92 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



SEPT. 2S, 1810. 



DAIRYIIV6. I appendages should hf large; by which an animal 



The profit of a Dairy (h^pends as much on the is enabled to travel with greater facility. 



choice of the Cows, as on their being well fed, and 

 on the projier irianagenietit of the milk. — It is in- 

 tended in this No. to aid the dairy farmer in this 

 selection. 



Before offering two extracts fioin English works 

 which give the external marks of good Cows for 

 the dairy ; it is proper to state that the dairy farms 

 in England are supplied with cows by purchase. 

 In lingland there are farms for the raising of stock, 

 and that furnish the cows for the dairy farms ; and 

 farms also for the rearing and fattening of calves 

 for the butcher, — which are supplied with their 

 calves from the dairy farms, at the age of two to 

 four days. 



Extract — " For the choice of Cows for dairy 

 Farms. — The Milk, or Dairy Farmer, should con- 

 stantly choose such Cows as are wide in the horns, 

 thin on the head and neck, dewlap not too pend- 

 ulous, the carcase deep and flatish, wide (rather 

 pointed) hips, buttocks round and fleshy, legs thin, 

 with short joints, the udder capacious, not fleshy, 

 but extending well backward ; the milk rooms 

 large and prominent, and the teats long and large." 

 — Encyclopedia of JIgriculture. 



This coramuuication was made by Dr. Clyne 

 the most eminent Surgeon in Europe, anri was in- 

 tended as directions to improve the breed of stock 

 in general, and is particularly recommended to the 

 -farmers of this country, who raise their own stock, 

 and in what they raise require those qualities, that 

 will answer for labor as well as the dairy. "The 

 external form of domestic animals has been much 

 studied, and the proportions are well assertained. 

 But the external form is an indication only of in- 

 ternal structure. The principles of improving it, 

 must therefore be founded on a knowledge of the 

 structure, and use of the internal parts. 



The Lungs are of the first importance. It is 

 their size and soundness, that the strength and 

 ealth of animals, principally depend. The pow- 

 er of converting food into nourishment is in pro- 

 portion to their size, and therefore, the animal 

 with the largest lungs, has the greatest a|ititude to 

 fatten. 



The Chest, according to its external form and 

 size, indicates the size of the lungs. The form of 

 the chest should approach to the figure of a cone, 

 having its apex situated between the shoulders, and 

 its ba^e towards the loins. Its capacity depends 

 on its form more than in the extent of its circum- 

 ference, for where the girt is equal in two ani- 

 mals, one may have larger lungs than the other. 

 A circle contains more than an elipsis of equal 

 circumference. A deep chest, therefore, is not 

 capacious unless it is proportionably broad. 



The Pelvis, is the cavity formed by the junction 

 of the haunch bones with the bones of the rump. 

 It is essentiai^that this cavity should be large in 

 the female, tlfel she may be enabled to bring forth 

 her young with less difficulty. 



The size of the Pelvis is chiefly indicated by the 

 width of the hips, and the breadth of the twist 

 which is the space between the thighs. 



The Head should be small, by which the birth 

 is facilitated. The smallness affords other advan- 

 tages, and generally indicates that the animal is of 

 a good breed. 



The length of the JVeck should be proportioned 

 to the height of the animal, that it may collect its 

 food with ease. 



The Muscles, and the tendons, which are their 



The Bunes, when large, are commonly consid- 

 ered an indication of strength, but strength does 

 not depend on the size of the bones, but on the 

 muscles. Animals that have been imperfectly 

 nonrishcd during growth, have their bones dispro- 

 portionab'y large. Large bones, generally indi- 

 cate an imperfection in the organs of nutrition. 



When the male is much larger than the female, 

 tlie ofTspring is generally of an imperfect form. If 

 the female be proportionably larger than the male 

 the offspring is of an itnproved form. The size 

 of the foetus is generally in proportion to that of 

 the male parent ; therefore when the female pa 

 rent is disproportionahly small, the quantity of 

 nourishment is deficient, and the offspring has the 

 disproportions of a starveling. The larger female 

 has a larger quantity of milk, and her offspring is 

 more abundantly su|iplied with nourishment afler 

 its birth. For example, if a well formed ram be 

 put to ewes proportionably smaller, the lambs will 

 not be so well shaped as their parents ; but if a 

 small ram be jjut to large ewes, the lambs will be 

 of an improved form. 



The power of the female to supply her offspring 

 with nourishnent, is in proportion to her size, and 

 to the pewer of nourishing herself from the e.xcel- 

 leuce of her constitution." 



Color of Cows. — The quality of the milk de- 

 pends more on the color of the skin, than the hair. 

 A white cow with a yellow skin gives better milk, 

 than a dark^colored cow with a white skin. 



The Eye. — A full and bright eye is to be re- 

 garded in the choice of an animal, particularly in 

 calves that are to be raised. 



The skin should have a fine mellow touch, and 

 good hair is very important. 



There has been a great difference of opinion in 

 England on the external form, that characterizes 

 the most profitable breed for cows. The writer 

 has seen no record of experiments to show the 

 comparative value of the different breeds, the re- 

 sults of which would have settled the various 

 opinions on this subject, and would make this ar- 

 ticle too lengthy without benefit. 



It is therefore proposed to confine the reader's 

 attention to two breeds that have been imported 

 into this coimtry, and to state a few facts to show 

 their fitness for the Dairy and labor, and then re- 

 quest a comparison of the external form with Dr. 

 Clyne's views on the subject. 



1st. The improved Durham Short Horned 

 breed. 



The bulls imported into Massachusetts were 

 Denton, Caelebs, and Admiral — and Cows of 

 this breed have been imported by J. Hare Powell 

 and selected by Mr J. Whitaker, without limit in 

 j)rice — cases are now offered to show that this 

 breed are remarkable good milkers, good feeders, 

 and early arrive at maturity. 



Mr J. Whitaker had 10 cows which produced 

 daily 296 quarts of milk, and one of these that was 

 16 years old, gave 26 quarts daily. 



Mr Jonathan Roberts of Pennsylvania had a 

 cowj" that produced milk between Thursday morn- 

 ing and Saturday night — 3 days, from which 8 

 lbs. 13 oz. of butter was obtained, at the rate of 

 20 1-2 lbs. per week." A quart of cream from the 

 same cow gave 1 pound 5 oz. of butter. 



Mr Carpenter of Pennsylvania, reported to the 

 Agricultural Society, that of this breed, " as re- 



gards their aptitude to fatten, and their early ma- 

 turity, 1 give it as my opinion that they surpass 

 any other bree(| of cattle I have seen. Gov. Lin- 

 coln formerly Governor of Massachusetts and ma- 

 ny others confirm this statement. 



On the weight. — Of six steers, from 18 to 20 

 months old, produced at the East Lothian United 

 Agricultural Society, one was killed and the four 

 quarters weighed 1653. "A four year old steer 

 when slaughtered weighed 1890. A three year 

 old heifer fed on hay and grass weighed 1280." 



This breed has been introduced into this part of 

 the country by Mr Sanford Howard, and Colonel 

 Green — and the external form is well known to 

 comparo with the description of a perfect animal 

 as given by Dr. Clyne. 



2. Two bulls and two cows were imported 

 into Ken. Co. from England in 1792. The di- 

 rections given for the selection were very similar 

 to those of Dr. Clyne — and one of the Bulls af- 

 terwards owned by Hon. C. Gore, of Waltham, 

 answered in all his points to Dr. Clyne's descrip- 

 tion. 



The external form of this breed is well known, 

 and have been highly approved — and have been 

 well fitted for the dairy, and have a disposition to 

 fatten and for labor. 



One cow in five and a half months, gave 202 1-2 

 lbs. of butter, 36 of cheese, and about 9 quarts of 

 milk, daily, on an average for fifty days — and 

 during the 50 days, 50 lbs. of butter were made. 

 She was exhibited as a fat cow at Brighton in Oc- 

 tober, and her form was considered as very supe- 

 rior — her weight at 5 years old, without being 

 stall fed, was 905 lbs. — from the outside of one 

 hip bone to the outside of the other was 24} 

 mclies. 



A yoke of oxen at the State Cattle Show, girt- 

 ing about ~ feet 2 inches drew 72 cwt. — the cart, 

 and the stones in it were weighed. 



Fordrafl the Short horned, in England, are not 

 considered as equal to the Herfordshire oxen — 

 but far superior in all other respects. 



It is evidei;t from what has been stated, that the 

 more perfect the form, as described by Dr Clyne, 

 the more profitable is the animal, whether for dairy 

 or other purposes. 



But to the farmer in this section of the country, 

 it is surely the most for their interest to select 

 stack to breed from according to the description 

 given by Dr. Clyne, and particularly as farmers 

 are obliged to raise stock for the purpose of the 

 dairy, labor, and the butcher. 



The writer is aware that this article is lengthy, 

 but he did not know how to curtail it, and he 

 would have it to be considered as No. 2, in a se- 

 ries of papers with the signature of C. V 



Maine Farmer.' 



To Improve Dried Figs. — These fruits, when 

 they are brought to the table, are commonly cov- 

 ered with a scurf, composed of a mealy sugary 

 substance, very disagreeable to the teeth. — 

 The way to get rid of the scurf, and render the 

 figs as plump and clear skinned as when they are 

 newly gathered from the tree, is, first to keep them 

 in a cool and rather moist cellar for twenty four 

 hours before using; and secondly, just before 

 presenting them at table, to put them into a re- 

 ceiver, and exhaust the air. After remaining 

 there two minutes, they should be taken out and 

 gently brushed, when they will be found perfectly 

 plump and clear skinned. 



