved
three quarters Of the food.