New-York tribune., 1890-03-30
THE yEw RrIE REGARDIyG coWS

The Health Board has lust been issuing orders
which, though they may not appeal personally
10 any very large body of citizens. must. never
jhelcsS seem important 10 some persons. We al
lrdc 10 the rules concerning the leading Of cows.
Tie number OF cow-owncrs on Manhattan Island
Is so small that the matter may not appear 10 be
one 80 which need refer; bat on the other
hand the cow-owncrs are helpless. being utterly
unorganizcd and having no influence whatever
with Tnmmany Hall. and their condition should
appeal 10 every virtuous bosom.
A. We intimated. the cow is not numerous in
New York II was only few years ago that She
was well known here and roamed all over the
city, but Of late tin cncroachmen's Of the whites.
especially in the neigh borhood ~ Union and Mad
ison squares and up Fiffh-avc, have driven her
away. She may still be found al large In
semi-civizcd state on Washington Heights and
in the Annexed District. and small droveS are
occasionally reported from Harlem, but otherwise
the COW EXISTS ia Ncw-lork only in purely
domcsticlied condition. and then only in small
numbers But heretofore. though the Authorities
did not allow tie COW 10 run 80 large. they did
permit her owner 10 lead her out for exercise
for IT,. domestic COW. unlike the men who worl,
for the Street Cleaning Department. must have
exercise \ man who was the fortunate poSscSso'
If a COW could apply 20 the Health Board for
hermit 10 Lead her Armed with this he could
attach "A rope 10 her horns and quietly stroll with
her ahou, the streets They could wander along
the secluded by.ways Of old Greenwich Village
or march straight up Madison-avc. Broadway
aud the BowcIy. Thrlrcnihavc. and O"rlraf>
Hook Statc-st and Van CortlaLdt Parkway were
alike open 70 them. So long AS the owner did
not release his hold on the rope or impede traffic
he could not be molcs'cd. He might not. rs in
PlilaGelphin allow his cow to lnecr and crop
the grass between the paving stones even had
there been any grass here to crop but 50 long as
h,. kept moving hc was safe. Cows were on much
tie same footing as do.s In the parks-lndsrd.
on "a better one, inasmuch ~ the iar-S"clns city
government did not require the COWS 10 DE
n,uzzed But now. under the plea that some
men have been leading two COWS at once or some
thing Of this kind the Health Board is going t.
revoke all cow-lcading permits on April l.. and
throw great amount of strineency about their
issue in the future
Al present n man may lead his cow from the
pattcrv to Yonkcr, After April ! he may not
.rad her more than one fourth OF II mile at "A time
We are not informed as TO the space there must
lc between the times but probably he may
load her n quarter of mile each day. or perhaps
, ouoricr of a mile i'm the forenoon and another
Il, the afternoon But he Will not be allowed
to lead her everywhere for even this short
distance but must coninc his promenade TO the
streets or avenues nearest to the rivers We
trust that We are not 10 gather from this thai
the distinguished members of the Health Board
think that the cow wowncrs of this town are III the
habit of leading their COWS down 10 the rivers
to drink Only a cow with the most vtiatcd
tasc would drink the waters of the East River
Eut whether or not this is the Boards idea II
really makes little difference the practical point
heinr. Is u quartcr-milc walk per day
enough eNcrcisc for COW? And what of the
Sixthnvc COWS. if there he any. far removed
from either river? We ask these questions not
in n spirit Of fault-iinding. but for information.
And who is to watch every time a man leads
ont his cow and that he takes her lust a
ouartcr of n mile? Must a pedomctcr be
attached TO each cow which shall sound an alarm
when the prescribed distance shall be reached
We hone that the Health Board took all these
things into consideration before it decided on it's
new policy in regard to cows on the streets. We
should not like To our sanitary authorities
compellcd 10 take any backward steps