292 



Management of Milch Coirs. — Feeding Cattle. Vol. VII. 



Management of Milch Cows. 



I have read with much interest the re- 

 marks of your ahle contributors on stock, 

 and especially on milch cows; yet there is 

 one particular in the management of them, 

 which seems to have been passed over un- 

 noticed — that is milking. Perhaps there is 

 no point of dairying treated with so much 

 neglect and indifference, and attended with 

 so great a loss to the dairyman, as milking. 

 Not more than 25 years ago, it was consi- 

 dered a good lot of cows to produce 200 lbs. 

 of cheese to the cow on an average, and the 

 farmer who obtained that, was a skilful dai- 

 ryman; and even at the present day, many 

 keep along in the same old track, doing well 

 enough, as they term it, while others obtain 

 500 pounds, and some have gone as higli as 

 600 pounds, and over, besides a good quan- 

 tity of butter. How is this difference to be 

 accounted for? One reason I would give, is 

 milking. A cow, to give a large quantity 

 of milk, should have one steady hand to 

 milk — one that can draw the milk quick 

 and easy; care should be taken to milk the 

 cow perfectly dry, or in other words, clean. 

 Another important object is to milk at regu- 

 lar hours. In long - days, cows should be 

 milked and turned to pasture before sunset, 

 that the time between milkings may be 

 nearly equal. 



Yet the practice of some is to work in the 

 field as long as they can see, then drive up 

 the cows and have them milked by inexpe- 

 rienced hands, and those too, who take no 

 interest in the business, and then leave them 

 in a close yard during the night. I have 

 always noticed, that those who make an odd 

 job of milking, never realize much profit 

 from their cows. That there is a great dif- 

 ference in cows, I will admit, though I think 

 there is more in the management of them, 

 than in the quality; yet the farmer should 

 be very careful in the selection of cows for 

 the dairy. I find some of my best cows 

 would be considered worthless, if they had 

 different hands to milk them, and those, too, 

 who were inexperienced in the business. I 

 am often told by my neighbours, that I have 

 some peculiar method of making more cheese 

 from the same quantity of milk than they ; 

 and it is true there may be something 

 to be considered on this point; but I never 

 as yet, have found the secret of making but- 

 ter and cheese without milk. — Boston Cul- 

 tivator. 



If the coming season shall not prove a good 

 one for honey, it will not be attributable to 

 the friends of the bees. — We observe that 

 thirteen patents for hives were granted last 

 year. 



Warmth in feeding cattle. — A late 

 English paper states, that at the Clithere 

 agricultural meeting, a communication was 

 read from Professor Playfair, which con- 

 tained the following facts worthy the atten- 

 tion of every farmer in a cold climate: 



"Heat is an equivalent for food, and by 

 knowledge of this fact, we may economize 

 the latter very considerably. We know that 

 cattle fatten much more slowly in winter 

 than in summer; the reason being, that part 

 of the food is expended in the production of 

 the necessary heat. Lord Ducie was kind 

 enough to communicate to me an experi- 

 ment of his, on 100 sheep in the open air, 

 and another 100 in the same space, with 

 sheds to retire into at pleasure. The first 

 lot ate 25 lbs. of Swedes (turnips) per day, 

 the latter only 201 bs. ; although this lot, 

 with five pounds a day less, had gained on 

 an average, two pounds per sheep, more 

 than the other, at the conclusion of the ex- 

 periment." 



Imagination. — That great old writer, Tho- 

 mas Fuller, relates a curious incident, which 

 is truly characteristic, showing how fancy 

 will put life into young limbs, and confirm- 

 ing the old adage, that "conceit is as good 

 as a consumption." A gentleman, he says, 

 having led a company of children beyond 

 their usual journey, they began to be weary, 

 and jointly cried to him to carry them — 

 which, because of their multitude, he could 

 not do, but he told them he would provide 

 them with horses to ride on. Then cutting 

 little wands out of the hedge as nags for them, 

 and a larger one for himself, they mounted, 

 and those who could scarce stand before, now 

 full of mirth, bounded cheerfully home. 



A Good Cow. 



Our friend, W. P. II., of Manayunk, inquires; in the 

 last number, in relation to "the most approved ana- 

 tomical forms of cattle, — particularly the milcli cow." 

 We clip from "The Toronto Cultivator," the follow. 

 ing description of a celebrated Durham cow, that wag ; 

 the lion of the day, at the meeting of the Darlington I 

 Agricultural Society, in England. — Ed. 



She's long in her face, she's fine in her horn, , 



She'll quickly get fat, without oil-cake or corn. 



She's clear in her jaws and full in her chine, 

 She's heavy in flank and wide in her loin, 

 She's broad in her ribs and long in her rump, 

 Das a straight and flat back with never a hump. 



She's wide in her hips and calm in her eyes, 

 She's fine in her shoulders and thin in her thigh* 



She's light in her neck and small in her tail. 

 She's wide in her breast and good at her pail, 

 She's fine in her bone and silky of skiu, 

 She's a grazier's without and a butcher's within. 



