Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-23
kDDIcs for Cows,
Agricultural Contributor TO Hartford

Agricultural Contributor TO Hartford Courant.
The apron of Pomona--your temperate fruit
man don't like the sound of her 'horn," and
those old goddesses need tride of clothing-I
say the apron of Pomona is so near bursting
with apples that a note from East Windsor Hill,
stating that the CouTant's readers were welcome
to know the particulars of certain experiments
which were being successfully carried out there,
in feeding sour apples TO mich cows, was very
gladly received by this peuholder. Mr.. Erastus
Ellsworth of that place, finding there was likely
to be more apples i'll his neighborhood than the
cider mill could handle, if il were in running
order, or barrels be found to hold, bethought
himself of feeding them to his cattle. But LEGAL
advice was against it. Apples were worse than
useless, farmers said. They would dry up cow.
Weren't worth six cents a bushel, and laughed
at the idea of feeding them to cows ridiculous,
absurd and foolhardy. But Mr.. Ellsworth was
not deferred by such means from investigating
for himself. He oYerhauled his files of the Al
bany Cultivator, and there found between 1910
and 1860 ten instances where good and true cor
respondents of that journal had recorded their
e perience in feeding apples 10 farm stock with
decided approval The popular notion that ap-
pies lessen the flow of milk seemed to have no
support except from the occasional breaking OF
bounds by cattle pent from the orchard. glut
OF apples from piles gathered for the cider mil
may be as dangerous to an animal as glut OF
grain or green clover, and no more so.
Accordingly a trial of the abundance OF wind
commenced about August 1st. In the manifold
stomachs of a COW these hard, sour apples, when
bruised and ground, become sweet and soft quite
as readily as IN the vat of a cider mill. large
COW, something along in years, feeding eXclu-
sively in her summer pasture, and producing
four wine quarts daily, was used for the first
experiment beginning with four quarts of apples
night and morning. The quantity was in
creased until at the end of week she was eat
ing bushel of the hardest, Sourest windfall
apples each day. This cow was near her time
of going dry, but such was the effect of the APP
Piles as to bring her produce of milk from four to
rather more than six quarts per diem.
Another cow, in tresher milk, yielding eight
quarts daily, was then put upon a ration of APP
pies. At this time of measurement Mr.. Els
worth's cows had been running several days in
rowen feed, which would naturally help flush
the milk pail. Yet upon top of this succuent
pasture the second cow was brought, when upon
her full ration of apples-a half buShel night
and morning-to a regular daily yield of twelve
to fourteen quarts Of milk.
All of these cows, five in number-eXcepting
one-would have eaten more apples if they could
have got them. That one was younger and
smaller though a good sized heiter Half a
bushel was found TO be as many and sometimes
rather more than she could manage at one feed
ing.
There arose cry from the dairy directly for
more milk-pans, and as the average increase
upon the five cows was fully fifty per cent, and
a notorious matter in the household, the warn
ingstof ruin 10 Mr.. EllswOrth'S dairy from kind
hearted neighbors soon ceased.
The butter made from this milk was first-rate,
as had an opportunity of knowing. l inquired
particularly whether at any time there had been
the least symptom of ill-effect upon the cows
upon the bowels or kidneys2 Nothing of the
sort, sir" And cannot refrain from a slight
expression of exultation here, at this instance of
the superior wisdom of former generation. 1t
has been somewhat fashionable to wish to die
young Fast young men want to make grand
splurge and burst. Pm tired of such hot-bed
fruit-thc more disguised with it after testing
the mature eXcellencies of the vigorous years in
store for the heedful ones beyond the seventies
In fact-where there is room for i'll slap my
thigh, whirl around upon one toe, and give
little yell of triumph, whenever think Of this
veteran Of a good old governing stock-he told
me he was eighty-three years old-coming Clio
riously to the fore with these timely, pains
taking and exact experiments, while young
farmers, routine farmers, close farmers, men
who wouldn't waste cents worth if they knew
it, are actually gathering apples from their fall
feeding grounds, and dumping them into holes
in the street, rathCrthan to risk giving them to
their cattle.