Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-11-26
For the vEaNoNr FARMER.
The Jersey Cow.

EDITOR ERM0NT FARMER In your issue
Of November 5 1 read an article from Will
liam s. Thorp, on the Jersey breed Of fcat.le.
That is right, brother Thorp. like to have
a man speak out what he believes, If we do
differ in our opinions. Perhaps the truth
lies midway between us, and by comparing
notes we may arrive at the truth, as il is truth
we are after. In the old notice TO cores
pondents for the FARMER they were requested
to write what they knew, preferriDg ten lines
of what we knew to one column guessed at,
which was all very we'll, but we are liable
to be deceived sometimes aud think we know
a thing for certain, when the fact is, we
have been looking from only our own stand.
point, instead of from all points hence l
have something to say IN reply to the arti-
Gle spoken Of, from my standpoint about
Jersey stock. became convinced several
years ago that the comiog COW for Vermont
must be Jersey or grade Jersey. con-
slider our natives q breed, and not a mean
breed either, If bred with the same judg-
ment that our blooded stock men use ia
their breeding Now, l am not opposed to
blooded stock Of any kind. far from il ; the
only objection have to them is, they cost
so much cannot buy them. A few years
ago, however, bought a pair Of Jerseys.
being convinced it was the breed l wanted,
for they had been bred long time to de.
velop their butter producing qualities, and
for butter keep COWS, to convert my fod-
der from the raw, understandable material
into a rcady.selling, cash article. There
fore the COW that will convert the most fod-
der into butter must be the COW to keep,
think.
What farmer would employ threshiug
machine to do his threshing that would save
but one.half Of the grain from the straw,
if the machine iods a model of beauty and
perfection. None but fool would employ
such machine, all would say. But claim
that there is much of that same principle
held to-day in regard to COWS, and friend
Thorp, opine, has little Of tho same, if
he is not cattle dealer or drover, as fDd
that class cannot call the Jerseys by as hard
names as they would like to, although by
many persons drover is never supposed to
be wanting in epithets.
10 regard to Jersey cattle being tender, |
have seen nothing yet to indicate it, but the
idea because they are small they will reduce
the supply Of meat, etc, laying the reduction
at one-half, and that the cost Of producing
one hundred pounds Of beef is much more
than from any other breed, is point wish
to notice.
In reply to the first objection. l claim
that we can keep, and keep we'll, more
pounds of Jersey stock on the same feed
than we can of almost any other breed pro.
ducing the same amount of butter or beef,
for the very fact of their being bred to elm.
mate the greatest possible amount Of nour-
ishmtnt from the food consumed, fts them
for meat-PrOduCing when not giving milk.
The first of last March, from thirty head
of yearliugs coming two years old in the
spring, drew six steers that were in the
best condition, they all having been Kept at
stacks, and sheltered on the lesward side of
the same. Three Of those drawn were half
blood Jerseys, being all there were,
then put them in the stable and
rubbed little meal on their noses," and
sold them before grass grew for forty dollars
per head The half-bloods were from small
native cows crossed with lull-blood Jersey
bull. Another halfblood | let 60 when a
calf, for breeding purposes. 1t was killed
last July, being three years old the April
preceding; the meat and hide OF which,
without the tallow, weighed between nine
and ten cwt. Not bad showing for beeI
production. Last fall l killed full.blood
heifer three years old that was barren, and
she was the latest heifer ever saw killed,
in fact the meat was so fat il was hardly
eatable after being corned. The lack in
size was more than made up in numbers
kept. do not anticipate a beef famine
right away.
One other poin t wish to notice briefly
and that is, carrying for ten years or more a
very poor milking, but big handsome COW fol
the sake Of having a big piece of old.cov
beef to sell, which always goes begging il
any market, when we wish TO turn her of
am aware that that idea is very prevalent
have in mind just such dairy some oI
the cows we'll fatted will dress eight or nine
cWt, and all the butter they make over on
hundred pounds per season is to brag about
Now let us figure little, as figures "won
lie," We will suppose man keeps twenty
five cows like those last described h
will have ia the fall twenty-five cwt o
butter which at thirty cents pc
pound, Il will give low figures Ou but
ter) would amount to $3.50; twenty-6v,
calves, at high figures, $40 per head adde
to butter would make just 81 900. AnO the
man keeping lesser COWS in size, selected 70
their butter qualities, keeps thirty COWS o
same feed, making $50 pounds butter pc
COW, amounts to Sl,S50, to which add tn
value Of thirty calves at five dollar
per head, when, in fact they ar
nearly as good as the other lot, not do
lars difference, added to the butter, make
. total of 81 800 from the same keeping
difference Of $500 per year for ten year
calling that the average time of milking
COW, amounts to $4,000, divided by twenty
five the number Of COWS the first man keep
equals 5000 what il has cost extra for keeI