310 STATE BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



came to Holland some eighteen montlis ago and took back with him a number 

 of coAvs. He writes me that he is highly satisfied with them. 



The genuine Holland cattle, as to color, are almost invariably white and 

 black. Some few of them are of a mouse or Maltese color, but they are re- 

 garded as of a depreciated or half-breed stock. One family of them is so defi- 

 nitely marked that when seen at a distance one would suppose they were black, 

 with a perfectly Avhite clotli bound round their bodies. In travelling all 

 through Holland, scarcely a specimen of any other color will be seen. It is 

 conjectured that there is something in the climate in which they live, and in 

 the food they consume that tends to this coloring. 



The Holland cattle are thoroughly shorthorns, more so, indeed, than the 

 Durham. Tlieir shape is very symmetrical, with long, straight back, small 

 head, with trim limbs. They are of large frame. 



In disposition they are notably gentle and manageable. Their pastures not 

 enclosed by fences, but by shallow ditches. Over these they rarely leap. Their 

 knowledge of the boundaries in which they are to roam seem to bo as well 

 defined as that of their owners. An American cow would not be restrained by 

 any such surroundings. She, Avith a progressive spirit, would cross the ditch, 

 even if she mired in the attempt. 



Treatment. 



During the pasturing season they are at large upon the lot set apart for them. 

 During mucli of the time they are clothed with a blanket of hempen cloth 

 which defends them from the fogs of the night and the flies of midday. They 

 are milked with prompt punctuality. When the milker summons them to the 

 paddock, they obey his voice. When he takes his seat, witli a cord always at 

 hand, he ties their hind legs together, and with another attaches the tail, so 

 that it cannot be whisked about. This prevents the knocking over of the pail 

 and the soiling of the milk. 



Over the large vessel into which the milk is poured, when the pail becomes 

 full, a fine strainer is placed so as to catch all foreign particles. The most 

 perfect care is taken of the lots in which they feed. Every few days a man 

 will go over them with a shovel or rake in hand and scatter the droppings and 

 supply the land with some fertilizing substance to keej) tiie grass in healthy 

 vigor. They practice here upon the theory that it is just as necessary to feed 

 land as it is to feed animals. 



Co IV Houses. 



During the winter these cows are confined in brick houses constructed for 

 permanence so as to afford the greatest possible comfort and convenience under 

 the same roof, and at one end of the building the dairyman or herdsman lias 

 the residence of his family. Between this residence and the stable is a large 

 department used for the care of the milk and the cleansing of vessels, in which 

 it is conveyed to market. It is supplied with a stove and a well of water. The 

 stable is oblong with a hall through the center, from which all feed is supplied, 

 the heads of the cows on either side being turned towards the center. Tiie 

 flooring is all of brick and the cows stand upon a brick platform five feet six 

 inches in width. Immediately behind this is a gutter of the depth of eighteen 

 inches which catches all excrements; still back of that is an aisle or walking 

 place. The gutter is thoroughly cleansed every morning, and a stream of 

 water made to pass tlirough it. The manure is all taken to vats in the yard, 

 and preserved for use during subsequent seasons. 



