162 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



portion of the choice parts of beef than he found in 

 anj' other animals, pure blood or grade. 



Short-horn cows (Durhanis) are considered ex- 

 cellent milkers. The same authority quoted above 

 says, that the inherent quality of ainnidant milking 

 exists in the short-horns, no intelligent breeder of 

 them need duubt. lie says : — Some breeders con- 

 tend that the thoroughbred short-horn ox is as 

 good a worker as any other ; but the weight of 

 evidence docs not conlirm the assertion ; still, they 

 do work, and that quite toleral)ly, but they have 

 neither the wind, si)eed, or bottom of the lighter 

 and moi-e active breeds. 



As a beef animal it can scarcely be surpassed. 

 It is held that, as a fiesh-pi-oducing animal, in 

 early maturity, weight of meat, ripeness of points, 

 and giving the most flesh in the best places, the 

 great merit of the short-horn is found. Every part 

 is wonderfully tilled. Choice tlesh is put on hi 

 places A\hcre the common cattle fail to give it, and 

 making the animal valuable all over, with no more 

 offal than in a creature of a third less size of an 

 inferior breed. There are comparatively few Here- 

 fords in Now England, while there are many short- 

 horns in every part of it. 



There is probably more Hereford blood in the 

 stock of Maine than in that of any other Eastern 

 State, and we shall be glad to publish the result of 

 the experience of the breeders there, as a fuller re- 

 ply to your question. 



Hall C. Burleigh, of Fairfield, in your State, 

 breeds the Herefords. 



MASSACHUSETTS' PERCHERONS. 



Some eight years ago, I think, the State of 

 Massachusetts imported two stock horses from the 

 coast of France, called the "Percheron Stock." 

 As much was said at the time as to the great mer- 

 its of said stock for "all work," I would like to 

 know how said stock has proved with you ? 



Kennebec Co., Me., Feb. 14, 1871. l. e. g. 



Remarks. — You allude we presume to the im- 

 portation, in 1864, Vjy the Massachusetts Society 

 for Promoting Agriculture, of two stallions and 

 three mares of the Percheron breed. Though, as 

 you remark, "much was said at the time as to the 

 great merit of this stock," we believe the annual 

 sales of the stock held by the Society, at their sta- 

 bles, on the Bussey Farm in lloxbuiy, show a 

 steady and of late a rapid increase in the popu- 

 larity of this stock. Last year there was a larger 

 attendance and we believe much higher i)rices were 

 obtained, than ever before. The following are the 

 sales of last year : — 



Stallion Orleans, 10 years old, imported in 1864 

 by the Society, for #700, to A. H. Seabury, of New 

 Bedf'urd; stallion Nai)<)lcon, .5 years old, for §1000, 

 to W. A. Woodswortli, of I3oston ; imported mare 

 Emyircss, 10 years old, in foal to Napoleon, for 

 .■^fjSO, to Francis Dame, of Boston ; a three-year- 

 old filly, from Emi)ress by Orleans, for #'4.50, to 

 the same ; a two-year-old filly, out of Empress I)y 

 Conqueror, for .f.'JSO, to the Society ; the mare Sul- 

 tana, in foal to Orleans, for #'110, to J. 11. Stone,* of 

 Boston; a yearling lilly, out of Sultana by Napo- 

 leon, for $300, to S. Boyd, of Boston, and a gi-ay 



mare bv Conquerer, o^vned by Mr. T. J. Coolidge, 

 for $'m to Ur. Bui-nett. 



The "Conqueror" here mentioned was one of the 

 stallions originally imported, "Orleans" being the 

 other. The last we heard of Conqueror was in 

 Skowhegan, Maine, havhig been sold some three 

 years ago. One of his colts was sold about two 

 years ago for #'1400, when two years and nine 

 months old, at which time he weighed 1510 pounds. 



Having thus answered your inquiry as well as 

 we can, will you hiform us how Conqueror's stock 

 is proving with you in Maine ? 



DRYING OFF COWS. 



I have a five-year-old cow that last year I milked 

 till within three weeks of her calving, when find- 

 ing that the milk was not good, I quit milkhig. 

 Now her time will be out in about four weeks. I 

 have milked once a day recently and she gives two 

 quarts a day or more now. I know of other simi- 

 lar cases. What can we do to dry her off ? h, m. 



West field, Vt., Feb. 20. 1871. 



Remarks. — By milking less frequently and not 

 quite clean, and by avoiding special milk produc- 

 ing food, there is seldom much trouble in drying 

 off cows. Your cow was milked last year within 

 three weeks of calving, and we thiidi she will be 

 likely to give you little trouble after about that 

 time this year, as this is very much a matter of 

 habit. Still as the milking qualities of our cows 

 are largely artificial they must be watched and 

 treated according to circumstances. Sometimes it 

 is advisable if not absolutely necessary to relieve 

 the distended udder l)y milking a cow or heifer be- 

 fore calving. In their natural state cows give com- 

 paratively little milk. We understand this is the 

 case ^^'itll Texan cows, and that owners of large 

 herds there buy northern butter for their families, 

 and probably farmers there have no trouble in 

 drying off cows. 



REST FEED FOR CATTLE. 



Seeing an article in the New Englaxd Farmer 

 of January 14, taken from the Germantown Tele- 

 graph, I beg to give my experience in feeding milk- 

 ing cows, which process may somewhat differ from 

 the modes of some of the readers of the Farmer. 



Every year I gi"ow oats on good rich land exclu- 

 sivel}' for milking cows and yearling calves. I cut 

 the oats green as soon as in the dough. I sow 

 rather thicker than if for thrashing. I let them lie 

 on the groui d for a few hours to wilt, and then 

 turn them with a rake. In fine hot, dry weather 

 they will be in good condition to stack or put in 

 the loft in two days. I work them similar to hay, 

 only I don't scatter out the swath, lest the more 

 mature oats be shelled out. 



To my milking cows I feed out this fodder every 

 day, with corn stalks, cut while the stalk is part 

 green. I also give each cow daily, a bucketful of 

 boiled pumpkins mixed with wheaten bran, raw 

 l)Uiniikins, marigolds, white stone turnips or 

 Swecds. I tie up all m.y cows, working oxen, 

 yearlings and calves, before sun down, in a good 

 warm, comfortable stal)le, with hay loft over. I 

 allow each cow four feet, and bed all same as 

 horses. I tie up calves so as when older there is 

 no trouble to teach them. 



My mode of tying up is to fix a young oak pole 

 fast to the floor, "and siicure firmly to the joist over 

 head. On the pole I have a ring that plays up and 



