30 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



ON THE FEEDING AJSD MANAGEMENT OF 

 MILCH COAVS. 



It is of great consequence in tlie management 

 ofa dairy that the cows should be treated with 

 gentleness, so that they may not be afraid of being 

 milked, or dislike the milker. A cow will not 

 yield her milk willingly to a person she fears, 

 hates, or apjirehends ill treatment from. Young 

 cows in particular, may have characters for gen- 

 tleness and good milkers formed by the manner 

 in which they are treated. This truth ii of much 

 importance to all concerned in a dairy or its pro- 

 ducts, is well established and illustrated by a com- 

 munication from Mr Russell Woodward, publish- 

 ed in Memoiis of the New York Board of Agri- 

 cnlture, in substance as follows; — 



Having formerly kept a targe number of cows, 

 I observed many amongst them dried up their 

 milk so early in the fall that tl)ey were not profita- 

 ble, while others with the same keeping, gave 

 milk in plenty until late in the season. I likewise 

 have often heard my neighbors observe, that some 

 of their cows, though very good the fore part of 

 the season dried their milk so early that they were 

 unprofitable and they would have to put them ofl^; 

 I accordingly found it expedient to find out the 

 cause, if possible ; and when I brought to mind 

 the ways that some of my young cows had been 

 kept and milked, I attributed the cause to the milk- 

 ing of them the first season they gave milk ; and 

 many experiments since, I have found that young 

 cows, the first year they gave milk may be made, 

 with careful milking and good keeping, to give 

 milk almost any length of time required, say from 

 the first of May to the first of February follewing, 

 and will give milk late always after, with careful 

 milking. But if they are left to dry up early in 

 the fall, they will be sure to dry up their milk 

 each succeeding year, if they have a calf near ihe 

 same season of the year ; and nothing but extra- 

 ordinary keeping will prevent it, and that but a 

 short time. I have had them dry up their milk 

 in August, and could not by any means make 

 them give milk much past that time in any suc- 

 ceeding year. I had two heifers which had calves 

 in April, and after getting thenj gentle, I set a boy 

 to milk them for the season, (which is often done 

 the first season on account of their having small 

 teats :) he was careless, and dried them both up 

 in August. Although I was satisfied I should lose 

 the greater part of the profit of them afterwards, 

 yet I took it upon me the following year to milk 

 them myself and give tham good feed, but to no 

 purpose. 1 could not make them give milk much 

 past the time they dried the year before. I have 

 two cows now that were milked the first year they 

 had calves, until near the time of their calving 

 again, and have continued to give milk as late 

 ever since, if we mdkthem. — Gen Far. 



PRESERVING EGGS. 

 The present season of the year in which far- 

 mers and others should provide themselves with 

 a stock of eggs for the season, as eggs are both 

 cheaper and better in May and June than they are 

 at any other season of the year. Good fresh 

 eggs properly prepared will keep at least a yeast 

 and have been kept much longer. Eggs dipped 

 in varnish have been sent from India to England, 

 and were hatched afler their arrival. The great 

 o'.iject seems to be the total exclusion of air, and 

 the consequent evaporation of the fluids of the 

 egg. Packed in salt, eggs sometimes keep well, 

 the low temperature acting favorab'y, yet the air 

 is not generally sufficiently excluded, — the yolk 

 is apt to settle to the side ot the shell, and the egg 

 of course becomes worthless. Putting down in 

 water thoroughly saturated with quick-lime is 

 now generally adopted, and is found to be the 

 cheapest as well as surest mode of keeping them 

 uninjured. We have sometimes seen so much 

 lime used as to pack close around the lower cour- 

 ses of eggs, and from which they could with diffi- 

 culty be extricated. This is not necessary ; that 

 the water should be thoroughly impregnated with 

 the lime is all that is required, and to secure this 

 object, a thin layer of|lime on the bottom of the 

 vessel may be admisisble, nothing more. — Gen. 

 Far. 



FACTS WORTH KEEPING. 



Mr BuEL — Sir — Fn conversation with a gen- 

 tleman from f-'aratoga county, a few days since, 

 he communicated to me the following inf jrmation, 

 which I deem of sufficient i nportance to occupy 

 a small place in your Cultivator. 



He said a neighbor of his, who has a flock of 

 sheep, has lost by death 27 out of 30 lambs and 

 he could not account for the cause. The first 

 symptoms of disease, are a drooping, rurming at 

 the eyes, weakness in the back and loins, and los- 

 ing of the use of their hinder legs, &c. 



A person recommended the use of Lobelia, 

 [Indian Tobacco) which he tried by turning a kw 

 of his lambs into afield where this plant was found 

 in abundance. It was soon found by the lambs, 

 which they ate freely, nipping it close to the 

 ground. In a few days a |)erceptible diffVrence 

 was manifested, and they became remarkab'y live- 

 ly, playing and gamboling about |he field as though 

 nothing had ever been the matter with them. 



Having proved so salutary and beneficial to the 

 few, he turned in the remainder, which, had the 

 same effect and all became healthy and thrifty 

 sheep. 



In order to be certain, and to test the efficacy 

 of the plant more particularly, some of the dried 

 Lobelia was given to some others, in the same sit- 

 uation, and produced the same effect. 



