Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-23
THE MILK BREEDS.
Things Moro Important Than the S>iee'
ton Of Registered Stock.

vention, held the other DAY, Mr. george IL
Powell gave an interesting dairy talk on
"AIilch Cows-Production and Pedigree.
1t was a very practical address. To our
dairy farmers II will be OF great value.
lie says, as reported In the Philadelphia
Ledger:
IL don't advise farmers In times ike
these to go at once and buy registered
stock. L had some high-grades. Some OF
the most valuable cows are hIgh-grade.
j am believer In well-bred animals. Put
your herds 10 the test. and IL you ma
grade animal that is giving you high re-
turns. there is an animal tn start with
for your foundation.
There is value in selecting animals
that have record. In selecting an
animal TO breed from. 1 would not pin
my faith upon pedigree, but / want a
high record for production all along the
Zine. I would pay $3.50 for an animal with
a good history for production. rather than
take registered animal without 1t as q
gift. You have In such something to build
upon. l have been especially particular In
selecting sires to prevent getting poor
stock. We must have assurance that ne
comes from good breeding. My advice
TO farmers is to put at the head OF the
herd A good, thoroughbred animal.
'"rhe dairy-cow must be built for the
purposc; must have the conformation
that is adapted for what is wanted. Ny
first thought Is In relation TO her
breathing apparatus. The first thing
look at Is whether she has lung-powsr.
! want TO be pretty well assured when
am going TO take an animal into partner
snip that she is a good cow. / want
strong lung-power and capacity, which
haf fha l.. oko n
has power to east and digest food.
I'VE have never worked for particular
types In the dairy cows, and many have
been transformed by breeding and feed
Ing. Take, for instance, short-horns.
They had the conformation of wonderful
milk producers until we changed their
type, and, To get beef, made their ribs
stand out straight. That rib has been put
there for a purpose, and that is the car
rying of flesh. Take the Jersey, Guern-
sey, and the dairy type Of Holstein, their
ribs press downward, and with the pur-
pose OF carrying the weight OF a large
stomach. The beef animal has a small
stomach and no room for the udder.
HANDLING THE CALF.
After the selection Of the type comes
the very important matter of handling
the calf. It's whole future will depend
upon the care we give it. The calf should
be fed milk at the temperature that 1t
comes from its own mother. IL is not
enough that we heat 1t to 80 degrees
and then give IL to the calf. We cannot
tell when II Is 80 or 100. Very often II Is
too high temperature. Indigestion fol-
lows, scour sets In, and the little thing
has struggle for existence. We should
ascertain the temperature, not by put
ting a finger In the milk, but by ther-
mometer. The calf should be fed four or
five times a day-not much at time,
but increasing the quantity as Its stomach
Increases in size.
Instead of turning these little animals
out to pasture. IL is better that we keep
them in comfortable stables. Through
this period it is cruel to expose them to
the horn-flies. I would say just put the
calves In darkened stable. and keep
them in II.
Il have a friend who Is much interested
III raising these young animals who has
giving much study to the perfection of
the udder. His first practice Is after the
calf is n week old, to gently take the calf
and with his hands stroke the ribs down.
ward. He gets the confirmation by the
manipulation. He also takes held of the
development of the udder of the calf,
One Of his calves at Q months old de-
veloped the milk capacity. 1t would not
have been we'll for him TO stop il. That
calf was sold for $3.50. This gentleman
has not raised in his herd in two years
calf that has not brought him $200.
This, Of course. requires time and labor"
Asked to give the distinguished marks
Of the different breeds, Mr.. Powell said:
"Short-horns. although still ia the dairy
in some parts, are most generally bred
g. f.s ctr of.,I d,
along the back; in color red, inclining to
be mixed with gray. When Of n milk
strain, are especially valuable.
'The Aiderney and Jersey are practi-
cally the same. They are small; in color,
pure fawn. pure black, or a cOmbina ton
of the two. The Alderney is the larger
of the two. Both are TO be found in the
one herd-book.
Jersey veal six or eight weeks old
is the most delicate, and the finest grown.
The Guernsey Is a special type; is OF
clear yellow color, with white mark
ings; is larger than the Jersey. In addi-
tion TO giving large quantities of very
rich milk. it is capable of carrying more
pounds of beef than others Of the strictly
dairy type. The Guernsey has the pecu-
liarty of giving hlgh-colored milk. sum-
mer and winter. one Guernsey cow Will
COlOT lIlt Illlh VI NiDAt bNlhs
1.-The Ayrshire is a Scotch breed. In
color it is red and gray Is good pro-
ducer. its milk being the most nearly
perfect in the proportion Of casein and
butter fats.
THE Devonshire is neat. pretty. OF
medium size, and dark red in color. Many
are good mixers, but their strong point
Is beef and the excellence of the oxen
az workers, they being so quick and
active as to equal the horse for farm
work.
THE Holsten or Dutch breed were
disappointing when first introduced. They
gave large quantities of milk, but 1t
was deficient In butter-fats. The reason
for this was. at home their feed for
nearly the year round was mainly grass,
and but little grain. In our hands. bred
upon different kinds of food they have
added richness TO the quantity, and are
now among the best of the butter pro-