The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-08-23
AGRICULTURAL.
General Purpose Cows.

The general purpose COW has been
under discussion for many years, or
since the development of the special
purpose butter breeds, the Jerseys and
Gurnseys have brought them into prom
inence. The claim has many times
been made by breeders of these dairy
types of cattle that there could be no
compromise between the butter breeds
and the essentially beef breeds, like
the Shorthorns and the Herefords. So
strong were these claims that several
years ago it looked as ii an eastern
farmer would be called "wayback"
who did not keep high grade or thor
oughbred Jerseys or Gurnseys for dairy
purposes, especially for butter West
ern competition, in connection with
comparatively cheaper transportation,
has driven eastern farmers out of beef
production as a business, and they
have been obliged to turn their atten-
ton largely to dairying. But thousands
of them are 80 situated that they do
not want to make dairying an exclu-
sive business. Their pasturage, feed,
barns, farm help, and other conditions
make it a necessity for them keep
some sheep or to raise steers that will
Bell in the local beef markets, or some
young cows TO supply the increasing
demand of milkmen.
To meet these conditions it has been
necessary to keep what has been
termed the general purpose cow an
animal of good form and medium size
that will produce calf that will be
good beef steer or salable heifer,
and that will give at least 5000 pounds
of four per cent milk in year, and
make a good piece of beef when her
best years of usefulness have passed.
The special purpose breeder will call
such an animal "scrub cow" and
her owner is likely to be termed a
"scrub farmer" Sometimes it has
taken no small amount of moral cour-
age for man to refuse to invest in
fancy bred Jersey stock, and to con-
tinue to keep his general purpose
stock. But these farmers have more
courage than few years ago. People
are beginning to realize that the gen.
eral purpose COW, like the general pur-
pose horse, has had and will have
legitimate place on many farms, and
they are not "scrub stock" either. In
many instances these cattle have been
bred with as much care as has been
bestowed upon the average herd of
Jerseys, and with gratifying results
to the owners. Some farmers prefer
the Shorthorn cross for this kind of
breeding, others prefer the solid color
Devon type, while others are partial
to the Hosteins. At farmers insti-
tute in certain town in this state
where Jersey cows largely predomi
nate, it was stated during the discus
sion that the herd of cows which gave
the owner the largest returns per COW
from the creamery were grade Hol-
stems, whose average amount of but
ter fat was less than that of any other
herd. But no figures were obtainable
to show the relative cost of the feed
OF the different herds.
The special purpose COW is for the
man whose sole object in keeping COWS
is to make butter, whether it be from
one COW or from fifty or more, aud
there are most exceient. reasons why
certain type of COW should be kept for
this purpose Other conditions prevail
on other farms, and the general pur-
pose COW will meet these conditions
better than any other animal.
Most critics in this direction make
no distinction between the real general
purpose COW that has been carefully
bred, and the haphazard bred scrub
stock thit is found in the yards of
too many farmers at the present time.
There is, however, wide distinction
between these two classes of cattle,
and while the scrub COW has no legiti-
mate place on any farm, on many farms
the general purpose COW fills the bill
better than any other animal, Alpha
Messer, Lecturer National Grange, in
New England Farmer.