The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-12-03
Dair, Farming as Seen by II Southern.

Mr.. Jas. W Lyon, owner OF large
dairy farm near Baltimore. Md, has re-
Gently, Tor his own benefit, made an ex.
tended tour through the chief dairy dis.
tricts Of the Northern States. His OBJ
servatons mot designed for publication,
it is said) are printed in the Tribune, land
will not only interest dairy farmers of the
localities visited, but such parties as pro-
pose entering this department of farming,
AS to steaming aud soiling, he found
it practiced only on three farms n,
Springfield, Mass, by VIM. Brnie |;
Wetbersfeld, CT, by the Wells Brothers,
and Col. Wariug. at Newport lie heard
also of two others. Many other intelli-
gent farmers think well of the system, a.
applied to tilable land, but do not adopt
it on account Of the large area OF land
now in pasture, which cannot economical.
ly bo brought under cultivation at the
present rice Of labor.
BREEDS OF CATTLE.-The native cat
tie predominant very largely over all 9th
ers, and many are very fine, due in part.
he thinks to the fue pastures given them
Where blooded cattle were found they
were in small herds, never exceeding 90
The Ayrshires are the fayorite, though
some prefer the Short Horns. Nlr. Che.
merry, hear Boston. has the Holstens, and
likes them well, but Mr.. Lyon think
they are an experiment as yet. They ar,
heavy mixers certainly, but are costly
feeders, aud their butter-producing DUAL
tiles are not yet established Some Dutch
cattle at Goshen are much liked. A few
Alderneys he found near cities, kept a
butter produ 'ers for rich city patrons u
high pr ces, but he thinks they are ruled
out for general dairy farming. OF Dew
ons he saw very few, aud heard none rec
commended.
The prices of milk, as received by tn
dairy farmers at wholesale, ranged iron
two to three cents per quart.
The feeding for milk he found best il
Orange County, where also the best pri
ces were realized. Some corn meal
generally given in summer, and Away,
III winter. Brewers grains aud sprour
are largely used, and drilled coru is fe,
in summer when necessary on account o
failing pastures. The use of fodder cor,
is largely increasing. Roots are consid
erably fed in winter in Central New
York, and in Massachusetts, and Couu
ecticut. But the vast majority Of farmer
cuufue their feed 70 r".; lass pasture
in summer, hay and corn fodder in win
ter aud little grain or roots in earl,
spring, SO as "to carry them through" il
iair condition. No variety of grass j.
produced-he saw but one field Of lucerne
Almost invariably clover, timothy anc
the native grasses were "the stand. bys."
The best land and the best farming wa.
in Central New York, particularly in tn,
Mohawk Valley. Orange County, and
upper Vermont are also splendid grass
regions. Massachusetts and Connecticut
have such wretchedly poor and-except
in the Connecticut Valley-that he don,
care to speak of it." They, however,
have good farm buildings-where they
have any. The stablng 10 upper Yer
mont Is better than in Newly ork, but
neither is what they should be-"
AS to the profits Of dairy farming, he
does not speak encouragingly. "Outside
OF Orange County aud leaving out special
exceptions elsewhere, they are not making
anything" The cows yield, gross, from
$40 to s45 per head "the average il
fully five acres to the head, or more; say
30 cows to the farm-gross product. ST.
200 to 81. 400; add for few hundred
weight Of polk, few beef cattle, or b
couple of colts, and you have still less
than $4,000 gross sales But they did
much better with dairy produce some
years ago, and their lands have doubled
in valve in few years, owing to increased
population, and railroads. Good land.
tolerably well improved, cannot be had