53 



bay were required for the wintering of a cow, valued at ^8 per ton ; 

 or she might be kept for hire at 50 cts. per week. 



In another case 30 cows made 14,000 lbs= new milk cheese ; and 

 500 lbs. butter. In this case some calves were raised ; but most of 

 them were killed at four days old. Throughout the county of Berk- 

 shire this mode of dealing with the calves is termed " deaconing" 

 them. What is the particular propriety of this provincialism, I am 

 unable to determine ; and whether it had its origin in any superstition 

 among the aborigines or the first settlers of the county, I shall leave 

 to the antiquarians to ascertain. It is a peculiarity, and prevails no 

 where else. 



The practice, with this farmer, is to give boiled corn in the ear to 

 his cows ; perhaps a dozen ears to a cow per day. When it is con- 

 veniently had, he gives a mess of rye meal to each cow, at the rate 

 of two quarts per day, for three weeks in the spring. He is anxious 

 to let his cows go to the grass as soon as the ground is bare. He 

 thinks cows are liable to suffer from excessive feeding in the barn. 



The wintering of a cow requires If ton of hay, . . $14 00 



Pasturing, 20 cts. per week for 26 weeks, . . 5 20 



In 40 days of the best of the season on this farm 30 cows pro- 

 duced 4000 lbs. butter. The land required for the pasturage of a 

 cow is considered to be three acres. 



From thirty cows, an average of 425 lbs. of cheese has been pro- 

 duced to each cow, and ten lbs. of butter ; or 300 the whole. 



On one farm, where 18 cows were kept, 11.385 lbs. new milk 

 cheese were made in a season, which gives the extraordinary average 

 of 632J lbs. to a cow. 200 lbs. of butter were made the same sea- 

 son from the same cows. One of these cows produced 1000 lbs. 

 new milk cheese. 



During the first part of the season, for two months, two quarts of 

 rye meal were given to each cow. Half of this quantity of meal was 

 given them for one month during the last of the season ; and the greater 

 part of the time they had their whey. 1000 lbs. pork were made on 

 the farm ; and half of this was credited to the cows. 



The same individual, when on another farm in South Adams, with 

 twenty-one cows, made 626 lbs. new milk cheese to a cow, in a 



