The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-04-12
PLANTER AND FARMER.
Useful NOTES OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS
The Usefulness and Value of the Cow in New
England-Inferior Grades OF Cows are Held
Young Stock.

Too HIgh-Good Feeding Never Hurts
Young Stock.
A correspondent Of the Massachusetts,
Ploughman says in the great horse marts
there is q man employed whose sole business
it is to examine every horse purchased and
set the price upon him-his style. action.
weight and place considered. A draft horse
is not priced as a driving horse-nor vice YER
81. All applicable values Of the horse are
taken into consideration in afiixing the selling
price.
This is working on correct business princi-
pies and in obedience TO the same thing why
should cows not be estimated on the same
plany Why not establish the price in accord
with the good qualities of the cow as shown
in value for milk or butter rather than on
mere relationship or pedigree Now. if you
can buy cow for $50 that will give twenty
quarts Of standard milk per day, when fresh.
what is q COW worth that gives only ten quarts
when fresh? You :. say II Is poor cow
that Will not give over ten quarts Of milk per
day, when new IN mich. Yes. but there are
lots of cows and heifers that will give no more
than that when springers. and the question IS
are they worth half rs much rs the former;
Then. anOtherQuestiOnc Omcsup. Suppose the
ton-quart cow will make rs much butter "a tho
twcnty-quart COW which Is often the case
then how should they be priced? Well. that
depends on what is wanted Of the COW. The
general milkman does not want the ten-quart
cow. and will not have her if be can find the
other But things being equal, how should
the COWS be priced:
OF course in the piney woods we have cows
whose milk yield Is not much 70 be taken into
consideration. They are scrub COWS, and the
main thing to look after IS getting through
the winter % best advantage with the least
possible feed But these are not the cows We
are now talking abOut-the COW for profit, all
things considered. IS the subject of our
theme. We are after the most profitable cow
20 her owner without regard 10 pedigree or
ANYTHING else.
The Ploughman writer claims that the
twenty-Quart cow Is worth four times Oinstead
Of twice. the price of the ten-quart COW, and
that the milkman can atiord 10 pay Just four
times rs much for her. He had better start
out with six cows Of the former stamp than
twenty-four Of the latter, because the extra
cost Of caro- and keeping would more than
balance the difference in income a tho larger
number. SO, on this account we ought 10
have "a schedule of prices. and every man hav-
ing a COW sell should be governed thereby.Or
tho purchaser should Inferior grades Of cows
are held too high, and purchasers Of the
higher grades do not consider the difference
in value as they ought The value Of "a cow
that Will make two pounds of butter day
when fresh. or 500 OF more pounds per year,
and come in again, over the one that Will
only mako pound per day without regard
10 the quantity Of milk and perhaps 200
pounds per year. 20 the butter maker Is quite
a difference. Perhaps you Will agree that tho
sooner the mature tcn-quart COW Is fitted for
the shamblcs the better. But We must have
the heifer somebody must. The milkman
does not want her. and many viii not have
I..r I,rf l..r Ia Il
We happen 90 have so many small mixers.
For an illustration, suppose that pig
fed from Stops from the house would
grow TO be a 300 pound hog in three years,
would it be economy 70 keep him three years
in that way, when little pushing -gOOdfeed-
ing would make him weigh the same at nine
months oldy Now. if the heifer. by q little
extra keeping. will give twelve OF fourteen
quarts, is il not the very best thing her owner
can do 10 make her do it? Pushing the heifer
will give US more twenty-quart cows and fewer
inferior ones than we now quite generally
have
The writer says good feeding never hurt any
Of his young stock He has had many young
cows give fourteen quarts Of milk the first
year and twenty quarts at four years Of age,
that without this extra good feeding would
never have done anything other than the
shamhes.
Preceding does much towards making good
mixers. but feeding comes in for its share Of
credit. The very best cows will not give
milk without feeding and the best heifers will
give more by being we'll fed and the feeding
of the medium grades. and teaching them 10
give milk. for it amounts ~ that. will diminish
the number Of ten. twelve. or fourteen quart
COWS. at best. which i a change 10 be desired.
Keep fewer COWS in number and better ones
is the writer's earnest advice We want more
two-pound a day butter COWS and less Of those
that will not make a pound n day. breeding
may have more 10 do with the butter COW.
hut feeding will help the thickness Of tho
cream. the quality as well as quantity Of but
ter. and the price Of the best ones should en-
courage their production 70 far greater OK
tout.-SIobile Register.