The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-07-25
A MISSISSIPPI SroCx FARM
Col. W. b Montgomery i'm Ok
tibbehaa County.

long protracted drought in that region,
presented splendid appearance, and
was a pronounced success.
At our hosts home place, we saw our
first jersey heifers-a small ''det' II"
from his herd of ejghty-two registered
pure -bloods-and several ''grades" or
half-bloods The soft, gazele-llke eyes,
the beautifully shaped heads and ele-
gantly formed limbs Of these ''scions OF
noble line impress one strangely at
first sight, as they are SO different IN form,
feature, shape and points from his pre-
conceived models One Of the first
things that strikes him IS their leanuess,
for they are often as light and agile as a
doe-which they greatly resemble in eye
and color; this is one Of their good
points, as attested by their monstrous
udders. The jersey is essentially the
queen Of the dairy, and although a
hardy and heavy feeder, she absorbs only
enough of the essence Of her food, as a
general rule, 10 maintain robust strength,
converting all the rest into milk that Is
for the greater part rich, golden colored
cream. If the cow manitests q tendency
to tade on flesh, in the same ratio she
deteriorates as a mixer, and if this De
feet cannot be remedied or cured, she
loses value, both as a breeder and dairy
adjunct, md Is soon disposed of.
Taking us into his barn. Mr.. Mont
gomery exhibited the WELD Of twenty
acres of Guinea or johnson Grass, that
he had recently moved, and which he
finds excellent food for his stock. This
grass had been well grazed early in the
season, and yet he obtained two cuttings,
and lie informs Us that it appreciates
more than any other grass under the
blade, becoming much denser, finer and
more nutritious after each moving. lie
intends putting in a hundred acres on
this place, and while concediug its ag
gressvc and ineradicable qualities, be
lieves it to be grand auxiliary to the
stock farmer. Before sowing it he OBJ
tanned the consent of his neighbors, and
now many others are trying it, and we
noticed as we drove along that 1t was
throwing out skirmishers all along the
branches and bitches.
After dinner we started to the main
stock farm, the "Moon Place" about
eight miles from Starkville, one of Mr..
Montgomery's numerous Oktibbeha
county plantations
hItI\Ii2 1T lllt IlSl gaze MS Sloth
farms are all under fence-we entered
magnificent meadow of Bermuda Grass,
and never until then did we thoroughly
appreciate the blessing OF this glorious her
bage While all the native grasses looked
brown and parched with the drought, and
and the blue grass, Of which there is in
the neighborhood Of two hundred acres
on this place-splendidly sodded and
perfect success-having performed its
allotted duty of feeding the stock during
the spring, had succumbed to the hot
sun. and was awaiting the late rains that
viii cause it to Gloom up" luXurlantly
during the autumn and much of the win
ter, the Bermuda with its color but little
dimmed, aud its vitality unjmpaired, was
aflordng excellent pasturage to the herds
of Jerseys and grades and superior
domestic cattle that ut the time Of our
arrival were gathered in little groups
under the generous shade of the trees.
And it sounded strangely in our ear, as
we stood with our host beside the gentle
Jerseys, to hear their names and ages
called from The roll that he always car
ries with him, and TO hear their pedigree
detailed as accurately as that of Il lord
from the book OF Heraldry. And there,
side by side, were cattle born on the
farm, and cattle born in Connecticut,
Massachusetts. PENNSYLVANIA, Rhode ISL
and, and some whose pedigree required
but a single line from the chronicier, for
they were direct Importations from that
little island far away over the deep blue
sea, that is only known to the world
through the wonderful excellence Of its
cattle
At the house we found Mr.. Archer, the
competent manager of the place, who was
engaged in housing an immense crop of
oats how large crop, we know not, but
he spoke of threshiug OFT thousand bush
els as though that bulk was but a fraction Of
the Weld. We also met there Miss Hill.
whose splendid superintendent OF the
dairy proves her to be a lady of fine al
ministrative ability. This now represents
the yield from forty nine COWS, and in
reply to our inquiry ''what do you do
with all your butter milk: we were taken
aback by the answer, ''we do not have
any; we churn only the cream" This
accounts for the rare excellence Of the
butter-golden in color and almost as
firm as cheese-of which during the sea
son one dealer In New Orleans takes two
hundred pounds week, at sixty cents a
pound. just think of it, reader, you
who toll and struggle for existence in /
your cotton fields, that right ut your
doors, under your noses, rs it were, is /
dairy farm that handles from lis butter |
alone, 1920 a week, or at the rate of |
Sc, 240 a year, and that sells lis five
months old heifer calves at $500 a piece. /
and has q lively market at that, while lis /
cows and eight months old heifers are
hardly to be bought at any price, and t
that has created lively market for half
breed heifers, at from s75 to 500, and I
remember that its proprietor was as great /
a devotee to cotton and corn as you are
to-day.
We were present at the milking of the
kline, and imagine our surprise to note
that there was not single calf in the
whole enclosure ''to make the cows give
down their milk - and what surprised
us even more, was to miss the usual
bucket of slop. They were not fed at
all while being MIXED, and yet stood
perfectly quiet until the last drop of the
tactical fluid was extracted. These cows
are never more interested in taking care
81 their progeny than our printing press;
The calves are taken from them al
most as soon as born, and like Pip,