274 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



June 



THE OAKES PRIZE COW. j 



So much has boon written and said about thin 

 celebi-ated animal, that it has been thought de- 

 sirable to state what is known of her origin and 

 history. 



She was purchased by Mr. Caleb Oakes, of Dan- 

 yers, in the year 1813, then live years old, liaving 

 been originally bouglit by Mr. B. Goodridge, of 

 Danvers, at tlie age of two years, from the drove 

 of a Jlr. Copp, drover, from Randolph, Vt. 

 4She was recommended to Mr. Copp as being one 

 of a breed celebrated for its milking qualities. 

 She was of a dark-rod color, rather under size, 

 and described by Mr. Goodridge as "high and 

 broad behind, having a straight back, large belly, 

 small neck and head, fine horns, bright eye, and 

 in all respects symmetrical and handsome." While 

 in possession of Mr. Goodridge she had her first 

 calf, which, at the age of four weeks, made first- 

 rate veal, weighing over twenty pounds the quar- 

 ter. Mr. Oakes made from her the first year, 

 and without over-feeding, no less than one Iiuh- 

 dred and eighty pounds of butter. In the next 

 year (1<S14) he gave her ten or twelve bushels of 

 meal, and made three hundred pounds of butter. 

 In 1815 he gave her from thirty to thirty-five 

 bushels of meal, and made over four hundred 

 pounds of butter. In 18 IG she calved on the 5th 

 of April, and the calf, being very fine and fat, 

 was killed on the 8th of May; after which, she 

 had good pasturage all the season, and was al- 

 lowed one bushel of meal a week, together with 

 all her skimmed milk. In June of that year, Mr. 

 Oakes weighed her milk, and found that she gave 

 ten quarts at night, weighing twenty-six and a 

 half pounds, and seven quarts in the morning, 

 weighing eighteen pounds ; in all, forty-four and 

 a half pounds a day. 



The quantity of butter made in the year 1810 

 was as follows : — 



Before the calf was killed 17 poaada. 



May 15 14i " 



" 22 16 " 



" 28 m " 



June 5 19 " 



" 12 18i " 



" 19 17 " 



" 20 18 " 



July 3 18 " 



" 10 17 " 



" 17 16 " 



" 24 16 " 



" 31 16 " 



August 7 15 " 



" U 15 " 



" 21 16 " 



" 28 15 " 



September 4 15 " 



" 11 16 " 



" 18 12 " 



" 25 15 " 



October 2 IGJ " 



" 15 15 " 



" 21 16 " 



". 29 16 " 



November 7 16 " 



18 18 " 



" 23 10 " 



" 30 13 " 



December 10 14 " 



" 20 10 " 



Total ; 484i " 



As late as tlie 28th of December, she gave 

 eight quarts of milk per day. While in the pos- 

 session of Mr. Oakes she had four calves, and 

 suckled each of them over four weeks, besides 

 furnishing to the family one quart of milk per 



day. The butter made from her was of a superior 

 quality. 



Tliis cow received the prize of the State Society 

 at the Brighton Show, in 1810. She Avas pur- 

 chased of Mr. Oakes by lion. Josiah Quincy, who 

 afterwards sold her to Colonel Samuel Jaijues, of 

 Ten Hills Farm, Charlestown. Tlie cut which is 

 here presented, is pronounced by these gentlemen 

 to be an accurate and admii-able likeness of this 

 remarkable animal. It is well known that she 

 never produced offspring equal to herself for 

 milking qualities. The effect upon her consti- 

 tution, by surfeiting and over-feeding, for the 

 purpose of increasing her milk, in all probability, 

 materially affected the character of her progeny, 

 none of which are known to have been raised till 

 after the year 1810. — A<jricuUure of Massachu- 

 setts, for 1854. 



For the New Ensland Farmer. 



NEW BUDDING KNIFE. 



Messrs. Editors : — liaving seen the decided 

 advantage of using a thin-bladed knife for split- 

 ting the stock in grafting, I am desirous of in- 

 forming my brother amateurs that they can find 

 at Kingman & Hasam's, 128 Washington Street, 

 Boston ,one of the best instruments (in my esti- 

 mation,) which has ever been got up for cleft 

 grafting.. 



The hint for making it was derived from Prof. 

 I. P. Kirtland, who has had much experience 

 in grafting cherries. 



Its main value is for small stocks, which are 

 rather cut than split by this process. 



Dedham, April 1(5, 1S55. Eben AVigut. 



Remarks. — We have looked at the knife men- 

 tioned, and should think it a decided improve- 

 ment on any we have before seen. 



Quick Work. — It was once the fashion to wear 

 coats, the material for which had not long before 

 been on the back of the sheep. For rapidity of 

 work in this way, I, know nothing that can com- 

 pete with the achievement of Coxeter, of Green- 

 ham Slills, near Newbury. He had a couple of 

 South Down sheep shorn at his factory, at five 

 o'clock in the morning ; the wool thus produced 

 was put through the usual processes ; and, )iy a 

 quarter past six in the evening, it resulted in a 

 complete damson-colored coat, which was worn 

 at an evening party by Sir John Throckmorton. 

 A wager for a thousand guineas was won by this 

 feat, with three-quarters of an hour to spare. 

 The sheep were roasted whole, and devoured at a 

 splendid banquet. In one day they afforded com- 

 fort to both the inward and the outward man. — 

 Habits and Men. 



Butter. — Though butter may be considered as 

 one of the most common of all ordinary things, 

 yet the ancients were nearly, if not entirely, ig- 

 norant of its existence. Tlie older translators of 

 Hebrew seemed to think that they had met with 

 it in Scripture, but most modern biblical critics 

 agree that what was formerly interpreted butter, 

 signified milk or cream, or, more properly, sour 

 thick milk. The word referred to plainly alludes 

 to a liquid, as it appears that the substance 



