DAIRY. 



DAIRY. 



the spring, they will weigh 300 Ibs. in the fall. 

 140 Ibs. of pork is to be credited to five cows. 



" The cost of wintering a cow here, is rated at 

 $10 ; pastur.age, $4. A good dairy woman will 

 take charge of thirty cows, with assistance in 

 milking and in handling cheese. Her wages 

 will be $1 50 per week, with board. 



'tin Tyringham, the average yield of a cow 

 is reckoned at new milk cheese, 283 Ibs., 

 and butter at the same time, 57 Ibs. A dairy 

 of twenty-eight cows gave 7912 Ibs. new milk 

 cheese, and 1600 Ibs. butter. A large amount 

 of pork was fattened on this farm ; but it is 

 difficult to say what portion of it is to be 

 credited to the dairy. 



" In Sheffield, the average product of twenty- 

 eight cows was 394 Ibs. new milk cheese, and 

 50 Ibs. of butter each. 



" The product of a cow is thus stated by this 

 excellent manager : 



Cow, Cr. 



400 Ibs. new milk cheese at 8 els. ... $32 00 

 Calf, (killed at 3 days old) - - - - 1 00 



50 Ibs. butter, at 16* - - - - - 8 33 



Whey and butter-milk make 100 Ibs. pork - 8 00 



$49 33 

 Supra, Dr. 



Winter keeping $1200 



One acre of land costing $50 will pasture 



the cow - - - - - -3 50 



Salt 25 cts., 3 bs. of bran $3 - - - 3 25 

 Int. on the value of cow at 25, 10 per ct. 2 50 

 Labour of milking, making butter, cheese, &c. 4 00 25 25 



Balance in favour of cow .... $24 03 



" The quantity of land estimated for pastu- 

 rage in this case seems small. It must be small 

 for a general rule ; another farmer in the same 

 town assured me that he kepi one yoke of oxen 

 all the season, and one horse half the season, 

 on two and a half acres of land, which he 

 showed me. The land had been greatly bene- 

 fitted by plaster. 



"In New Marlboro', the yield of a cow is 

 estimated at 300 Ibs. new milk cheese ; four 

 hogs are kept to 20 cows ; two tons of hay are 

 deemed requisite for a cow; value of hay sold 

 $10 ; but if the farmer can realize $6 per ton 

 for it used on the place, he deems it better than 

 to sell it. Eight to ten acres of land here, with 

 the use of plaster, is deemed sufficient for the 

 pasturage of four cows. 



" In Great Barrington, nine cows produced 

 1900 Ibs. new milk cheese, and 800 Ibs. butter. 

 In another "case from eight cows were sold of 

 butter, 200 Ibs., of new milk cheese, 1225 Ibs. 

 In another case 5 cows, through the season, and 

 an additional cow half the season, from 1st of 

 June to 10th Nov., produced 651 Ibs. butter 

 and 200 Ibs. new milk cheese. In this case the 

 weekly returns were given. The same farmer 

 says, that his cows will average one pound of 

 butter per day through the season. He states 

 his cow account thus : 



Cow, Cr. 



200 Ibs. butter at 20 cts. - - - - - $40 00 

 Calf raised 2 00 



Buttermilk, and skim milk for pork, equal to all 

 the care 



$42 00 

 Supra, Dr. 



Wintering, 2 tons of hay - - - -$1600 

 Pasturing, 25 cts. per week, 26 weeks - 6 50 

 Int. on cost of cow, $20, at 10 per ct. - 2 00 24 50 



Profits of a cow 



$17 00 



" In Alford, the actual yield of a cow was as 

 follows : Butter, 240 Ibs. sold. Cheese, 100 

 Ibs. sold, besides using what milk and butter 

 were required by two persons. She had her 

 own skimmed milk, but no meal or grain. She 

 consumed, as ascertained, two tons of hay, and 

 her pasturage was 25 cents per week." 



The following estimates apply to the town- 

 ship of Cheshire, which is devoted almost ex- 

 clusively to the dairy husbandry, and celebrated 

 for the excellence and abundance of its pro- 

 duce. 



"A farmer with twenty-five cows, states their 

 average yield at 300 Ibs. cheese, and 20 Ibs. 

 butter to a cow. He says likewise that 1500 

 Ibs. pork are to be credited to his cows. 



" The average cost or value of his cows is 

 $30 each ; wintering $14 ; pasturing 26 weeks 

 $6 25 ; he raises some calves upon whey. It 

 requires the whey of two or three cows to raise 

 a calf. His hogs at 18 mos. average 350 Ibs.; 

 they run in a pasture and have the refuse of 

 the dairy until about six weeks before it is in- 

 tended to kill them, when they are shut up and 

 fed with corn and meal. 



"The dairy of another farmer consists of 20 

 cows. The year before last they yielded 400 

 Ibs. new milk cheese; the last year 400 Ibs. 

 each, besides an ample supply of butter for 

 the family. He calculates upon the proportion 

 of one hog to four cows ; with the above cows 

 he made 1200 Ibs. of pork, 600 Ibs. of which he 

 credits to the cows ; he deems three acres ne- 

 cessary for the pasturage of a cow. His cows 

 during the spring have an allowance of rye- 

 meal and whey. 



" In another case the produce of 23 cows 

 was 12,000 Ibs. new milk cheese and 500 Ibs. 

 butter. 



"In another case 30 cows made 14,000 Ibs. 

 new milk cheese ; and 500 Ibs. butter. In this 

 case some calves were raised ; but most of 

 them were killed at four days old. Throughout 

 the county of Berkshire this mode of dealing 

 with the calves is termed 'deaconing' them. 

 What is the particular propriety of this pro- 

 vincialism, I am unable to determine; and 

 whether it had its origin in any superstition 

 among the aborigines or the first settlers of the 

 county, I shall leave to the antiquaries to as- 

 certain. It is a peculiarity, and prevails no 

 where else. 



" The practice, with this farmer, is to give 

 boiled corn in the ear to his cows ; perhaps a 

 dozen ears to a cow per day. When it is con- 

 veniently had, he gives a mess of rye-meal to 

 each cow, at the rate of two quarts per day, for 

 three weeks in the spring. He is anxious to 

 let his cows go to the grass as soon as the 

 ground is bare. He thinks cows are liable to 

 suffer from excessive feeding in the barn. 



The wintering of a cow requires 1$ tons of hay $14 00 

 Pasturing, 20 cts. per week for 26 weeks - 5 20 



" In 40 days of the best of the season on this 

 farm, 30 cows produced 4000 Ibs. butter. The 

 land required for the pasturage of a cow is 

 considered to be three acres. 



" From thirty cows, an average of 425 Ibs. 

 of cheese has been produced to each cow, and 

 ten Ibs. ol butter ; or 300 the whole. 



