CHAPTER XV 



DAIRYING PASTURE AND FOOD 



Conditions, Suitable and Unsuitable Best Dairying Localities Cow 

 Pasture Water Supply Natural and Artificial Herbage Weeds- 

 Extent of Dairy Land Show of the British Dairy Farmers' 

 Association Data for Calculating the Amount of a Cow's Food 

 Plan of Arrangements for Feeding 100 Cows on 300 Acres Winter 

 Dairying House Feeding for a Town Milk Trade Examples of 

 Edinburgh and Leith Dairies Analyses of Morning's and Forenoon's 

 Milk Tuberculosis Butter-making without a Churn. 



CONDITIONS, suitable and unsuitable. The climate 

 Iv/ is the only limit to success in dairying in this country, 

 and that on account of the wet and cold of the higher of the 

 hilly regions. All other difficulties deficient rainfall and 

 clay-soil (such as the heavy clays near London) that, not so 

 long ago, were thought unsuitable can be dealt with by 

 adopting one of the many varied systems of dairying practised 

 in England. There is a choice of (i) "soiling," viz., keeping 

 the cows entirely indoors and carrying all green and other 

 food to them, or (2) pasturing during summer, besides (3) 

 many combinations or variations of the two plans. 



Dairying is more remunerative in some localities than 

 in others, owing to local favourable conditions ; but the 

 absence of some of these does not necessarily exclude the 

 practice of dairying as a successful industry. The districts in 

 England of most renown in this respect are parts of the 

 counties of Cheshire, Derby, York, Leicester, Gloucester, 

 Somerset ; and in Scotland Wigtown, Kirkcudbright, Dum- 

 fries, Ayr, Renfrew, and Lanark. Such places possess the soil 

 and the climate suitable for growing good grass, which is the 

 best and cheapest food for dairy cows grass for summer, and 

 hay for the winter months. Roots were at one time con- 

 sidered indispensable, and it was thought that if roots could 

 not be profitably grown, dairying need not be attempted ; 

 but now that the aroma and flavour of milk and its products 



291 



