154 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



have kept them in g:ood lioart ; by grasping at too 

 much the improvident owner loses that which he had. 

 This observation is directed to tlic unreflecting, ill- 

 judging and inexperienced, of which there are un- 

 fortnnatcly only too many in the Province. An 

 old country (\\rmer once said in the writer's hearing 

 to a young man just starting into the business of a 

 farm, " Keep tlic stock well, and the stock will keep 

 you well; what you give them they will return to you 

 "in the form of meat and tallow, hide and milk, butter 

 and cheese ; but if you starve the cattle, the cattle 

 will starve yon." The advice was homely but good. 

 It is obvious to the poorest understanding that the 

 more that is given to the milking cow the greater the 

 return will be in dairy produce, which can always 

 command, when good, a ready sale, besides leaving a 

 hirge quantity of good wholesome food to be con- 

 sume J in the "family or to be turned into pork. There 

 is no better meat than dairy-fed pork. 



The want of succulent food during the long winter 

 is one of the causes of a deficiency in the butter-pro- 

 ducing qualities of the milk. Where roots, such as 

 good "sound turnips, can not be had, the deficiency 

 might be supplied by boiling oats with a good quan- 

 tity of water. A quart of oats thus prepared, given 

 morning and night, will keep a cow in good order 

 with htr ordinary food, and greatly increase the quan- 

 tity of her milk ; or bran mashes, made thin with 

 boiling water and left to cool down, twice a day, with 

 a handful of salt once a week, will tell well. Some 

 of the careful wives of the small farmers will take the 

 trouble of boiling a lock or two of hay with water 

 sufficient for a good drink ; but I should think the 

 boiled oats or the bran, or a handful or two of Indian 

 meal boiled in water, would be preferable, affording 

 nourishment as well as milk. 



Having thus far spoken in behalf of the treatment 

 of the animals as respects their food and general 

 comfort, I wovild next observe that regularity in the 

 time of milking is of great importance. In the morn- 

 ing as early as possible the milking hour should be 

 established, that the cow may go forth to feed tvkile 

 the dew yet lies fresh iipon the herbage. This is of 

 great consequence in the hot, dry summer weather. 

 It is soon after sunrise, in the early springtime of the 

 day, while the grass is wet with the clear, refreshing 

 dew of the night, that the beasts of the field shake 

 00" their slumbers and rise to feed ; they can then af- 

 ford time to lie down in the shade during the noonday 

 heat to ruminate and digest their food. The wise man 

 will consider this, and will derive advantage from 

 studying the natural habits of the animals under his 

 care. Those persons whose occupation is too small 

 to admit of keeping their cows in constant pasture, 

 would find it an advantage to make an enclosure, even 

 if the ground be but scantily supplied with grass, as 

 a night yard ; the early milking will enable them to 

 be let out to feed. I allude to such cows as roam at 

 large in woods and waste.s, and on the plainland. A 

 little occasional fodder given to encourage thern to 

 return to the usual rtulking place, will generally insure 

 their constant coming home ; they should then not 

 be kept waiting, but be attended to at once. I 

 recommend this plan because I have known much loss 

 of time caused by the looking up the cow, loss of milk 

 and butter, aod what may sound strangely to some 



persons, loss of life. TTow many of the children that 

 have at different times been lost in this Province have 

 lieen sent out in the forest to seek for the cow, and 

 straying from the beaten path or bev,-ildcred by con- 

 verging ones, have returned no more to their homes, 

 l)ut have perished miserably. Cows can be taught 

 to come home at the sound of a horn ; if food be 

 given them at such times, the ha1)it will be early es- 

 tablished. I have known this practiced in Canada ; 

 and I have heard that it is connuon in the pastoral 

 countries on the continent for the herd boy to collect 

 his cattle in this way ; no doubt the shepherd's pipe 

 was used for this purpose, as well as for the shepherd's 

 own amusement. I have heard of cows coming home 

 in towns regidarly at the sound of a factory bell, 

 which they learned to regard as a signal for the milk- 

 ing hour. The advantage of establishing regular 

 hours needs hardly to be further commented upon. 



I will now proceed to make a few remarks on the 

 next most important matter, which is the dairy. 



The coolness in summer and warmth in winter of 

 the daily, are two most |esseutial points to be con- 

 sidered in the making of good butter. The dairy- 

 maid may be skillful and orderly, and yet if the plare 

 in which the milk ha stored is not perfectly cool and 

 airy, her labor will do her httle credit ; witli her su- 

 perior knowledge she may make a better article than 

 some of her neighbors, but not the best. In this 

 country dairy-women often work under the greatest 

 disadvantage. Frequently she has nothing better to 

 keep her milk in than a close, damp cellar or root- 

 house, where thorough ventilation is impossil'le ; 

 without proper utensils and conveniences for carrying 

 on the process, complete success can hardly be ex- 

 pected. Instead of being surprised that there is so 

 little really fine butter sent to market, the wonder 

 should be that under such disadvantages there is so 

 much. Let the men look to the providing of a suita- 

 ble place where the work of the dairy can be carried 

 on, and the result will speedily repay the cost and 1ar 

 bor bestowed upon it. The space allotted to the dairy 

 is generally too limited; it should be large enoup-h to 

 admit of thorough ventilation, and room, for carrying 

 on the necessary work of churning, choese-makinfr. ttc. 

 A sunk floor, well paved with brick or stone, and a 

 covered drain and grating to carry off the surplus 

 water, are advisable ; the floor can then be kept cool 

 in hot weather by throwing a few pails of water down, 

 which is a constant practice in the dairies in the home 

 country. I have seen dairies built with good stone 

 foundations, and the walls of squared Cedars placed 

 upright, forming a thick, compact building — the 

 windows latticed, and each window sujiplied with a 

 wooden shutter which could be lowered at pleasure 

 to exclude the sun, wind or rain ; by this simple ar- 

 rangement, the sun's rays need never have access to 

 the daily. A porch with shelves and a bench is also 

 a great convenience, on which the empty pans, trays, 

 paiLs, &c., can be set up to dry after scouring. 



[to be CONTINTTT).] 



All that nature has prescribed must be good; and 

 as death is natural to us, it is absurdity to fear it 

 Fear loses it pui-pose when we are sure it cannot pre- 

 serve us ; and we should draw i resolution to race 

 itj from the impossibility to escape it 



