Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-10-11
THE HOME AND FARM.
December, January and February are

December, January and February are
the three months when the COWS re
quire the best of feeds and care in order
to get the greatest profit from them.
From now till then we should do all
we can to prepare the COWS for their
winters work. And now is the time
to weed out the herd and sell the poor
cows.
Always be on the lookout for an ex.
ira good cow. There is such a vast
difference between an extra good COW
and an ordinary good one. Sometimes
the difference is n hundred per cent.
but a fifty per cent. gain is common.
Some cows arc good for six months
some for eight aud some all the year.
1t is the all the year cows we want.
Five cows were MIXED four weeks
by two different persons, each mixer
serving two weeks, both being COM
petent, one Of them doing his average
milking and not aware that an ex-
pertinent was under way; the other
was fully informed as to the nature
OF the experiment and expected to
contribute his best skill for the purpose
In view. In the case of the one una
ware of the experiment the yield of
milk from the five cows for the two
weeks was 1854 pounds. The yield of
milk from the same cows for a cores
ponding period while in charge of the
man aware of the experiment reached
1,lS1 pounds. The excess of 267 pounds
in favor of the nan who MIXED to
dryness. The experiment proved that
1t pays to get all the cow has 10 deliver
Also, that it is a matter of Importance
that the udder be emptied as rapidly
as possible in a manner acceptable to
the cow this because of the effect on
the richness of the milk in fat globules.
Another important feature in milking
to dryness is that the first milk drawn
is most aqueous, while the last con.
tains most butter fat. While not strict.
ly a result of this experiment, it dem
onstrates anew the teaching of the
experience that proves that incom-
pletely MIXED COWS have a tendency to
diminish their yield.
CRossBRED HOGS
After using a thoroughbred male
and well selected sows, and securing
In this way a good grade of pigs, one
is often tempted by the improved
appearance of the pigs tc keep one or
more of the boars for breeding, as in
crossbreeding of the pigs is often a
sufficient %inducement to cause one or
more of the bears to be kept for breed
ing. BUTT should be thoroughly under
stood that in breeding to improve, the
sire should always be a thoroughbred,
or there will be no uniformity in the
offspring.
Whenever a grade. crossbred, or scrub
male is used, the offspring are cer tain
to degenerate to a more or less extent.
That is, while it is easily possible to
gradually improve the pigs on the farm
by selecting and using a thoroughbred
male, a gradual degenerating will be
the result if a crossbred or grade male
Is used in breeding. There is really no
special advantages in crossbreeding
unless it be using a thoroughbred male
with a well selected scrub or male SOW.
Any OF the better breeds make better
pigs to feed and fatten for market and
are much more reliable as breeders, if
kept pure, than if crossbred. Hence,
in nearly or quite all cases the safest
n best plan is to keep pure, taking
care in all cases to only select the best
animals, even then, to be kept for
breeders. While pure bred is an impor-
tant item; it is also essential that the
animals possess individual merit in ad-
dition, if quality is Ito be secured.
Eldon, Mo. N. j. SHEPHERD,