Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-09-06
THE TUCKAhOE CLUB.
Paper on the Kind and Number of Stock
aFarmer Should Keep.

The last meeting of the Tuckahoe Farm
ers' Club was held at the farm of Captain
c. G.. Snead, in Fluvanna county, and IN
addition to the regular members the fol-
loving gentlemen were present: DR.. II.
II. Snead. MIR. J. S. Payne, Mr.. Frank
Snead, Mr. III. Snead, and Mr. Walter
Daniel.
Captaini Snead presided and Mr.. @. E.
Jones was secretary of the meeting.
A thorough inspection of Captain Snead's
farm was made, and it was found to be in
most excellent condition, particularly in
respect of his stock and grass. His crop
of tobacco is one of the best in the county,
and he made splendid showing IN sheep
and horses.
PAPER on STOCK.
After q most tempting dinner MIR. q. T.:
Jones read paper on Inc Kind and
Number of Stock to Be Kept bya Farmer"
as follows
The first thing have to say is to ask the
indulgence of the club liz allowing me TO
wander occasionally from the subject.
fear the club has imposed upon me
task to which am unequal, inasmuch as
the subject selected is one of numberless
conditions. When 1 am through | shall
feel am but at the beginning.
The subject, "a stated, does not bind me
strictly to live stock. and | might give the
discussion still greater scope by embracing
also bank stock, except that in the same
sentence occurs the word farmer. Bank
stock and farmers don't keep company, so
we will drop that branch of stock. But |
will say in passing that perhaps the kind
OF live stock we keep has something to do
with our lack of acquaintance with bank
stock. However, i believe it is understood
we arc TO contne ourselves to cattle and
horses.
REFORM NEEDED.
After viewing the stock of one of our
best menbe rs at recent meeting 1t was
mentally decided by each one present that
reform Is needed and that mental action
| took shape in the subject for to-day.
will hrst take up cattle.
II one is farming near a city l would
recommend dairying with grade Jerseys
| produced from cross of short-horn on
pure-bred Jerseys. Pure Jerseys might be
| best for dairy purposes alone, but the
price forbids the mass of farmers from
using them. Then, again, the calves are
| not so salable as veals nor so large as the
cross, and when the cows are too old for
| the dairy they are not in demand for beef,
and are almost unstable as stock cattle.
| Then | do not believe the grades are as
liable to disease as the pure bred
Remote from the cities believe il is adj
visable TO raise beef-cattle, and for that
purpose / would recommend grade short
| horn in Eastern and Piedmont Virginia,
and pure-bred short-horn in the Valley
and Western Virginia.
There is, however, a good deal of land
in Piedmont Virginia which will sustain
we'll the pure-bred short-horn. With no
grain-feed except at time of fattening and
on moderately good pasturage, have seen
o short-horn bull reach 1880 pounds in
Piedmont Virginia.
| UNPRoFITABLE TO GRAIN.
OF late years it has been Improbable to
| grain cattle for beef in this section, and
our farmers have been compelled to sell
| to cattle-deaers instead CT butchers, who
generally sell again to farmers who live
where grain is cheaper. But it is to be
hoped that the present improvement IN
prices will be maintained permanently, so
as TO justify our farmers ia going back TO
the feeding of cattle, and in that way
keeping up the fertility of their lands.
| As to horses, believe we should breed
only thoroughbreds and STANDARDIZED
| trotters.
OF the two breeds l much prefer the
STANDARDIZED trotter for general adoption
| for two Ieasons-there is no regular home
market for the runner. while there is for
| the trotter. III the trotter should fail to
develop unusual speed Ee is in demand in
our own cities as q carriage-horse and more
particularly as a gentleman's driving
horse, while the thoroughbred is not SO
much so.
DRloUHT-HoRsxs.
do not believe the lands of Eastern and
Middle Virginia so well adapted to the
productions of tho drauaht-horse as of the
trotter. The draug to find ready sale
must be very large. while the trotter need
not be so, though 10 is best to breed for
size and stylishness as well as speed. as
speed is the exception, and with full size
and style You have a good buggy horse.
1 The pastures in our section, as q rule, will
not produce sufficient size in the draught-
horse, aud our efforts in that direction will
result In medium size. and the demand
for the mediums isgrestly curtailed OF late
years by the street-railways supplAnting
them with the cable and electric systems.
believe our best plan, as q beginning,
- TO keep common brood mares of good
style and full size a. work teams and breed
these TO Q trotting horse, and as soon as
one is able to add Q standard or thorough
bred mare TO the stock ~ pleasure horse,
not 70 % uozksd an the f,Fm. and - ones