Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-04-26
A Lady's Experience with Jersey
Cattle.

The pleasures and profit in hand
ling Jersey cattle are by no means
confined to the Chords of CREATION"
but beauty of the cows, and their
wonderful gentle disposition, makes
them great favorites with the ladies,
and they invariably prove profitable
when handled by them. The follow
ing is the experience of lady cor
respondent, who in writing to an ex-
change, says:
GAS actual experience is worth
more than all the argument in the
world, 1 have concluded, though
with some natural reluctance, to tell
my own plain story. 1t may be of
interest, especially to ladies, and for
some it may be little light to shine
upon the road to success. Eight
years ago was in poor health, and
was given a few Jersey cattle by my
husband on two conditions-one that
/ should superintend them entirely
alone, so as to keep me out in the
open air as much as possible, and the
other that 1 should register them in
my own name. 1 began with three
cows and five heifers only, so that
my progress was slow, and / had all
sorts of difficulties to contend against
an inclement climate, too many
bull calves, rented land Of poorest
quality, and nearly all the feed to
buy at the highest prices. We had
but s acres Of land of our own. My
cook and hired man did the milking,
and we churned with a pony. 1 in
variably skinned all the cream, and
sailed, worked, and printed the but
ter. In one year | printed myself,
in quarter-pound pats, wrapped in
muslin, and sent to New York in
ice-chests, 10000 prints of butter.
Afterward a local demand for milk
and cream sprang up, people sending
to the dairy for it, which paid better,
and was less trouble, and this still
continues, varying with the season.
/ keep strict account of all stock
bought and sold, of all expenses in
CURED by the herd, such as food, la
Dor, rent, ETC., while to credit is plac-
ed the money received for dairy pro-
duce, pork, etc.
And now for the result in dollars
and cents, which will prove that this
is emphatically working herd. l
have had no phenomenal cows, and
sold no cattle at eXorbitant prices. 1
sold one calf at 1000, one at $500,
one COW at $515, and one at $500.
All the rest of my sales have been
under $500 per head. And l have
made comparatively few sales. be-
cause, when l was beginning, l was
tempted apart with my heifer calves,
and kept my herd reduced. All my
friends so derided me for putting so
much money into COWS, that was
anxious to see some of it back again.
Making my statement, | am going
to say that before the boom in Mary
Anne stock | had four st. Lambert
cattle in my herd. These l am going
to put in at the same valuation as the
rest of my cattle, so as to show what
one can do without the help of a
boom. L have good deal more st.
Lambert stock, that / bought after
the boom, at high prices, and expect
to get high prices for them, but we
will consider those as a sort of side
speculation, and leave them entirely
out.
To return then, to the profit. !
have had my small herd less than
eight years, and, under most unfa-
vorable circumstances, | have paid
every expense incurred by them,
even to the smallest item, paid in
terest on the purchase money, till il
is now entirely paid off, and have
built and paid for barn, costing 81 ;.
600, in which have standing (not
counting the Stoke Pogis cattle lately