FARMERS' REGISTER— MANAGEiMENT OF THE DAIRY. 



553 



Extracts from tUe last edition of the '• Complete Grazier. 



OTY THK ECONOMY AND MANAGEMENT OF 

 THE DAIRY. 



Of milch kine. 



The value of the respective breeds of milcli 

 kine having been already staled,* it will rest with 

 the farmer to make his selection, according to the 

 nature of the soil in his occupation, and of the 

 particular branch of dairying which he means to 

 pursue : for if his object be to sell the milk, or to 

 suckle calves, quantity must be the material con- 

 sideration ; and quality, if he mean to produce 

 butter and cheese. 



It is a general observation, that the richest milk 

 is produced by the red cow, while the black sort is 

 reckoned best lor the purpose of breeding, as her 

 calf" is usually both stronger and more healtliy 

 than the offspring of the red species. This, how- 

 e\'er, is one of those errors which have been 

 transmitted, through a long series of years, with- 

 out being founded on fact. The red cows have, 

 indeed, been long celebrated for the excellence of 

 their milk ; and the calves of black cows have 

 been proverbially deemed good : but color in this 

 respect is a matter of no moment ; the breed 

 alone should claim the farmer^s attention. But 

 cows even of the same, and of the best breeds, 

 will not always yield the same quantity of" milk; 

 .mid of those which j'ield the most, it is not un- 

 frequcntly deficient in richness. Trials, are, how- 

 ever, easily made, by keeping the coavs on the 

 .sa*ie food, weighing the quantity consumed by 

 each, and measuring their milk ; then keeping 

 and churning it, a few times, separately : thus, 

 reckoning the cost of the provender, and the pro- 

 duce of the milk of each, and comparing the re- 

 sult, it will be soon discovered which is the most 

 profitable animal. Comparisons of this kind are 

 not often made ; for farmers usually purchase 

 whatever stock they can most conveniently, or 

 most cheaply, lay their hands on ; and are then 

 content to keep them so long as they turn out toler- 

 ably Avell. This, however, is the height of bad 

 economy ; for an indifferent cow will eat as much 

 and require as much attendance, as the best ; and 

 thus occasions a daily loss, that will soon exceed 

 any probable saving in the original price ; whereas 

 the man Avho takes the pains to acquire a good 

 stock, and has the sense to keep it, lays the sure 

 foundation of a fortune. 



In point of quantity, larg-e. cows, of whatever 

 breed, will generally be found to have the advan- 

 tage over the small ones. In this particular, the 

 Tees-water breed excels ; but they require a rich 

 soil, and if the land be not of the best kind, a 

 Suffolk, or a Scotch cow, will be preferable. It is 

 common for cows of the first mentioned breed to 

 give as much milk as thirty quarts a day; and 

 there are instances of even more ; but they are of 

 the old Yorkshire stock, and do not belong to the 

 improved breeds of short horns, and their milk is 

 not considered equal in richness to the Devon or 

 the kyloe. 



In order to ascertain their comparative merit, 

 tAvo experiments arc recorded to liavc been made 

 in the county of Durham, by different persons of 

 impartiality and experience, who each got two 



* See No. 4, Farmers' Register. 

 Vol. 11—41 



ounces of butter fiom a quart of kyloe milk ; Avhile 

 a quart fi'om the short horned breed produced, in 

 one instance, only one ounce, and in the other but 

 very little more. From a further experiment on 

 six cows of the short horned improved breed, it 

 however appears, that the product of a quart of 

 milk from each was as follo\vs : — 



The great difference between I?o. 1, and the 

 remainder, is accounted for by the age of tlie for- 

 mer being six years, and that of all the others only 

 two ; for the produce of butter increases up to a 

 certain age, asd cows are most productive from 

 tour to seven years old. The result of other trials 

 of the value of the milk of the two breeds, varied, 

 but the quantity was uniformly in favor of" the 

 Yorkshire.* 



In other counties the results have been stated 

 thus : — in Devonshire, according to INIr. Vaucou- 

 ver, tliree gallons of milk give 20 oz. of butter ; 

 Mr. Wedge says, that, in "Cheshire, one gallon 

 yields 16 oz. ; Mr. Wakefield states the Lancashire 

 return at four and a half pounds fi'om about six- 

 teen gallons, in one instance, and in another, at 

 eight pounds from the same quantity ; and r>Ir. 

 Aiton calculates the average, in Ayrshire, at six 

 oz. per gallon, though that is frequently exceeded. 

 in particular instances. 



The same gentlemen slate the average quantity 

 of milk produced by dairy cows, until dry, in those 

 several counties as follows : — in Devonsliire, twelve 

 — Cheshire, eight — Lancashire, six — and Ayrshire 

 eight quarts, per day. Mr. Aiton, however, rates 

 the produce of" the best Scotch cows much higher, 

 and estimates their yearly produce, thus :- 



300 average per day 18.} quarts ; 1000 



Many instances of superior productiv-eness are 

 cited in" the county reports, and other publications, 

 which it would be tedious to enumerate ; but one 

 of those is too curious to be omitted. It is tliat of 

 a cow belonging to W. Cramp of Lewes, in Sus- 

 sex, which, during four successive years, afforded 

 the following produce; viz. 



Thus leaving a nett profit of £ 153 14 8 

 Afler deducting the expcn.==e of feeding; but the 



''Agriculkiral Surrey of Durham, p. 237. 



