supplying Milk for the Poor, 129 



and unremitting attention to be freed from decayed leaves; and after frost, the 

 difficulty is still greater. It is however indispensably necessary to prevent the milk 

 from being tainted. 



The cabbages planted were the drum-head cabbage. I wish an equally weighty 

 and more hardy kind could be obtained, that would stand the winter better, as the 

 cost of cleaning and stripping the decayed leaves, tends greatly to reduce their 

 value. 



The common turnip followed ; next the Swedish and kohlrabi ; and last the 

 cole-seed. This latter article of food I found to be most productive of milk, and 

 it has the further advantage of standing till the end of May, by which time lucerne 

 is fit to be cut. 



I made a further experiment in feeding milch-cows, by giving oil-cake; this 

 novelty encountered still greater prejudice. On trial it soon appeared that the milk 

 was considerably richer, its flavour not affected, and the quantity much increased. 



To this I attribute the uncommon condition of the whole stock so fed. The 

 certificates, which accompany this, will be fully satisfactory upon that point. 



My dairy commenced the ist of October 1804, ^^^ continued constantly sup- 

 plying the town till the 18th of May 1805. As a part of the heifers were not 

 purchased till late in October, and not all in milk till the middle of November, I 

 have extended the period thirty days above the two hundred, to complete the 

 period for the whole stock upon which the calculation of food is founded, which 

 will exceed, some little, the 200 days. 



The time of milking in the morning was between six and seven; immediately 

 afterwards a feed of cabbages was given, so long as they lasted. At ten o'clock, 

 previous to turning out, two pounds of oil cake each. In favourable days they had 

 turnips in the pasture with the tops and tails cut off; on returning to the sheds they 

 were served with cabbages ; between that time and four they were milked : this was 

 followed by a second allowance of two pounds of oil cake each ; afterwards a third 

 feed of cabbages ; and at six o'clock a foddering of straw from six to eight pounds. 



The labour of cutting off the tops and tails of the turnips was amply compen- 

 sated for, by the advantage of feeding the wintering Highland catde with them in 

 preference to straw. 



The expense of green food does not stand the farmer in one halfpenny per stone; 

 the tops and tails must be considered of still less value : whilst straw cannot be 



VOL. v. S 



