FARMERS' REGISTER— DAIRY STOCK. 



every thing — or at least prevents the escape of 

 any offensive odour being perceived. Whether pu- 

 trescent vegetable matter is acted on in like man- 

 ner by calcareous earth, cannot be as well tested 

 by our senses, and therefore tlie proof is less satis- 

 factory. But if it is true that calcareous eartli 

 acts by combining putrescent matters with the 

 soil, and thus preventing their loss, (as I have en- 

 deavored to prove in chapter viii.) it must follow 

 that to the extent of such combination, the forma- 

 tion and escape of all volatile products of putrefac- 

 tion will also be prevented. 



But it will be considered that the most impor- 

 tant inquiry remains to be answered : Has the ap- 

 plication of calcareous manures been found in prac- 

 tice decidedly beneficial to the health of the resi- 

 dents on the land ? Long experience, and the col- 

 lection and comparison of numerous facts, derived 

 from various sources, will be required to remove 

 all doubts from this question ; and it would be pre- 

 sumptuous in any individual to offer as sufiicient 

 proof, the experience of only ten or twelve years 

 on any one farm. But while admitting the insuf- 

 ficiency of such testimony, I assert that so far my 

 experience decidedly supports my j)osition. My 

 principal farm until within some four or five years, 

 was subject in a remarkable degree to the com- 

 mon mild autumnal diseases of our low country. 

 Whether it is owing to marling, or otlier unknown 

 causes, these bilious diseases have since become 

 comparatively very rare. Neither does my opi- 

 nion in this respect, nor the facts that have occur- 

 red on my farm, stand alone. Some other persons 

 are equally convinced of this change on other land 

 as well on mine. But in most cases where I have 

 made inquiries as to such results, nothing decisive 

 had been observed. The hope that other persons 

 may be induced to observe and report facts bear- 

 ing on this important point, has in part caused the 

 appearance of these crude and perhaps premature 

 views. 



Even if my opinions and reasoning sliould ap- 

 pear sound, I am aware that the practical appli- 

 cation is not to be looked lor soon ; and that the 

 scheme of using marl in towns is more likely to 

 be met by ridicule, than to receive a serious and 

 attentive examination. Notwithstanding this an- 

 ticipation, and however hopeless of making con- 

 verts either of individuals or corporations, I will 

 offer a few concluding remarks on the most ob- 

 vious objections to, and benefits of the plan. The 

 objections will all be resolved into one — namely the 

 expense to be encountered. The expense cer- 

 tainly would be considerable ; but it would be am- 

 ply compensated by the gains and benefits. The 

 general use of marl as proposed for towns, would 

 serve to insure cleanliness, and purity of the air, 

 more than all the labors of boards of health and 

 their scavengers, even when acting under the 

 dread of approaching pestilence. Secondly, the 

 putrescent manures produced in towns, by beino- 

 merely preserved from waste, would be increased 

 ten fold in quantity and value. Thirdly, all exist- 

 ing nuisances and abominations of filth would be at 

 an end, and the beautiful city of Richmond (for ex- 

 ample) would not giveoffence to our nostrils, almost 

 as often as it offers gratification to our eyes. Lastly, 

 the marl after being used until saturated with pu- 

 trescent matter, would retain all its first value as 

 calcareous earth, and be well worth purchasing 

 and removing to the adjacent farms, independent 



of the enriching manure with which it would be 

 loaded. If these advantaa;es could indeed be ob- 

 tained, they woidd be cheaply bought at any price 

 likely to be encounlcred lor the purpose. 



On Breeding' for a, Dairy Stocli:. 



From the Kew Eiu'land Farmer. 



The subject of breeding for a Dairy Stock, is 

 one of a good deal of interest at this time. Inqui- 

 ries are frequently made in conversation which 

 show this to be the case. In the present state of 

 our knov.ledge such questions as the following ap- 

 pear to the writer not at all too elementary. ( 



1. What is meant by a particular breed of cattle ? 



2. Are there one or more l)reeds of cows known, 

 by long trial, to be deep milkers.'' 



3. To what extent is breed to be relied upon 

 in the selection of a stock for milk.' 



I propose to make a few suggestions by way of 

 answer to these questions. 



There is another Avliich I shall say something 

 upon in another paper with your permission, viz. 



On what else, besides breed, depends dcej) milk- 



It is nothing new to say that the object of breed- 

 ing (in a technical sense,) is to perpetuate in the 

 progeny, the form, constitution, and particular 

 qualities of one or both the parents. But what I 

 wish to ask attention to, and to enforce in this 

 communication, is the very important fact — that 

 the longer any distinguishing quality, mark, or 

 peculiarity, can be traced back in the ancestry, 

 the more deeply will it be fixed in the descendants-; 

 predominating, or taking the place of other quali- 

 ties, of more recent standing in either of the pa- 

 rents. 



A particular cow may chance to be a fine milk- 

 er, but if the parents, for some. generations, were 

 not remarkable in the same way, her heifer calves 

 will not probably be good milkers — at least no 

 dependence can be placed upon them. If the sire 

 is of a pure milk stock the chances arc very much 

 increased of course. 



It is not too much to say from experience, here 

 and in England, that of all the varieties of cows, 

 designated by the terms, Short Horns, Long 

 Horns, and Hornless — or by the names, more lim- 

 ited in their application, as Devon, Hereford, 

 Holderness, Suffolk, Denton, Bakewell, Aklerny, 

 &c. — no one of them has been found to give tmi- 

 formly or generally, more or better milk than 

 any other. — The evidence before the public, 

 abroad and at home, is contradictory. 



There have been individual instances of extra- 

 ordinary milkers among all — and I may go so far 

 as tosay/am!7ies,of extraordinary milkers, among 



It has been too often taken for granted, that a 

 good cow will produce good calves without inqui- 

 ry into her parentage or that of the bull to which 

 she is sent — and prejudices have been raised in 

 favor of marks and certain appearances, in such an 

 animal, which have no necessary connexion, or 

 none at all, with lier faculty as a milker— and 

 such marks have been alloAved to determine the 

 choice of another cow as infiillible signs of a good 

 one. The most prevalent popular token now is 

 the small head and shorthorns. — This is so far a 

 good sign, as that the smaller the refuse parts, the 



