Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-02-13

The COW need not be high.bred to be a
good dairy COW but when she is bred for
this purpose there is greater likelihood Of her
possessing superior merit
As regards the keeping qualities of washed
butter, Henry Stewart, the well known au-
thority on dairying, tells us how he kept
fifiy-pound pail of washed butter one year it
then brought Il rec cents per pound above the
price of fresh butter sent TO the New York
market with it from an ordinary commission
man. 1t was washed in the ohurn with weak
brine after the buttermilk had been drawn of
and was sailed.
Pigeons are more profitable than may be
supposed, as they often hatch and raise as
many as ten pairs of squads in a year. No
one should expect them to pay profit unless
a suitable poultry loft has been provided. II
left outside in boxes the owls raid on them.
Hundreds Of squads and adults are yearly
destroyed without the knowledge Of the keep
er by such midnight marauders. The hawks
also destroy the old birds during the day. but
the owl is the principal enemy.
DIR. W. O. Greenfield of Guthrie, Ky, has
perhaps the largest hog in the world. The
hog is one of the big-boned Berkshires,
three feet seven inches high, nine feet from
the nose to the tip of the tail measures sew
en- feet around the body just behind the
shoulders and eleven and one. half inches
around the leg Just above the hoof. He is
only moderately fat, but very thrifty, and
taking on flesh rapidly weighs 1900 pounds,
and DR.. Greenfield thinks that he will yet
take on 800 pounds more of flesh. The doc
tor has SOW the same age, that weighs 800
pounds,
The American MarketmRn estimates that it
costs from $40 to $l5 to feed steer through
the winter, and sometimes as high as $50
when the animal is forced. Steers are of
different ages and capacities but for New
England we should think, on an average, it
would take two tons of hay and ten bushels
of meal, which at present prices would cost
about $35 to $40. Feed both the fine and
coarse hay every day. As, for instance, fod-
der with the fine hay in the morning. and the
next foddering give coarse hay. Cattle like
variety, and they will do better if their feed
is mixed than If fed exclusively on any one
kind, no matter how good that is.
1t is estimated by many intelligent men
that darying is one of the most profitable
lines of business for the small farmer, among
all the occupations of the agrioulturist. Milk
and butter are all bringing better and steadi-
er prices than formerly. Another great Rd
vantage of the dairy is the enormous amount
of valuable manure which can be made 10
bring the farm up to the highest state of fer
tility. Perhaps dRirying should be carried
on in connection with grain raising or market
gardening, to obtain the greatest profit, as
the large amount of manure enables them to
be made profitable also and so the two fit
together quite we'll.
To raise early vegetables, it is essential
that an early commencement be made and
everything be done to insure success such
as having good hot beds and early plants, and
ground prepared early in the best possible
condition. Many plants may be started in
boxes in the house, to quite an advantage,
before it is time or warm enough TO put out
hot beds, and then can be transplanted in
beds after they have attained some size. To-
mato, cabbage and beet plants, ETC., may all
be started in this way. Very early vegeta-
bles always bring high prices, and 1t pays to
take all this extra trouble if they are to be
raised at all.
The care of milk cannot be too thoroughly
understood. The temperature is the first
point that should receive attention. Prems-
ture cooling of the milk before setting is
said to injure the butter yield. The degree
OF temperature most conducive to q thorough
separation of the cream from the milk, and
of the butter globules in churning. must be
studied, and milk so managed as to reach
this result. The science of butter making is
easily learned. if only a little attention is
given TO the work. The milk house must be
so arranged that the temperature is directly
under the control of the dsiryman. This re-
quires only a little attention and a separate
building. The building need not be eKpen-
sive, and certainly every farmer whether he
follows dairying or not, loves good sweet
milk and butter we'll enough to provide suiia
BILE buildings.