1882,] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



139 



clover lookiiiK better Ibau he luis seen it look within 

 the past four years. Apples are diseased and are 

 drojipiug oil"— scarcely a perfect one is to bo found 

 on the trees. 



W. E. Paxson, of Colerain, had never seen the 

 prospect of the corn crop better; the clever and pas 

 ture fields also look well and the late rains have 

 greatly improved the tobacco, which looks very well; 

 apples, with the exception of the russets, are drop, 

 ping oil". 



Johnson Miller, of Lititz, said the late rains have 

 greatly improved the corn and tobacco, and the 

 latter now looks very well; the wheat crop was ex- 

 cellent; the apples are rapidly droppiu;; oil"; the 

 peaches are being attacked on the tree by bees and 

 wasps: the grapes are rotting on the vines in some 

 places; the young clover looks better than he has 

 ever seen it at this time of the year; some farmers 

 are cutting their tob.icco, which looks as if it would 

 be about an average crop. 



Peter Ilershey said he thought the tobacco in 

 Salisbury was better than that nearer Lancaster, 

 though everywhere there has been wonderful im 

 provcment within the last ten days; the corn is 

 healthy, but the ears are short; grass, timothy and 

 clover look very well; apples are scarce and tailing 

 oil", except the Baldwin, Smith's Cider and a few 

 others, which contain some line fruit; wheat turned 

 out very well and oats poorly. 



James Wood, of Little Britain, said the wheat wag 

 excellent, and believes the corn will be equally good ; 

 of oats there was not more than half a crop; his own 

 yielded lil bushels to the acre ; not many apples are 

 grown in his neighborhood, and no peaches; hedon't 

 grow tobacco, but sees some very good crops in the 

 ower end ; the hay was good and jiotatoes will yield 

 over an average crop. Take it all in all this is one 

 ol the very best seasons the farmer has ever had. 



Selecting and Breeding Dairy Stock. 



Mr. W. E. Paxson, of Colerain, read the following 

 essay : 



In respectful obedience to your request I will pre- 

 sent as briefly as may be some remarks based on the 

 subject of "selecting breeding and dairy stock." 

 The milking qualities of our domestic cows are to 

 some extent artificial, the result of judicious care 

 and breeding. In the natural or wild state the cow 

 yields only enough to nourish her offspring for a few 

 weeks and then goes dry for several montlis or dur- 

 ing the greater part of the year. There is therefore 

 a constant tendency to revert to that condition which 

 is prevented only by judicious treatment, designed 

 to develop and increase the milking qualities so valu- 

 able to the human race. If this judicious treatment 

 is continued through several generations of the same 

 family or race of animals the qualities which it is 

 calculated to develop become more or less fixed, and 

 capable of transmission ; and instead of being ex- 

 ceptional or peculiar to an individual they become 

 the permanent characteristics of a breed. A knowl- 

 edge of the history ol the diflTerent breeds, and es- 

 pecially of the dairy breeds, is of manifest importance 

 and will aid the farmer perhaps in making an Intel 

 ligent selection with reference to the special object of 

 pursuit. In selecting any breed, therefore, the 

 farmer must select that breed or herd which is best 

 adapted to that branch of dairying wliich he pur- 

 sues. An intimate acquaintance with the various 

 breeds of cattle known among us has led us to dis- 

 tinguish the most prominent r'reeds— especially those 

 adapted to the dairy ; and the importations of these 

 famous breeds have been so frequent and extensive 

 in the United States within the last few years that 

 they are now pretty generally diffused over the coun- 

 try and within the reach of every farmer. If the 

 dairyman is selling his milk the cow that will yield 

 the most milk will be the profitable one. If he is 

 making butter then he must have a large yield of 

 cream of the best quality, no matter what the flow 

 of milk ; and the cow that will be the profitable one. 

 How careful then should he be in his selection, and 

 to breed from that stock with the hope of improve- 

 ment. 



With the dairyman the cow is the machine that 

 manufactures the dairy goods. Then should he not 

 be as careful in selecting his herd of cows as I he 

 manufacturers would be in selecting machinery to 

 workout his fabrics? And yet the manufacturer 

 gives greater attention to his machinery than the 

 dairyman to his herd of cows. Nearly one third of 

 all the cows kept by dairymen in the county produce 

 less milk than will pay their keep. They are simply 

 a clog upon the business, and the sooner'they are dis- 

 posed of the better. Does not this important mat- 

 ter behoove every one engaged in the dairy 

 business to set himself at work m weeding out the 



poor cows so that they may be able to reap larger 

 products from their dairies? Test each cow by her- 

 self and see how many do pay profit enough to re 

 tain 'hem, and get rid of these small profit ones an 

 soon as possible. It is necessary that we should 

 endeavor to improve our dairy stock; and how can 

 this be done? Not surely by indiscriminale crossing, 

 this is why we have so many mongrel herds, and 

 why so large a share of their progeny Is so jmor. 

 Our object in crossing should be improvement, and 

 wo ought to know when we make a cross whether 

 we are likely to get it. We must be careful not to 

 in any way deteriorate the form and health of the 

 anhnal, and the quality ol the milk, as well as not 

 to lessen the flow. As far as possible it is best to 

 breed our herds from pure blooil. A great part of 

 the art of breeding lies in the principles of judicious 

 crossing, for it is only by attending projierly to tills 

 that success is to be attained. All eminent breeders 

 know that ill-bred animals arc unprofitalile, and the 

 old saying stil holds good that "like begets like." 

 If this be true, which doubtless it is, then how care 

 ful we shocdd bo not to breed from an Inferior ani 

 mal; and I hope the time is gradually passing away 

 when the intelligent, practical farmer will be willing 

 to put his cows to any mere runt of a bull simply be- 

 cause his services may be had for li.'i cents. A calf 

 sired by a pure-bred bull, particularly of a race dis- 

 tinguished by firmness of bone, symmetry of form, 

 and early maturity, will bring a much higher price 

 at the same age than a calf sired by a scrub. 



In closing, let me make one remark in regard to 

 the treatment of our cows. There is an old adage 

 among the Germans that "the cow milks only 

 through her throat." Never was better said. Alas, 

 how many ot us forget this, and instead of giving 

 them the treatment and care which they deserve, 

 they are neglected. The productiveness of the cow 

 does not depend on her breed so much as on her 

 food and management. Proper shelter and good 

 nutritious food should bo provided for herduringthe 

 winter months and then we may expect good results. 



It is fortunate, indeed, that wiser and more hu- 

 mane ideas prevail with regard to the care of stock 

 of all kinds, now, than that treatment which it re- 

 ceived in the early history ot our country, when 

 'many thousand perished from exposure and starva- 

 tion. And I hope that the idea which was so pre- 

 valent among our farmers once who styled them- 

 selves "practical farmers," is thoroughly rooted out 

 never to be practiced again that cows and young 

 stock should remain outdoors exposed to the cold 

 winter days in order that they might be toughened 

 Isnotthisan erroneous idea? >Io thrifty ("armer. 

 will subject his stock to such treatment with such 

 an object in view. 



The Question Discussed. 



J. C Linville thought the essay much to the point 

 and furnished much information that would be of 

 value to the farmer as well as to the dairyman . We 

 don't pay enough attention to our dairy stock ; the 

 margin of profit on dairy products is small at best, 

 and the difference between a good and a bad cow is 

 the difTereuce between a moderate profit and an ab- 

 solute loss. We should dispose of all cows that do 

 not pay for their feed ; if we liave good butter cows 

 we should raise our stock from their calves and not 

 buy our cows from the West. 



S. P. Eby thought the essay contained a number 

 of valuable suggestions. The proper care of cattle 

 is important ; the thoroughbred is, as the essayist 

 says, an artificial animal and will run back to its 

 natural state unless judiciously treated and kindly 

 cared for. We should devote as much attention to 

 our cows as we do to our horses. The one should be 

 curried and kept clean as well as the other. They 

 should not be msrely well sheltered in winter, but 

 their stalls should be kept clean and well ventilated. 



In answer to the question as to what is a thorough- 

 bred, Mr. Linville said it is an animal that has been 

 carefully bred for many generations until its type is 

 fixed — whether tliattyi/e be Alderney, Jersey, Guern- 

 sey, Devon, Durham or other breed. Some of our 

 native cows arc as good or better than the thorough 

 breds, but the diHieulty is the type is not fixed, and 

 three times out of four the calves will not be of the 

 type of the cow. In answer to another question, 

 Mr. Linville said the Jersey and Guernsey breeds 

 were much alike, and that no Alderneys are im- 

 ported into this country. 



Mr. Paxson said the Guernseys were rather larger 

 than the Jerseys, and of not quite such line points 

 or color ; for milk and butter production they are 

 much alike. He thought farmers should raise their 

 own stock from carefully-selected bulls and cows. 



Levi S. Keist said that notwithstanding the great 



advanlages resulting from improved breeds of cattle, 

 Lancaster county farmers have always been slow in 

 Intro 'ucing them. They stick to the old, common 

 breeds, saying that cattle-raising don't pay anyhow, 

 and that our land Is too dear to devote to stock-rais- 

 ing. He agreed, however, with what the essayist 

 had saiil. 



On motion, the thanks of the society were voted 

 to Mr. Paxson. 



How to Secure Better Meetings. 

 Johnson .Miller said some plan should l>e adopted 

 by which a better attendance at the regular meetings 

 of the society could be attained. But very little pro- 

 gress has been made in this direction during the past 

 ten years. He suggested that if the meetings, in- 

 stead of being held in the city every month, were 

 held at the residences of the members in different 

 parts of the county, the attendance would be much 

 larger and meetings more attractive. This plan has 

 been adopted by the Ocloraro Farmers' Club, with 

 good results. He had attended one of their meetings 

 at which a large number of farmers were gathered, 

 and a pleasant and profitable time followed. Our 

 meetings are held on Monday, always a busy day, 

 on which those members who do get to town have a 

 great deal of work to do and rarely reach the meet- 

 ing before half past two o'clock, and some of them, 

 to reach home by the cars, have to leave before the 

 adjournment, as was his case now. He had no 

 motion to make, but asked the society to consider the 

 suggestion. 



S. P. Eby moved that the consideration of the 

 matter Ije postponed until next meeting so that 

 members could have time to think over It. The 

 present meeting was a small one, and it would not 

 be advisable to act hastily. Mr. Eby's motion was 

 agreed to. 



Cutting Corn-Fodder for Feed 

 The question, " Will it not pay the farmer to cut 

 his corn fodder before feeding it to his cattle/" was 

 answered by Peter Hershey, who said that his ex- 

 perience was that it did not pay to cut the fodder ; 

 he had practiced cutting it for several years but had 

 quit it. It is true that the fodder is more easily 

 handled when cut and when it finds lis way to the 

 manure pile it rols more rapidly and makes shorter 

 manure, but the labor and expense of cutting it over 

 balances the advantages gained. 



John C. Linville said he had a good fodder cutler 

 and used it two or three years and liked it; the corn- 

 stalks have not much nutriment in them, but they 

 help to fill the stomach and will do to eke out a 

 short hay crop; but the labor of cutting the fodder 

 costs more than it comes to, if you have to hire help 

 to do it; labor is expensive and useless you have 

 plenty of spare time of your own he would not re- 

 commend culling the fodder. 



Streaks in Butter. 

 "What is the cause of streaks In butter?" was an 

 swered by J. Frank Landis. He said the streaks re- 

 sulted from imperfect working and washing of the 

 butter, and they might be avoided by care in this re 

 spect. The butter should ba made of good cream 

 from good cows, the cream should bee t a tempera- 

 ture of .5.5 or 60 degrees when churned, and after be- 

 ing churned sliould be carefully worked so as to re- 

 move all the buttermilk and the best quality of salt 

 should be used. Mr. Landis read from an agricul 

 tural journal a paragraph which substantially 

 agreed with his own views. 



Howr to Sow Timothy Seed. 

 "Is it better to sow timothy seed before or after 

 the drill?" was answered by Levi S. Keist, who said 

 he would prefer sowing it alter the drill, and before 

 a fall af rain. Unlike some other farmers he could 

 not grow timothy from seed sown in the spring. 

 The best Variety of Wheat. 

 "What kind of wheat should we sow this fall?" 

 was next discussed. 



J. Frank Landis said a majority of the farmers in 

 his neighborhood who have been growing the Fnltz 

 variety are giving it np and going back to the old 

 Mediterranean or Lancaster variety, which brings a 

 better price at the mills than the Fultz wheat. 



