270 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



YIELD OF MILK FROM AYRSHIEE COWS. 



A PRIZE of ten pounds ($50,) was offered by tlie 

 Duke of Atliole for the cow wliich should give the 

 largest quautitj of milk in five days. Eight cows 

 were sent for trial to the appointed place, near Ayr, 

 Scotland. ' No restrictions were made in regard to 

 food, except that the cows were not allowed to 

 have milk given them. 



Tlie best cow gave 263 lbs. of milk in five days, 

 or 21 quarts per day. The greatest quantity given 

 in a single milking was from this cow — 28^ lbs., 

 or Hi quarts. 



The average yield of the four best cows was 

 about 48 lbs., or 19 quarts, per day. 



The trial took place last April, before the cows 

 were turned out to grass. The Ayr Advertiser 

 says tliat " the cow which gave the largest quantity 

 of milk at the Duke of Athole's competition im- 

 proved wonderfully in the amount of produce alter 

 8he was put on the grass. She lately gave the as- 

 tonishing quantity of 75 imperial lbs., or 7i impe- 

 rial gallons, of milk per day, for several days in 

 succession. The lai'gest quantity at one milking 

 was 3'J lbs." (15i quarts.) 



The milk of the prize cow yielded 12 per cent, of 

 cream; that of the next best, 9 percent.; the next 

 11, and the next 15 \)er cent. The latter is about 

 equal in richness to Alderney milk. 



THE CATTLE DISEASE CAUSED BY IMMATUEE FOOD. 



TiiEKE is an interesting article in the Journal lV 

 Agriculture Pratique^ from the pen of Gustate 

 Hamoiu, in vvhicli several facts are brought forwuid 

 to show that cattle feeding on immature food are 

 very liable to pleuro-pnenmonia — the cattle disease 

 which has caused such a panic during the present 

 summer in Massacliusetts. 



He states that in seasons favorable to a rank 

 growth of the sugar beet — and when, consequently, 

 the beet is deficient in sugar — cattle fed on the pulj) 

 of the beets are subject to this disease. But lit- 

 has fouud tliat if the pulp is steamed in such a way 

 that the steam carries off the volatile matters — al- 

 cohol, acetic acid, and essential oils — it is then 

 healthy food. 



Several experiments are mentioned which seein 

 to prove the triitli of this idea. 



There can be no doubt that immature food of 

 any kind is unhealthy. The leaves of turnips, 

 which analysis shows to contain a much hirger 

 percentage of nitrogen than the bulbs, aire well 

 known to be less nutritious than the bulbs, and 

 have a tendency to cause scours in the sheep and 



cattle eating them. In Mr. Lawes' experiments on 

 sheep this fact was brought out in a very striking 

 manner. Sheep fed on turnips manured with su- 

 perphosphate of lime did well and gave a fair in- 

 crease ; while sheep fed on the same kind of turnips 

 and grown in the same field, and fed out at the 

 same time, but which were dressed with a large 

 quantity of ammonia, not only did not increase iu 

 weight but actually lost in fiesh, and were so evi- 

 dently ill-fed that it was necessary to discontinue 

 the experiment. Analysis showed these turnips to 

 contain a mjich higher percentage of nitrogen than 

 those grown with the superphosjdiate of lime — in 

 other words, they were deficient in carbonaceous 

 matter. The ammonia caused them to continue 

 growing late in the fall, and they were when gath- 

 ered far from being perfectly matured. 



Sugar beets, heavily dressed with ammoniacal 

 manures, are well known to be deficient in sugar, 

 and the manufacturers of beet-root sugar do not 

 like excessively heavy crops. M. TIamoik states 

 that the years when the crops of beets were unusu- 

 ally heavy Avere the years when the cattle disease 

 most prevailed, and we have no doubt it was caused 

 by the beets being immature. We see no reason 

 to doubt that immature grass, or that grown on 

 low, wet land, would also be injurious. 



Skinless Barley. — Mr. Silas Cook, of Ashta- 

 bula, Ohio, has sent us some ears of naked seeded 

 barley. He discovered two ears of this kind 

 among his spring barley a few years ago, and has 

 cultivated it separately since, till he has now seve- 

 ral bushels of it. He thinks it yields as well as 

 tlie common barley. Tlie grain has somewhat the 

 ujipearance of wheat, and weighs, Mr. 0. says, 

 .sixty-eight pounds per bushel. Jt is, unquestiona- 

 l)ly, heavier than the common barley, but we should 

 not judge it to weigh as much as Mr. 0. states. It 

 appears to be the same variety as the Italian barley, 

 distributed two or three years since by the Patent 

 (Jthce. We saw this barley on the farm of Mr. 

 CuMiNGS, of Trenton Falls, N. Y., a few days since. 

 Mr. OuMiNGS obtained about a quart of the seed 

 from the Patent Office two years since, and has 

 now several bushels. It appears to yield well and 

 promises to be a desirable kind. 



In a recent lecture, Dr. Anderson, chemist to 

 the Highland and Agricultaral Society of Scotland, 

 stated that the farmers of Great Britain expend 

 twenty millions of dollars annually in artificial' 

 maaures. 





