60 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



September 5, 1S32. 



From Fesseodeo's Edition of MouLray on Poultry, &.C. 



ifine ihe 



the of obstruction and disease. Fine j)ollard al- 

 so, moistened or n)aslied,is a nourishing food ; the 

 milch cow, liowever, should always have exer- 

 cise, and it is more especially necessary, when ex- 

 traordinary and substantial food is allowed 



is rowev, or after-math hay. This must be either 

 grown at home, or purchased. It is a piece of 

 extravagance to allow a good milch cow dry 

 straw, because milk is worlh more than hay ; but 

 should the necessity exist of using straw, nons 



COWS. 



It is pre-supposed that a dry and comfortable 

 cow-HousE has been provided, containing a stall 

 or two, and a calf-pen, and it is recommended, 

 in the General Treatise on Cattle, to 

 hinder legs of a cow, whilst milking 

 the head, the former of which is most securely 

 effected bv two stumps of wood fixed in the 



ffround to'whii-h the hinder legs may be strap- ^ , i- . i- - 



Thev who aim at perfect security, as near- den paths, they shall not fail. The method i^ by ,„i,st piofitable. Carrots are an excellent winter 



contriving to have a fresh milker in ihe winter, fbod, indeed the best of the root kind; muvgold or 

 Willi an ample store of the best provisions for ^be fcee/ also, affords a plentiful supply; which last. 



Another great object for our crnct cow-raastcr I oihri- is fit than oai straw. Rotcen, or after-math 

 and lady of the snug rural mansion, is to have jg jrenerally supposed to force milk, but in poor 

 milk, cream, and butter, in a generous abundance pastures perhaps the first crop may be preferable : 

 and high quality, throughout the winter, as well a,|,| I have lately been informed by a London cow- 

 as the summer season; and of these, if they yvill l<eeper, a good feeder, that be has disconlinued 

 take cnie enough to walk in our old and well tiod- i giving rowen to bis cows, finding the best hay 



ped 



ly as that niay be obtained, will perhaps be in- 

 duced to make it a rule, never to milk a cow with 

 her head and legs at liberty ; but most, as has al- 

 ways been the practice, will incline to put confi- 

 dence in the quiet cow ; many si.ch, however, 

 have I seen accidentally kick down a swimming 

 pail of milk, and that may very probably happen 

 when the article, being scarce, is of the most con- 

 sequence—the unfortunate attendant, male or fe- 

 male, then marches into the house, with a grave 

 step, a long face, an apology, and an empty pail. 

 The provision of food for the cow must be 

 looked upon as the prime concern in the dairy 

 business, for such a' constant daily draught upon 

 the animal juices cannot be answered, but by aid 

 of the most ample supply, even to satiety, of nu- 

 tritious and succulent victuals; not that, accord- 

 ing to the absurd notions of many persons, keep 

 regulates and equalizes milking, be the breed 

 whatever it may, since in some breeds, the keep 

 turns to milk, in others to beef; but because the 

 truest and largest milker will very soon lose that 

 precious faculty williout proportionate, that is to 

 say, high feeding. Keep short and meanly, and 

 your milk and butter produce will be in exact i)ro- 

 portion, and the cow, when dry, emaciated and of 

 little worth. 



A farmer, some years since, kept eighteen cows 

 upon a common, and was often obliged to buy but- 

 ter for his family. The common was inclosed, 

 and the same person supplied his family amply 

 with milk and butter, from the produce of four 

 cows well kept. 



Great Milkers seldom carry any flesh upon 

 their bones, and are perhaps as seldom made fat, 

 but they pay as they go, and never retire in our 

 debt. The difticidiies in cow-keeping are these 



the expense of their food is considerable, more 



especially with respect to any which must be pur- 

 chased, and if the produce be inconsiderable, it 

 may be a losing concern. You may be feeding a 

 sparing milker into flesh, and if you stint her, or | sm; 

 allow only ordinary food, you get neither flesh 

 nor milk. 



Amateurs in this line should jirocure the largesi 

 milkers, and I luid altnost said give them gold, 

 could they eat it. In this case, it may be dei>end- 

 ed on, milk is always of more value than the best 

 cow-food, which IS ihe jit ; and a cow, the natural 

 tendency of which is to breed milk, will con'ert 

 all nourishment, however dry and substantial, in- 

 to that fluid ; in fitct, will require such solid kind 

 of nourishment, to support her strength, and stim- 

 ulate her to procreation, in which otherwise, great 

 milkers are very apt to be deficient, and frequent- 

 ly to miss their bulling at the proper season. But 

 should grain be allowed, oats are the most prop- 

 er; they should be ground or bruised, and moist- 

 ened with water, as the cow would otherwise 



season. 



Summer feeding : and let it always be recolhct- 

 ed, that economy is the leading feature of our pi in. 

 Natural grass is the first and best of all food for 

 our domestic animals. Of the artificial gras|es, 

 lucerne stands first, and green tares are a very 

 succulent and nulritious food for milch cows. 

 The saving method of managing grass, and it will 

 be found excellent economy where the proprietor 

 may have only a small close or two, is to keep 

 it constantly shut, and free from the tread of the 

 cows, and to cut the grass as soon as of sufticient 

 length and substance, and carry it to them ; no 

 more being cut at once than can be consumed in 

 a day, the cutting being made in the morning. 

 This to continue throughout the season, and as 

 late in autumn as any growth can be oblainctL 



According to Mr Curwen's experience, some 



years since,, three acres of gra.ss cut and cani«d, 



supplied thirty milch cows with two stone each, 



or iwenlyeijiht pounds, during two hundred days. 



He observes that, lo have supplied them with t»o 



stone of bay each, during the same period, weiilit 



have required seventyfive acres of land foi its 



production. -Vnd to have grazed such a imnbcr 



of cows at liberty, that length of time, it is d)vi- 



ous, must have takeu a very considerable nuriber 



of acres. To enable the meadow to su[)porttljis 



exhaustion from the scythe, it should be ciciied 



at till! end of e»ery autumn, from all kind; of 



wtels and rabliisb, and fash grass seeds of the 



best kinds, cast upon the bare places. A cnit of 



good manure should be then allowed, consi.siiig 



of all that can be collected from the houselDld, 



or procured elsewhere, mixed up and augmeited 



Willi virgin earth. The garden will assist vith 



its superfluity in feeding the cow, and lettuce>, its 



a change of diet, will help to force the secreion 



of milk. Should the green food scour the cov, a 



quantity ofgooil hay must be allowed daly. 



The few advocates for the economical modi of 



feeding cows, always direct them to be kept n- 



tircly in the house, both summer and wintci, a 



to which 1 have strong objections, lot 



only on the score of the animal's health and ccii- 



fiirt, hut that I have always experienced exeriise 



abroad to increase the quantity of milk. This 



the cows may he turned upon the common wate, 



to remain or come home at their liberty, beiig 



fed to the full, with cut grass, morning and e c- 



ning, with the constant caution of allowing thin 



shelter in the fly season. They may lie abriad 



duiingtlie summer nights, in a well littered yad, 



or secure waste, a sufliciency of cut grass beng 



at their command. Pure water is of great cone- 



quence to the health and productiveness of lie 



ow. [f one beast drive the other, always at feid- 



bowevcr, must be dispensed with caution, c iws 

 having been hoven by it. If potatoes be given to 

 cows, they should be steamed or baked ; those 

 who veiiture to give them raw and mashed, should 

 allow- hay with them, as in the law state and free- 

 ly dispensed, ihey seldom fail to bring the scour- 

 ing rot on cows. Bruised yur:e-(o;)s are very good, 

 and help to make capital winter butter. Cabbages 

 may lie given moderately, but turnips make thin 

 milk and h.td butter, in spite of all the nostrums 

 which have been recommended as preventives. 

 The miserable practice of giNing oil-cake to cows, 

 insures greasy, unsubstantial, ill-scented butter, 

 anil has a similar eflect on veal. When substan- 

 tial footl a|ipears necessary, a daily moderate feed 

 of oats broken, or fine pollard, moistened with wa- 

 ter, is most proper. 



With the two cows in full milk, may be kept 

 well, a breeding sow, or two or three young pigs ; 

 and should the proprietor desire a specimen of 

 the finest milk-fed pork, he may feed a pig upon 

 skitiimcd milk, with the addition of a very small 

 quantity of barley or pea-merl, making it thor- 

 ouiilily fat in two months. 



.Miic'i beasts should never be exposed by niglit 

 to the inclemency of the winter season, which 

 chills thcin, and dries up part of their milk, kee))- 

 iiig tluni backward in all beneficial respects. At 

 iiiiy rale, they should have a well littered shed, in 

 which Ihey may repose in comfort, and with their 

 loins i\\y — a matter of great consequence to their 

 health. 



The annual consumption of food per cow, of 

 grass and hay, if lurneil to grass, is from one acre 

 to an acre and a half of pasture in the summer, 

 and from a ton to a ton and a half of hay in the 

 winter. A cow may be allowed two jiccks of 

 carrots per day. The grass being cut and carried, 

 will economize it full one third. 



swallow the oats whole, which would not only ing times tie up the mistress, 



FALL SOWING OF SEEDS. 



It is necessary to observe, that some, and even 

 many things, which are usually sown in the 

 spring, Mlptild be better sown in the fall ; and, es- 

 pecially when we consider how little lime there is 

 for doing all things in the spring. Paisnips, car- 

 rots, beets, onions, and many other things, may be 

 safely sown in the fall. The seed will not perish, 

 if covered by the earth. 



Seed of all plants will lie safe in this way all 

 the winter, though the frost penetrate to the dis- 

 tance of three feet beneath them, except the seeds 

 of such plants as a slight frost will evt down. The 

 seed of kidney beans, for instance, will rot, if the 

 ground he not warm enough to bring it vp. So 

 will the seed of cucumbers, melons, and Indian 

 corn, unless buried beyond the reach of the influ- 

 ence of the atmosphere. Even early peas would 



fail in giving nourishmeiit, but might be produc- ' ;rin(cr/ecding-.— The chief dependence for ccws be best sown in the fall, could you have an insu- 



