152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



PRIVATE DAIRYIXG. 

 By L. S. Robinson, Warren. 



The requisites for success in private dairying I put down as 

 follows : 



1st, Good cows. 



2d, Good keeping. 



3d, Good care. 



4th, Regularity in feeding and milking. 



5th, Gentleness. 

 It is useless to think of making dairying profitable with poor 

 cows, such as will not make two hundred pounds of butter in a year. 

 Probably three-fourths of the cows in the State will not come up to 

 this standard. Every dairyman ought to test each individual cow 

 for the amount of milk and of butter and the qualit}- of butter. It 

 is but little trouble to do this, and it will give you a knowledge of 

 the merits of each cow. M3- cows are pure Jersey' (and every 

 dairj-man ought to have some Jersey blood), but I would not have 

 an3' one conclude that because he has a Jerse}' cow that she is a 

 good one, for there are man}- poor cows among them, especially 

 among the grades. A bull calf should never be raised whose dam 

 could not make fourteen pounds of butter in a week ; and his sire 

 should be from cows of equal capacit}'. 



It pays to keep cows well. B}- this I do not mean forcing to 

 their utmost capacit}', but keeping them in a good thriving condition at 

 all times. If a cow is fresh in milk, keep her so she will neither gain 

 nor fall awa}'. 



Cows will give more milk if treated kindly. No loud or harsh 

 language should ever be used with them. Neither should any harsh 

 treatment be allowed when milking, or when the}- are being driven 

 to and from the pasture. 



After the cow has done her part, the next thing is the care of the 

 milk. For the care of this, a dairy room should be provided, and 

 it should be devoted exclusively to this purpose, and for the keeping 

 of the apparatus in use. The practice of setting milk in the cook 

 room cannot be recommended. Every dairyman, even if he keeps 

 but few cows, should provide a creamery in which to set his milk. 

 The cost is no more, at least, than the fitting of a room, while in all 

 respects the creamer}' will give the best results. 



