Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-02-17

to maintain this vantage ground after we have
knowledge is power You place thepreponder
anco Of knowledge with The farmers, and You give
them the power And where | ask can power F.,
safely be placed ~ In the hands oi the honest
yeomanry of onr country II will then be ~ firm
our hills and pure rs the streams that flow from
the mountain sides.
TUESDAY EVENINGS SESSION.
The meeting was called to order by TIA,
president. The frstthing on the programm,
was a paper by Austin u. Arms, Esq, OF
East Montpelier on 1.-The breeds Of cattl,
best adapted to Vermont
Mt ARMS ADDRESS
understand the object Of paper to consis
In the advancement Of problem which may LEAD
to discussion, thereby drawing ont the views Of
others, which may be instructive.
propose not To assume IN know what breeds Of
cattle the best for others but TO enquire If tn,
introduction Of new or foreign bloods are henci
ca to the dairy interest Of Nemont-prcscntinl
a few facts Of my own experience and observation
IL is well known that have been an advocate O
native stock for the average Vermont farmer
Having in former years tested somewhat Of the
then known breeds by way Of grades Of the Ayr
shres, DuFhains, Dc,ons, and Herclords ! never
found any that for all practical purposes would
compete with the natives And have not to this
this day seen q cow that has made 50 much butter
in day as q little so-called native, which once
purchased In the town OF llardwick for the sun
OF forty dollars, and ! have seen no account Of
such with one exception, the Jersey that Hon
Daniel Webster imported many years ago. which
was said to make nineteen pounds Of butter pei
week
formerly contendcd that the native cattle
bred with the same care for a specific purpose, and
with the same keeping for an equal length OF
time, would excel the celebrated short horns
which date their origin back more than two hun
bred years
Our farmers have been Indifferent in regard to
the breeding or keeping Of stock. ! will go bacl,
to my boyhood days when an animal was for.
tunate to get the lee side Of barn. fence even Ia
shelter them from the northern blasts | presume
others have the same recollections. | have nov
in my mind eve the stock ON the farm where
spent my younger days. The manager was con
sidered a very good farmer for the times, keeping
some thirty head of cattle and from one TO tw,
hundred sheep. The oxen and some ten COW,
were permitted to enjoy the luxury Of sutbl.
on the north west end Of the barn, and standing
eight feet from the ground, all open underneath
also open between the cattle and barn floor viii
nothing 10 prevent the free use Of the fork tn,
remainder Of the stock being young cattle, from
three years old downwards were allowed the free
use Of the yard, with large open shed, where tn
strong would drive the weak into the wind an,
storm. Many were the cold nights that the hiret
man was required to 90 IN the barn, and drive NJ
the cattle, and start their blood into circulation
prevent them from frcezing-not excepting even
the cows | fancy that the renowned Jerseys o
the present day would succnmb TO such treatment
and that the Durhams would fail to put ON sucl
outlines and finished proportions, as we see at GU
fairs If compelled to buffet against the cold an,
storms TO which cattle In those days were exposed
But times have changed, not only in the mannc
Of breeding and keeping of stock, but in the busi
ness of the farmer, which requires different man
agement. In those days the raising of beef cattl
Of cows for the dairy. All contracts Tor hiret
help or other, were made payable in neat stock
grain or store pay-perhaps partly In each,-anl
the store bills were payable in stock or grain
The common practice on the farm Ia which hay
| alluded, was 10 kill annually from three TO ST.
head, usually three year-Olds, and sell perhaps
| many more, those slaughtered were 10 pay tn
mechanic and other bills those sold ON the foo
| were to pay the merchant and hired help.
As times have advanced, the young stock find
| shelter in the barn; warm stables take the pac
| of open sheds The settlement Of the west an
increase of their facilities for raising and fatteu
| ing Of beef, drives the eastern farmer from com
| petition and as n consequence he enters NOR
| largely into dairying-nearly all who have a le,
| cows making cheese part of the season. The
| the question arises AS To what breed is best. tn
| answer depends upon u knowledge Of what is I
| be the product II exclusively cheese should sa
| decidedly the Ayrshires or their grades, AS be
| ny the largest mixers on the same keeping; bu
| for mixed product Of butter and cheese, shout
| rom my knowledge Of the breeds select the M
| tives first, then the Durhams and grades-al
| though the Durhams are more inclined 10 max
beef and require better keeping TO produce tn
| same amount
| Let me here state what | understand by tn
| term Native" Nearly all our stock is more u
less impregnated with some of the foreign bloods
without regard To quality. ! consider that tn
Native Is as much of an independent breed MS an
other, and when bred in and in for twenty years
without the Introduction of any outside blood
is as pure as most of the thOroughbreds Of tn
present day. ! know OF but few cattle beside on
entire dairy that can claim to be pure Natives
| found that the introduction of the Ayrshin
blood greatly increased the amount Of milk, and
at the same time decreased the amount OF butter
for example grade Ayfshires with me gave thei
own weight in milk In twenty days IN the best O
the season, and made but about half the amour
OF butter which was obtained from the paren
stock But as time advances, factories control IN
manufacture and market Of cheese, the common
farmer resorts to the exclusive making OF butter
| an entire change occurs in his requirements
| Now we come to the main question.
Although, as said before, have never know
native cow TO be eNeeled In the daily produet O
| butter, and we have many instances Of great re
suits, still, do not consider individual cases as
proper test but rather take the average Of diaries
| considering all the peculiariies, conditions an,
| desirable points, and IN 30 doing should selec
the Jerseys or Jersey grades. They are NOR
uniformly up TO the standard with less poo
mixers In proportion to the number vet in tn,
dairy 1 believe II will be conceded by all tina
not more than fifty per cent of our common stocl
which is raised ever attain to be average mixers
while twenty per cent. do not pay their keepinl
as compared with good butter cows. | belley,
that not half OF the common cows In the state vii
average one hundred and twenty-five pounds o
butter per season Who has known Of Jerse,
coming N the shambles ON account of dehcienc,
In butter qualities after fair test ? They give
fair amount Of milk rich In butter; come 20 iuatu
rity early; arc remarkable 10 hold ont their mill
at the close of the season-all Of which are print
qualities and with our improvements in care ant
keeping, they will endure and thrive equal 10 an,
known breed; taking on flesh when not in milk
attaining Il is claimed, when fitted for the sham
bles large amount Of meat Of the best quality
Also, II claimed by many that they are compam
lively small caters, producing like the Ayrshirei
not large quantity Of milk, but large amount o
butter for the amount consumed besides all this
the product Is superior the cream thick and elastic
the butter Is hard, being as easily handled Ia no
weather ~ that from the common COW with tn
assistance of ice, retaining its form and moult
when so warm that other makes will become
iatteped mass, and when the butter comes 10 TN
palate II Possesses that waXy, fine grain aud rcl
naNor 50 desirable 10 epicures II Is said by sOm'
that they are small mixers only suitable 10 pfo
duce little cream for the gentemans table
Facts prove them 10 be fully equal TO the average
OF common dairies and superior in the product o
butter, ~ witness every known instance, some
times exceeding all others see statements IN recen
former having attained the enormous amount o
twelve thousand pounds from seyen-eights Jer
sey, and the latter In many instances going up 3,
between four and five hundred pounds Ia one sea
son, Again II h often said, as one Of my neigh
bon recently expressed himself admitting then
70 make more butter they are small and homely
worth nothing for beef when through with dairy
when Is not So but supposing Il were, who clI
Afford TO keep an animal the usual milking life
say ten years, for the sake Of hundred pounds O
peel IN The end, at a loss Of from fifty 10 q hun
dred pounds OF butter per annum, and perhap
double that amount--ah for example, the Skinne
COW. The above statement Of my neighbor re
minds me Of one who kept certain large red Gov
many years because she raised such nice re-,
calves also OF another Of my neighbors who KEEP
a large red COW, about which he b0asted much
because she was such an extra mixer, giving n
much a. TO necessitate the milking OF her thre
times day-but when 1t was suggested 10 N
man 10 set that COW milk by itself 10 see how muc
butter II made he found the product TO be les
than pound per day. believe that not half GU
dairymen know the capacity Of their cows, oonss
quently they keep many really worthless animal
to kill which would be blessing