Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-04-01

per annum than tne second, which ut thirty
or forty cents per pound will give me
thirty or forty dollars per annum more
prof. than the second, solely because of
her better adaptation to the purpose for
which she is kept, This in the ordinary
lifetime of a COW, will make her worth
three or four hundred dollars more than
the second, yet the latter may give many
hundred pounds more milk. and for cheese
making purposes be much the more vtlua-
Bic. What butter makers among US would
refuse to sell cows like the first named.
md retain those like tie last, if they could
ct thirty or forty dollars more per head
for them? Or would not refuse to pay
that amount more for them if desiring to
purchaser Or how many know of this
| Inference in tn comparative merits of
! their cows, where it does exist?
| We may adopt this us a fixed fact in our
practice. that if we neglect to properly re
lect our COWS, and Gull out the compare
| lively worthless animals, and those not
ldtpted to the purpose for which they are
kept, that neglect will be very sure to be
attended with /, greater or less waste of
! food. The powers of digestion and assim-
iation are much greater in some COWS
7 than N other Some will thirty: where
others will lose flesh. The digestive or
| gtns of some will extract the valuable
constituents of their food for a given p l.
pose, much more perfectly than others,
and if this be true, then it follows that
! those constituents not tn IS extracted. Will
he 10 t for that purpose, and Ill either case
there is Il waste which must tell upon our
profits. If kept rec COWS to produce
| i've hundred pounds of butter, when
might accomplish the same result with two.
| [ lose the keeping and care OF one OF
them, if the food consumed per head is the
same. In attending TO the second detail
named above, we find Il field for thought
md observation worthy of an AgasslZ, or
Il Cuvier In the breeding of domestic
animals. man seems to possess almost Il
creative power. He can conceive an deal
model. which in many particulars may be
the opposite of those animals which he has
in charge, and vet owing to the plastic
nature of the animal kingdom, he may
reproduce the ideal model, In the descend
ants of those animals.
1t is thus that those great Improvements
i'll our domestic animals have been made,
and those types of symmetrical beauty
and perfection of their kind been estab-
p. llshed, which we find in the thoroughbred
horse, the Sholthorn OK; the Vermont
/ Merino and Leicester sheep, the Berkshire
and Suffolk hog. and those numberless
other varieties which give evidence OF that
moulding power in man. which can deVel-
op in the domestic animal within certain
limits, those peculiar characteristics which
his fancy or necessities may dictate.
Peculiar eXcelleDces in domestic ami
mails are the result of peculiar develop
mcnt. and if we can perfcctl" understand
the nature of that development, and the
peculiar comic nation of those eXccllences
depend in any parli ullr case, we may
form perfect ideal model, by which We
may be guided in our selections and breed
in@s
In the selection and breeding Of horses
if desire It fleet roadster. the ideal o
perfection by winch | should be guided
would be quite the opposite from that by
which | should select Il draft horse, be
cause the qualities desired are quite oppo-
site. and the organism OF the animal will
surely determine his merits for u given
purpose.
And so in the selection Of COWS. If
desired an animal to bring me stock fot
beef growing purposes, my ideal of periec-
ton should be very different from that by
which | should select for butter making
In the first case, my ideal should repre-
sent an animal of such Il Physiological con
struction. that it, powers Of digestion and
assimilation should be directed the for
matt. n of bone. muscle. and tal.oW. In
( the latter case.thes. power, sh 1ulI he in q
/ treat measure directed To the elaboration
. OF nliI> rich in cream. Hu3 for cheese max
inn purposes. to that ii milk rich in ease
me. with = much smaller proportion Of
cream.
Now all Of these qualities rest upon
some peculiar conformation OF organism,
which the educated eye ctn trace, and
which it IS the province of mind to under
stand a d of iutelhgen, skill to develop.
The great want of Vermont butter
makers to-day. is the intelligent skill, and
IT. application to the Development of a race
of COWS of 4 fixed pc, better adapted to
our wants than any rae which We now
. have am ,ng us. y race which shall com
hine the good qualities of the hest milking
stock of Durhtms, with those of the Ayr
shircs and Jerseys. This combination i
within the reach # Vermont dtirymtn, il
they will but apply themselves TO is dcvel-
Opment.
ntlci~ttI'l me- no iI't- AI.tliIt iii Il " &
can produce an animal which Will possess
III of the good qualities of these Variou
races That Is It practical inposslDliily.
! No animal can be perfect in any Two Of the
/ characteristics named. But we can com
bine those good qualities which iii it for
the particular use for which it is designed
Nv ideal Of perfection for L butter dairy.
would combine the great powers of di@e>-
=: ,,A-sA--n1 f,.- h.,
Durham, whit re hardness and more COM
pact form of the Ayrshire, and the peculiar
butter secreting organism of the Jerseys.
/ But am depressing from my subject
did not purpose in the outset, 70 prepare :,
paper upon dairy science, but ogiy to speak
! of tue importance of intelligent enterorise
/ in dairy husbandry, to point out the field in
which it should be exercised, and the good
results of its application. But | ask your
/ indulgence while present u few PROPOSE
tons for YOUR consideration, and trust that
! YOU will freely discuss them, and expose
such errors as You may detect in my posi-
ton.
/ The average productive capacity of the
cows of Vermont does not probably exceed
one hundred and fifty pounds of butter per
annum, or its equivalent in cheese. 1t is
practicable by improved management to
rais,, that product one hundred pounds per
COW. and for those most favorafly siuated,
and most intelligent, one hundred and fifty
pounds One half of this advance may be
made by judicious culling out of the stock
we now have. 1t is practicable to adopt a
system of farming by which we can cheaply
supply our cows with an abundance of sue
culent food in times OF Il ought and even
throughout the year. 1t is practicable to
improve their present hygienic condition,
and avoid losses which now occur in conse-
ouence of disease. To adopt improvements
which will render our cows more cemfort-
able. and remove those irritating influences
which now tend TO check u large flow OF
milk. and enable Us to preserve the milk
more free from t;ints and filth. TO pro-
vide more pure water on many farms, III d
make it more convenient of access, both in
/