T> R A C T I C A L FARMER 



61 



A TEAM OF COWS. 



It would jterliaps excite a smile, were a man se- 

 riously to propose a substitute of rows for oxen 

 or horses in the labors of the fiehl ; and yet on ex- 

 amination the alternative might not, in many ca* 

 ses be found so unworthy of notice as at first sup- 

 posed. Working cows is no new thing, and it is 

 hardly possible, unless in certain cases the prac- 

 tice Was decidedly advantageous, the custom would 

 have continued so long. Samson accused the 

 Philistines of ploughing with his heifer; an allu- 

 sion without point unless the custom was com- 

 mon ; and when the same enemies of Israel were 

 Compelled to restoi-e the ark they had impiously 

 carried off, the cows that were attached to tlie 

 vehicle went lowing the whole distance. The 

 practice of ploughing with cows is still common 

 in most parts of the east, and in Africa ; oxen be- 

 ing very rarely used for that purpose, ami horses 

 never. In the |)etty principalities of Germany, 

 and in some j arts of Switzerland, cow teams are 

 generally used, the necessity of economizing la- 

 bor, and the means of subsistence having clearly 

 rendered such a comsc the most eligible. In the 

 duchy of Nassau, for instance, one of the best cul- 

 tivated and fruitful sections of Europe, according 

 to the statements of the present Governor of Cana- 

 da, the cow is used nearly altogether for the pur- 

 pose of farming; and the picture he has given of 

 these teams, driven by women, and conveying the 

 produce of the country to market, as well as doing 

 the other work of the fiirm, is lively, and well wor- 

 thy of notice. It is true, a team of cows might 

 not answer so well for our extensive wheat grow- 

 ers, or for breaking up the prairies of Michigan or 

 Illinois; heavy oxen and strong horses will un- 

 questionably continue to be found the best for these 

 purposes; yet lltai by no jiieaiM [MOves that there 

 are not cases in whifh a luMfc-r team would not be 

 preferable. How many siTiall Jitimers are there 

 in our country, who cultiv;it<' but a few acres of 

 land, and who of course r< quire a team but a few 

 days hi a year, wlio migiit advjmtageously for 

 these few days iisf' thvir cows without injury. 

 When vve travel abdiittiie country, and find many 

 farmers who think f!i;'!MS( ives unai)leto keep more- 

 than one cow, yet consider them.-elvcs obliged to 

 maintain a span of poor half .-tJirved horses, to 

 plough a few acres, or go tf> mill or to market, one 

 cannot help compariiii; such farn\ers with the Nas- 

 sau peasants, and n ti.'<-tii!g, that as a cow can be 

 kept at less cxiicnse tiirai a horse, it would be far 

 better for them to kec}) aMotiurcow or two, break 

 them for a team, use them kindly and gently, and 

 dismiss their worth 'ess horses altogether. Cows 

 in this case would !)e a double | rofit, for though 

 experience, where they are used, i roves that while 

 they are used the qua'itity of milk secreted is less 

 than when at liberty; yet when their use is over. 



under favorable circumstances, they soon recover 

 what they had lost in milk, and go on as usual. 

 With good keeping, a cow will pay for herself in 

 a single year ; woidd it not be better then to sub- 

 stitute such valuable animals, where it can be done 

 without permanent injury to them, for the worth- 

 less skeleton carcasses, that caricature and de- 

 grade that noble animal the horse ! Let some one 

 then, who is superior to vulgar prejudices, fairly 

 and carefully make the experiment; let hiin give 

 the lesult to the public, rernendjering that the man 

 who shall enable our farmtjrs to dispense with the 

 horse, by substituting cow labor for horse labor, will 

 deserve the title of benefactor to the poor.~r- Genesee 

 JTarmer. 



•' WHAT FARMERS MAY BK.»» 



Mr Holmks — Your interesting correspondent, 

 '•J. If, S." under the above title, in the last Far- 

 mer lays down three distinct jiropositions, showing 

 in substance that farmets may be the most learned, 

 and the most influential class of men in the worlil. 

 Under each proposition he has adduced several 

 good reasons in sujiport of them, and I can most 

 cheerfully ass'ent to all that he has said upon the 

 subject. But while I am so ready to give in my 

 adhesion to liis doctrine, I am inclined to think 

 he will find it no't an easy task to induce any con- 

 siderable portion of them to carry out in practice 

 wliat he has so correctly laid down in theory. 



The occupation of a farmer certainly requires 

 the '' most vigorous exercise of the physical pow- 

 ers of the body," and if you can induce a man to 

 adopt that system of labor, which shall render the 

 exercise of these powers productive of the great- 

 est amount of ultimate good, you can hardly ex- 

 pect to convince him, that he may become one 

 of the most learned and influential men in the 

 world. 



If I may be permitted to advance an opinion, I 

 will say that, judging from daily observation, it 

 would seem that many believe the exercise of 

 mental and ph^'sical powers have no connexion 

 in the business of husbai.dry, that our fathers and 

 grandfathers thought all that was necessary to 

 think upon the subject, and that nothing remains 

 for us to do but work, work, work, without even 

 thinking that we have power to think. 



Therefore, if we would lay a firm " ba-is on 

 which to build up their minds in wisdom and 

 knowledge," we must first convince them that the 

 course pursued by our ftnthers and grandfathers 

 in relation to husbandry, is by no means the best 

 course. 



Convince them that in general a small farm is 

 better than a large one. 



Convince them that a little well tilled, is better 

 than much half tilled. 



Convince them that two loads of manure is bet- 



