THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



293 



tiori of breeds ; for where the stock is not bred on 

 the farm, it is not likely there would be a similarity 

 of character, shape, &c. As before stated, the 

 majority of the dairy-farmers purchase the whole 

 of their stock ; they are usually bought in at three 

 years old, with their first calf. Large supplies are 

 brought from Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buck- 

 inhamshire, and other distant counties — even from 

 Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Leicester- 

 shire, the dealers bringing them in large droves to 

 the several markets and fairs in the months of 

 February, March, and April. Those persons who 

 are more particular in their choice frequently fore- 

 stall the places of sale, by making long journeys 

 to meet the droves to obtain an early selection, and 

 frequently all the best heifers are bought up before 

 arriving at their destination, and unless the trade 

 be bad it is seldom now that we see any of the best 

 heifers pitched for sale in the markets. 



In the early part of the season the dairymen 

 prefer buying their heifers a short time before 

 calving, so as to get them home and rest a few 

 days before they drop their calves ; further on in 

 the season they like to have them with their calves, 

 or as near to calving as possible, and one is often 

 surprised to see the difference there is made in the 

 price of heifers just about to " come into pail," 

 and technically termed "good sellers," and those 

 of equal quality a week or two later to calve, and 

 perhaps not quite so good in colour, or with some 

 other slight defect (and many of our dairymen are 

 very capricious), though eventually the latter ani- 

 mals may prove more profitable. For some reason 

 or other, the dairymen seem to prefer purchasing 

 of the dealers rather than of the breeders; I sup- 

 pose it is from their being able to select just as 

 they please from the droves of the former ; and 

 the dealers, knowing the prejudices of their cus- 

 tomers, take care to "lay it on pretty thick" when 

 they have something tempting to offer. 



In the best part of the district it is customary to 

 have the cows commence dropping their calves at 

 Christmas, or soon after, and, if possible, to have 

 them all "into work" by the 1st of April; but 

 where the land is not so good and early, a month 

 or two later than that is preferred. A few of the 

 earliest calves are fattened, on most dairies, if the 

 demand for weanling calves has not commenced, 

 and there is not sufficient milk to begin cheese- 

 making. 



There is a great demand for good well-bred 

 heifer calves for weaning from the occupiers of 

 mixed farms in the adjoining districts, where there 

 is not sufficient pasture, or inclination on the part 

 of the occupier, to keep a dairy. 



The calves are reared and kept till three years 

 old, and then find their way back to tKe dairies 

 wish their first calf. 



The dealers, too, who supply the stock of heifers, 

 now frequently provide a well-bred bull, and con- 

 tract for all the heifer calves, at good prices, and 

 in some good stock the bulls also ; but generally 

 the latter go into othev counties as sucklers ; which 

 is the case with all the calves now sold for weaning. 



After cheese-making once begins, they are sold 

 at ten days or a fortnight old, and sometimes 

 younger; all the milk goes to the cheese tub. In 



some of the larger dairies the making of cheese 

 scarcely ceases throughout the year : the late 

 calved cows are milked on till the early ones come 

 into pail. 



Cows are not now kept in the dairies so long as 

 in the days of the old " long-horns ;" they are 

 seldom kept beyond six or seven years of age. 



It is now the custom to have a few of the oldest 

 cows every year in season earlier (say November or 

 December), and sold for the London market. 



The cows that calve early are generally let dry 

 about six weeks or two months before calving ; 

 those that are later ai'e generally dry a longer time, 

 and kept on the roughest portion of the hay ; or 

 they are sometimes sent to the arable farm, to 

 straw for a few weeks ; but that I believe to be 

 often done at a loss to their owners ; the animals 

 lose their flesh, and do not give the quantity of 

 milk the following summer ; but if three or four 

 pounds of cake per day is allowed, then there is no 

 harm in the plan ; but without that it would be 

 better to keep them at home, and provide straw 

 and roots, or cake, as is now usually done where 

 there is sufficient arable land for that purpose. 



Great improvements have been made of late 

 years in the building of yard accommodation for 

 the dairy cows ; we do not see so many wintered in 

 the field; still there is much room for further im- 

 provement in this way. The cows, when expected 

 to calve, are brought home to the yards, or some 

 dry pasture near the homestead, that they may 

 have the best keep and constant supervision of the 

 master or the cowman. 



The best hay the farm produce is always kept 

 for the cows after they are in milk. The older cows 

 are {or should be) kept apart from the heifers, in 

 order that they may not injure the young ones ; 

 and the latter be enabled to get a fair share of 

 food, which they will not do if kept together. 



It is not at all usual to tie cows up to feed them. 

 They are generally fed in upstand cribs, or in cribs 

 under the walls of the yard; and here I would 

 remark, that often considerable waste of hay is 

 made, by the master cow driving the imder ones 

 from crib to crib, dropping a mouthful of hay every 

 time ; to prevent this, I have seen a coarse rack 

 (similar to a rail-hurdle) thrown upon the hay. 

 The cows are then unable to pull out the hay so 

 easily. 



The practice of tying up the cows to be milked, 

 both before they are turned to grass and during 

 the summer, is now very frequently adopted, and I 

 think must be attended with the best results ; it is 

 far preferable to the milkers running about the 

 yards, when wet and full of muck, more particu- 

 laryly in hot weather, when the flies are constantly 

 teasing them. There is also this advantage : the 

 milkers cannot pick and choose their cows — the 

 old hands leaving the hardest milkers for the young 

 ones, which is frequently the case when loose in 

 the yard ; but when tied up, they begin at one end 

 of the stall, and follow on in rotation till all are 

 done. I have lately seen the names of the cows 

 printed on zinc shdes and fixed on the heads of the 

 animals (as in a hunting stable), every cow being 

 tied up in her appointed place to be milked morning 

 and night. 



