The Republican journal., 1895-11-07
Dairying and Stock Feeding in Maine.
QUESTIONS DISCUSSED AT A FARMERS IN
STITUTE IN BELFAST.

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[Fernaldgraphically reported for The Journall
The third OF the farmers Institutes for
Waldo County, under the auspices of the
Maine Board of Agriculture, was held at
Equity Grange Hall, Belfast, Oct. 3lst. The
others were held the two days previous at
West Winterport and North Searsport.
There was good attendance of farmers and
ladies, and great deal Of interest was man
ifested, nearly every point made by the
speakers calling forth numerous questions
| from the audience.
| The forenoon session was called to order
at 10 o'clock by VIM. II. MOODY, Esq, of
Liberty, member Of the State Board of Ag-
riculture for Waldo county. After brief
| opening remarks, in which he referred to
the early farmers institutes and the increas-
| ing interest and attendance, Mr. Moody in
| trodueed b. f. Briggs of Auburn, member
| of the Board for Androscoggin county, who
gave a very interesting talk ON
! THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DAIRY.
| The first requisite, lie said, for successful
| dairylng, must be a liking for the business :
and next, the closest attention to all the
details, from the buying of the cows to mar
ketng of the butter. 1t would be we'll for the
young man who contemplates going into the
dairy business to attend one of the many
AS regards the breed best ADAPTED to the
dairy the experience of farmers and tests at
experiment stations prove that the jersey is
the best dairy COW. Not that all JERSEYS a re
better than any Guernsey or Shorthorn, but
that, as a whole, they have proved superior
for dairy uses. 1t is cheaper for the average
farmer to accept these tests rather than to
experiment for himself. Having decided on
the breed and bought stock of cows Gull
out the poorest and sell them as soon as this
can be done, supplying their places by good
animals. 1t costs just as much to keep a
poor animal a good one. Next after a
good selection of cows comes a good sire
Raise the helfer calves and breed them to
this sire for one generation, to get the strain
established; and after this out-crosses are
advisable Helfers, by proper care, can be
made to produce milk at 20 to % months
Old, but the speaker did not advise having
them come in under two years old A JERSEY
dairy COW should have a rugged constitution
and good spirit. A COW with duh eyes is
not good one. The head should be slim,
with good width between the eyes; the ears
large and We'll filled with hair; the neck
long and slim; the back long and hips and
chest deep. The udder should be large
hang squarely, be free from hair and extend
well up. The teats should be of medium
size, evenly shaped and set evenly at the
four corners of the udder. The milk veins
should be prominent and the crookeder the
better He does not consider the escutch-
con as Of much Importance, but, other things
being equal, would prefer COW with good
one.
With all possible care in the selection OF
the stock the butter can be spoiled by bad
feeding. Cows should have plenty of good
food, regularly supplied. If irregulariy fed
cows become restless and do not produce
the best results. There should be good
periods OF rest between feeds, and water
should be supplied regularly. The chill
should be taken from the water, and the
source OF supply should be pure Sunny
barus are essential. His method of feeding
and caring for stock is to give ration Of
grain and small foddering of hay at $50
O'Clock. Clean out the stable, milk the
cows and give another small supply of hay
They are then turned out for water and
exercise, tied up at $780, and rest until noon,
when they are again fed. At 4 80 they are
fed again. and MIXED, and later are given
their corn fodder The managers should be
regularly and thoroughly cleaned Cows
should be handled gently. They appreciate
kindness, or resent in juries, as readily as
human beings. They learn readily from
their keepers. Aquick tempered, cruel man
Will have unruiy COWS. Quiet COWS give
more milk and better milk.
Milking is a most important part of dairy
work. No one can make good butter from
poor milk. and one Of the surest means Of
producing poor milk is improper milking.
lie most scrupnlous cleanliness should be
opStINtu Each Sudll should be thoroughly
cleaned and the floor sprinkled with good
clean absorbent. Sawdust is excellent for
tins purpose. The animals should be brush
ed off and all loose dust carefully brushed
from the lldder. The milker should sit close
to his COW, and milk quickly and quietly.
There should he no talking, nor anything to
disturb the quiet of the COW. The milk of
each COW should be poured IF and strained
and the pail rinsed out before beginning an
other.
The dairy room should be entirely discon-
nected from all other rooms. 1t should get
no odors either from the stable or kitchen.
1t pays TO make butter at home if a first
class article is made. 1t is not possible to
make as good butter from mixed milk from
many different farms, as from the milk from
one farm where all processes are under one
management.
In his own dairy MIR. Briggs cares for his
herd as above described. The milk is strain
ed through cloth and set in Cooley cans "a
hours at a temperature OF 45o. The SKINNED
milk is fed to hogs. The churning tempera-
ture for the cream IS 620 for summer and $50
for winter. The room should be kept about
6O0. He churns one hour with Davis
swing churn. The butter has three wash
ings. Up to this point ali may be done ac-
cording to fixed rules but beyond this much
depends on the judgment Of the maker.
The amount and kind of working, the guam
tity of salt and the printing are matters
| that must be governed by various conditions
and the skill and judgment of the operator.
All the water should be worked out without
injury to the grain. If all the various opera
tions are carefully, neatly and skilfully per
formed the butter will always ind ready
| sale. The market is never overstocked with
frst-class produce of any kind In Mr..
| Briggs opinion dairying is the best business
| an average farmer can engage in.
At the close of Mr.. Briggs address permis-
sion was given to ask questions, and some
interesting points were brought out Among
them We're the following.
O. What kind Of worker do you prefer
A. There are several good ones. Any
kind of lever worker that produces pres
sure without a grinding motion is good
q. How much of a herd do you keen?
| a. About 30 head on an average.
q. Don't you make more money buying
and selling than by dalrying?
| A. Yes.
| Q. l have COW that loos whenever any
one comes into the barn (the questioner here
initiated the soundD She is we'll fed, salted
and watered the same as the others, What
! is the cause?
| A cannot tell without knowing all the
| conditions, and perhaps not then. It was
informally decided later that as the ques-
tioner's sons are violinists the animal is
learning to sing and taking her key from the
| tiddles).
| q. Can you get as much cream from deep
setting with ice-water as W tn shallow pans
| A. do not see how you can get any more
with the pans, as deep setting gets it all.
1 %. Does it, rnnrh tn