222 ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW-YORK 



ascertain, as far as practicable, what is the fair average of dairies, 

 composed of the dairy cows of this country, and treated as our 

 best dairy cows are by good dairymen. 



We requested a dairyman in this State, Joshua S. Holbert, of 

 Chemung, to make the experiment, and furnish us witli the 

 result. He has done so and his statement will be found annexed. 

 From this it will be seen that the fair average of the dairy, taking 

 the season through, is fourteen quarts of milk for a pound of butter. 

 We have made extensive inquiries since this statement was fur- 

 nished, and the general expression of dairymen, in our own and 

 adjoining States, corresponds with that of Mr. Holbert. 



It will be seen in the report which we give of Mr. T. Horsfall, 

 of England, on the management of dairy cattle, that the same 

 average is found in Mecklenbui'g, Prussia, Holland, and Great 

 Britain. 



It is very important that our dairymen should make careful 

 trial of different varieties of feed, testing the qualities of each, 

 and thus ascertain what is most beneficial, in addition to the 

 ordinary pastures of the farm. Indian corn for soiling has been 

 very successfully used in this State, for dairy cattle — and in the 

 severe drought of 1854, those of our dairymen who had this 

 resource, were enabled to make their full complement of butter, 

 while others suffered a very great reduction in their annual 

 produce. The Chinese Sugar Cane is recommended as favorable 

 for this purpose, and its extensive culture during the approaching 

 season, will doubtless test its value. The Stowell Evergreen corn 

 has proved the most valuable variety for soiling that we have 

 known in this State. We hope our dairymen will give attention 

 to the subject, and communicate to the Society the results of the 

 trials which may be made, with any variety of corn for soiling. 



We would invite particular attention to the article of Mr. 

 HoRsFALL, on the management of dairy cattle. It gives the 

 result of most careful experiments in feeding, and cannot but 

 prove instructive and useful to every intelligent dairyman. 



We have in connection with this, selected a valuable article 

 from the Transactions of the Royal Agricultural Society, of Eng- 

 land, by its distinguished chemist Prof. J. Thomas Way, on the 

 nutritive and fattening qualities of grasses. This is the most 



