544 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



IMPORTED DUTCH COW. 



The above is an accurate illustration of a 

 Dutch cow, imported from Holland in 1857 by 

 Winthrop W. Chenery, Esq., of Watertown,>and 

 drawn and engraved for C. L. Flint's new work 

 on Milch Cows and Dairy Farming, from 

 which we derive the following notice of this cel- 

 ebrated dairy breed. 



The Dutch is a short-horned race, which, in 

 the opinion of many, contributed largely about a 

 century ago, to build up the Durham or Tees- 

 water short-horns. The latter breed was at that 

 time frequently called Dutch. 



Dairy farming in Holland became a highly im- 

 portant branch of farm labor at a very early date, 

 and a large and valuable race of cattle existed 

 there, long before the efforts of the most noted 

 breeders began in England ; dairy farming being 

 held in the highest respect in Holland, as being 

 the means by which a large proportion of the 

 population is supported, it is carried to greater 

 exactness and perfection than in any other part 

 of the world. The Dutch are especially particu- 

 lar in the breeding, keeping and care of milch 

 cows, and hence the Dutch, as a race, is eminent- 

 ly adapted to the dairy. The Dutch cow may in- 

 deed be taken as the type of a truly dairy race. 

 She usually unites all the marks which indicate 

 the production of milk, and is superior to the 

 Swiss cow in her yield. She is, perhaps, a little 

 too thin-skinned, and subject to annoyance from 

 insects and sudden changes of weather. 



The Dutch cow eats largely in proportion to 

 her size, but will often produce double the cost 

 of keeping in her large and generous yield. 



The prevailing color of the Dutch cattle is 



black and white, but often red and white, varie- 

 gated. Cattle of only one color are no favorites. 

 The Dutch cattle laid the foundation of the na- 

 tive or common stock of New York, and to 

 this day a cross with the short-horn and Dutch 

 is regarded there as one of the most desirable 

 for cheese dairies. 



For the Nato England Farmer. 

 KOOT CROPS. 



Mr. Editor : — I have long promised myself 

 that I would communicate, through the New 

 England Farmer, my experience the last winter, 

 in feeding English turnips to stock. 



In the autumn of 1857, I raised from among 

 my corn four hundred and fifty bushels of English 

 flat turnips ; these, I commenced feeding to my 

 stock early in the month of November, together 

 with -wheat straw, and from the time of my first 

 feeding, those of my young cattle, composed of 

 two and three years old, had no other fodder 

 than the turnips and wheat straw, until after the 

 fifth of the next March, at which time they were 

 in fair beef condition. The expense of raising 

 and harvesting these turnips did not exceed three 

 cents a bushel; and the additional cost of feed- 

 ing roots, to stock, if a root-cutter is used, is 

 very little. I feel perfectly confident that the 

 statement made in your letter from Newport, 

 N. H., in the October number of the Farmer, 

 "that the farmers of New England, with little 

 or no more labor upon their farms, can double 

 their capacity for keeping stock by the gradual 

 introduction of root crops" — is perfectly true. 

 And I would earnestly urge our farmers to imi- 

 tate this well-tested system of husbandry, so long 

 practised by English agriculturists. 



Daniel Needham. 



Hartford}' Vt., Oct. llth, 1858. 



