AND HORTICULTURAL RECxISTER. 



PUlil.ISHED BV JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (AonicuLToaAL Warehouse.) 



vot. xvm.] 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 31, 18:39. 



CNO. 4. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



SECOND REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE 

 OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



BT REV. HENRV COLMAK. 

 (Continued.) 



PRODUCE AND EXPENSES. 



1. Egrenwnl. — I will in this place state as an 

 example, the operhtion of a farmer whj resided 

 about twentyfive miles from Hudson. The great 

 object of his attention was the making of butter, 

 which was sold every week in the New York mar- 

 ket 



Prom 18 cows he sold 2400 lbs. butter, at23cts. 

 net. With these cows he fed 17 spring pigs un- 

 til October, whose average weight was 177 lbs. 

 each ; half of this pork, say 88 lbs. was to be cred- 

 ited to tlie cow. He is of opinion that when pork 

 is $10 per 100 lbs., a cow will give at least $8 

 worth of pork per vear. 



Cow, Cr. 

 133 lbs. butter, at 23c. (commission paid,) $30 59 

 Pork 8 00 



2. In Otis. — Twenty cows gave 5000 lbs. new 

 milk cheese for sale; each averaging also 25 lbs. 

 of butter ; 000 lbs. of cheese were also used in the 

 family. 



Cow, Cr. 



280 lbs. cheese at 8c. $22 40 



25 " butter at 20c. 5 00 



Calf 4 00 



Pork, 26 lbs. at 6c. 1 56 



Supra, Dr. 

 Winter keeping |12 00 



One acre of land costing $50 will pasture 



the cow 3 50 



Salt 25 cents, 3 bs. bran $3 3 25 



Interest on tlie value of cow at $25, 10 perct 2 50 

 Labor of r iKing, making butter, cheese, &c. 4 00 



$25 25 



Cow, Dr. 



Wintering $13 00 



Pasturing 5 ()0 



Interest on cost of cow $15 — 10 perct 1 50 

 Labor and attendance 2 16 



$32 96 



20 66 



Cow, Dr. 



Wintering $12 00 



Pasturing 5 00 



Salt 25 



Interest on $25, 10 per cent risks in- 

 cluded ■ > .■^a 



$38 59 



■ $19 7c 



Profits of a cow $18 84 



It is understood that no e.xtra feed is in this case 

 liven to the cow ; and the butter and milk used in 

 he family, it is supposed wil! fully pay for the at- 

 endance. This is a fair profit; but it is, as I 

 hink we shall presently see, much less than it 

 :hould be. No animal is better entitled to good 

 :eeping than a cow ; because none makes a more 

 iberal return for all the extra kindness and feed 

 .nd attention bestowed on her. 



Ill another dairy, nine cows made 1550 lbs. of 

 utter and 300 lbs. of cheese. 



Another dairy of twenty cows produced,— of 

 utter ."lOn lbs. •' nf new mill- pKnoco ^ nnn 1K.1 



Balance in favor of cow $12 24 



3. Lantsboro' Sales from 12 cows: cheese 



at 12 cents — butter at 25 cents — gross amount, 

 600 dollars. No account in this case is made of 

 supplies in the family. 



4. Sondisfield. — The average yield of a cow in 

 ordinary seasons is rated at 250 lbs., with common 

 keeping. By extra keeping, the quantity is in- 

 creased to 350 or 400 lbs. The quantity of butter 

 in addition, to each cow, is supposed to be from 40 

 to 50 lbs. where new milk cheese is made. 



The amount of cheese made in Sandisfield, in 

 1837, i"as e.-^tiinated by n .n^tl cyin?''*'"''^ ""ithoritv 

 at 300,000 lbs. 



Another firmer, with a dairy of 15 cows, states 

 the average product of a cow, if she rai.ses her calf, 

 at 250 lbs. ; if otherwise, at 300 lbs. ; and 25 lbs. 

 butter also, from each cow. Four hogs may be 

 kept to 20 cows. In this way, weighing 100 lbs. in 



the spring, they will weigh 300 lbs. in the fall. 



140 lbs. of pork is to be credited to 5 cows. 



The cost of wintering a cow here, is rated at 

 $10; pasturage $4. A good dairy woman will 

 take charge of thirty cows, with assistance in milk- 

 ing and in handling cheese. Her wages will be 

 $1 .50 per week, with board. 



5. In Ti/ringham, the average yield of a cow 



Bala ce in favor of the cow $24 08 



The quantity of land estimated for pasturage in 

 this case seems small. It must be small for a gen- 

 eral rule ; another farmer in the same town assur- 

 ed me thai he kept one yoke of oxen all the season 

 and one horse half the season, on two and a half 

 acres of land, which he showed me. 'Ihe land 

 had been greatly benefited by plaster. 



EXTRAORDI.VARY COWS. 



I sh.all give an account of some remarkable ani- 

 mals which have been found among what are called 

 our native cattle. It is not pretended that they 

 constitute a distinct race or characterize a particu-' 

 lar class of animals ; but they show at least what 

 materials are within our reach, upon which to build 

 a stock of high character. 



A cow bf Samuel D. Colt, of Pittsfield, from 1st 

 December to 27th April, 148 days, produced 193 

 lbs. of butter. 



A cow owned by R. Campbell, of Pittsfield, has 

 vicldej 2(.l3efr quarts of milk per day. 



A cuw (iwnod oy llosea Merrill, gave 30 beer 

 quarts of milk pen day. 



A cow owned by I). Fenn. of Stockbridge, 8 

 years old, produced inone week 12 lbs. 9 oz. but- 

 ter. During the same time, 10 quarts of the milk 

 were sold, and in addition cream and milk were 

 used freely in the family. 



A cow owned by Calvin Davis, 4 years old in 

 the spring of 1838, in 172 days produced 225 Iba. 

 butter, and fatted a calf. An accidental injury to 

 the cow, prevented a continuance of making butter. 



Two cows of Wm. Dewey, of Alfijrd, in good 

 season, averaged for a length of time, 14 pounds 

 of butter each per week. 



A cow belonging to the late Dr Hyde, of Stock- 



