The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1889-11-28
Agriculture.


what vas elnA 70 sbout loo ips ol oat-
ter each. and the total proceeds were SIS
each. kept my COWS about az others
who called themselves good farmers did
They bad good pasture. aud gave a good
quantity Of milk while The grass Was
fresh; but sbtank badly 10 The fall and
dried up early ia the winter ] fed good
hay and corn fodder, but little grain IN
wi inter-, The cosi Of feed ! estimated tor
ID year ~ about s95 each. The next
year s. 1870 Il fed better. feeding bran
aud grain during the fall aud fore part Of
the winter sod early spring. ard my COWS
produced 2i9 lbs Of butter each. aud the
total proceeds we're s77 each. had pro
dneea abou, 100 lbs. more Of butter per
COW. aud the increased cost Of iced was
not more than 80 per COW. bran was
cheap then
The next year ! fed still better, with
another increase In profits. | kept in
proving steadily, until now | intend to
feed up TO the full capacity OF each COW
aud must say that. with every increase
OF feed, for every dollar laid out. l have
got back more than two dollars. This, OF
course would not be possible. II the cows
we're OF the beef type aud turned their TODD
INTO flesh. In all my talk about high
feeding l assume that the feed is to be
given to true dairy animal that will make
1t into rich milk. The way feed my cows
now is to let them have good pasture In
summer, with variety OF grasses. AT all
times they have free access to good pure
water, which is warmed in winter, They
have all the salt they want.
When they are put into milk, there is
in the managers some good early cut hay OF
which they always eat little, even when
grass is the best. After milking they are
fed bran. Ia the fall they have fodder
corn besides the other feed. During the
winter they have all the clover hay with
sometimes meadow hay or millet), all the
cut corn fodder aud all the straw they will
eat, with from 10 to 10 pounds Of bran
and meal per day, drop off nearly al
tn, grain ration about two mont his before
o,lving. as have found by continuing it
too long there is more danger OF milk
fe'er. thiuk as good agrain ration as
can get, Is one bal. the weight wheat bran,
one-tourth oats. ground. aud one.tourh
o jrn meal; but il oats and cora are much
higher than bran, they can be left out,
an the whole weight be OF bran. and BIO
neirly if not quite rs good.
do not wish to be understood as claim
ing that COW can be brought up from
I'D lbs a year to $50 lbs. Immediately as
the result of better feeding The I'm
provement will be gradual, taking some
years to reach the highest limit Nor do
| claim that the result in my care is Who'll
ly to be attributed to better feeding,
though mainly so. Better handling and
selection in breeding have done onething
toward the improvement. What l do
claim is this that the capacity of COW
for giving milk can, by the right kind of
fesding and handling, be increased both
as to quantity aud richness 10 butter fat,
from year to year. until she is at leas. s
years old, and that family or breed OF
COWS, by the same means, can be improved
| -. Al, Iot
b. better than the preceding one, even
without the introduction of any better
blood. In other words. will say that the
more and the richer milk you manage to
make a COW give, the more asd richer milk
she can give, as you develop the capacity
| to do so, and she will transmit these quail.
lti,s, in some measure, to her progeny.
A limal nature has the power to gradually
adapt itself to its surroundings, and to the
uses to which it is put.
As good care and feeding will improve
any breed. SO starving and bard fare will
cause the best breed in the world to de.
generate. How often do we hear it said
that the stock Of certain men have run
out" A COW that has always been poorly
fed, and is descended from poorly fed an
cestors can not possibly be good COW,
Her ability to Withstand hard fare may
have been developed SO that you may call
her hardy, but 1t IS at the expense OF ber
milking qualities. Now, / don't want
nar1y cows 10 the sense that is generally
understood.
A good dairy COW is wonderfully deli.
cate aud sensitive piece Of animal machin
cry. The brain and nervous system ere
so intim ,tcly connected with the milk CIV
ing functions that whatever excites tie
nerves through the BRAIN sff cts the milk,
usually but not always lesseDing the
quantity Of milk, but always diminishing
the per cent, Of batter fat TO greater OF
less extent, according to the degree Of ex
citen, mt. This being the case, 1t is neces
sary thats COW to do her best must be just
as contep,eJ aud beppy as IT is possible to
make her she must not be exposed TO
storm, or nclement weather, pr aay con
ditions that will give her discomfort Or
pain. s mnst have no anxiety IN regard
TO food or dfiuk, wbish should tie gwen
at regular times and 10 quantity aud kind
| 10 SUI, her appetite aud needs.
| consider the milking the most impor.
tant operation in dairyiog II should be
done by the same person, 10 the same
manner. aud under the same circumstan-
ces Every time. care not whether You
feed before. at the same time. or after you
milk, il You do the same every time. i
care not whether you take hold With the
4 HI. ~, "a hap N