THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol 3. 



Tlie qiiamity of milk was very great, though wo are 

 left at a loss whether it were wine or hecr measure. 

 If it were beer measure, one fifth is to be deducted to 

 bring it to wine measure. The measurement of milk 

 in the bucket is always a very uncertain measurement. 

 This cow was a most extraordinary animal, and it 

 were to be wished that we had returns from others of 

 Mr. Powell's line stock, and some particular inform- 

 ation of the progeny of this cow. 



2. The celebrated cow Blossom, an improved Dur- 

 ham short horn cow, owned by Mr Canby, in Dela- 

 ware, is stated to have given in 1840, in one week, 

 247J quarts of milk, or more than 35 quarts per day — 

 from which were made 13^ pounds well worked but- 

 ter. Tbissummcr, (1841, )iwo monthsafter calving, 

 Bhe gave in one week 253^ quarts, or 36 quarts per 

 day, which yielded 17^ lbs. of superior butter. On 

 the i3ih of ,Iuly, fourth month after calving, the fol- 

 lowing is a record of one day's milking : — Morning, 

 12jqfvts; noun, 111 do; evening, lldo.=35qt8. 

 She gave 16 quarts per day up to the lime of calving. 

 The measure is understood to be wine mea.-ure. Thjs 

 is one of the largest products on record. In the first 

 case it seems to haverequiied IS 44-53 quarts to make 

 one pound of butler ; in the latter case, 14 48-69 qts. 

 This is a large amount. For the difli;reuce in the two 

 cases it is not easy to account. The mode of her keep- 

 ing is not slated with any explieitness. Theownerof 

 the cow is not known to me, either in person or by 

 reputation. 



3. My next account is from Paoli Lathrop, of South 

 Hadley, in this State, a farmer distinguished for his 

 intelligence and success, and on whose statements, 

 made on his own knowledge or observation, cnlire 

 reliance moy be placed. I give an extract of a letter, 

 winch I have recently received from him : 



" We have now tweniy-five head, which are thor- 

 ough bred improved Short Horns, without the least 

 mixiure of other blood, and are, beyond question, as 

 pure blood as can be produced. These animals gen- 

 erally possess great weight, and are perlectin syinme 

 try. At two and a half years old the heifers will ave- 

 rage about 1200 lbs., and I have raised one bull calf 

 which weighed 1020 lbs. the day he was a year old. 

 Our stock has been fed upon grass and hay only, with 

 the cxcepiionof a small quantity of roots in the winter 

 months. One of our cows is sixteen and two others 

 fourteen years old. and they now exhibit the appear- 

 ance, so far as conatiiution is concerned, of being 

 young animals, which I ihink is conclusive evidence 

 of this race of animals being well adapted to our cold 

 climate. 



" They mature early and take on fat easily, and, in 

 these respects have a decisive advantage over our na- 

 tive stock. To test an experiment between a native 

 and a short horn, I took a cow of each of about the 

 same age, dried them from milk at the same time, tied 

 them side by side at the same manger, and fed them 

 both exactly alike on hay only through the winter.— 

 The result was, that the Durham, in the spring, had 

 gained flesh and was in high condition, while the na- 

 tive was in only ordinary condition.* 



" Their product, in both butter and milk, is mneh 

 better than I have ever been able to obtain from native 

 «ows with the same keep. We have one cow which 

 made more than 12 pounds well worked butter per 

 week in April last, and 1 have repeatedly converted 

 the cream of this cow into butter in fifteen seconds.— 

 She gave in June last, upon grass alone, 360 lbs. milk 

 in a week, having been milked but twice a day, and 

 she averoged 51 lbs. per day for two months. We 

 have another cow which gav» 48 lbs. milk per day 

 through the month of June ; and we have still another 

 (now quite old,) which a former owner has asured me 

 has given 28 quarts of milk per day. We have two 

 heifers, with their first calves, which averaged 35 and 

 (111,'" ° ''"''' ''^'■ough the month of June. 

 1 have tested the quantity of cream obtained from 

 given quantities of milk from the above cows, and find 

 It to be IJ to li inch from 10 inches of milk. There 

 are some persons who deceive themselves, and doubt- 

 less others who are guilty of deception knowing it to 

 ,r n" u,' * J ."presenting mixed blood Short Horns as 

 full blood, ' pure Durham,' ' thorough bred,' &c. 

 Aow u la not sufficient that an animal is called ' full 

 blood, or guessed to bo ; the breeder of this race of 

 animals, who understands himself, will require evi- 

 dence of the tact, and such evidence as cannot be call- 

 ed m question. 



.« f: SIt''"' ^'^'"■' florne'J cow Annabella, presented 

 Tofflt *^^^«?y'»'J?etts Agricultural Society by Admiral 



«pSr.'„,- ■ ; ^"'^^ ^""«^' " """ fae lias a perfect 

 recollection^fwe^bing_h^ repeatedly in June, 



when she hal no other feed than what she obtained 

 from the pasture ; the milk, mori.ing and night, 

 weighed 4-i lbs. At the same time, we weighed the 

 milk of a very fine native cow with ihe same keep 

 which gave 33 pounds. The greaiest objection to 

 them in my opinion, is, that they incline to go dry 

 longer than our native stock." 



1 cannot agree with Mr. Derby in thinking the go. 

 ing dry a long time a constitutional feature in this 

 ttock. This circumstance depends not upon the stock 

 but upon their treatment and keep ; especially their 

 treatment with their first calf. 



5. A short horn cow, imported by F. Rotch, as I 

 understood, then I believe of New Bedford, and own- 

 ed by C. N. Bement, of Albany, a farmer well and 

 deservedly known to the agricultural community, was 

 one of the most beniitilul and promising animals of the 

 kind that 1 have ever seen ; her pedigree undoubted 

 and carried up to the highest sources. At my request, 

 Mr. Bement tried her capacities fi)r butler, and in one 

 week in September obtained 6 lbs. 



6. A cow, owned by Gforge Johnson of Lynn, of 

 whose iiedigree, after much inquiry, I can learn noth- 

 ing, but whose genuineness as an improved Shorl- 

 Jlorn I have no doubt, if not ol full blood yet very 

 high bred, has produced this season, from 12th March 

 to 12th September, (six months,) 7100 lbs. of milk, 

 averaging 15 beer quarts of milk per day for that 

 time. She is now (November, lc41,) giving at the 

 rate of nine quarts per day. Her feed is now one 

 bushel of mangel- wurtzell and half a peck of wheat 

 shorts per day, with what hay she will eat. The 

 butter properties of this cow have not been ascertained, 

 as her milk is sold daily by the quart. She is a supe- 

 rior animal, both in appearance and product. 



7. Wm. K. Townsend, of East Havi-n, Connecti- 

 cut, hod eighteen cows of the Durham Short-Horns, 

 full-blooded or in part, which were kept for supplying 

 milk to the city of New Haven. These, in milk, 

 gave a daily average of 1 10 quarts, besides the milk 

 and butler used in the family. It will be at once per- 

 ceived how indefinite this account is, though given by 

 the intelligent committee of the New Haven Agricul- 

 tural Society. We are at a loss to know how many 

 cows were in milk at a time, whether all or a part 

 only, and how much butter and milk were used in the 

 family. The family, it is said in another place, was 

 large. 



I have had the pleasure of seeing this remarkably 

 beautiful stock. "Their appearance was in the highest 

 degree favorable to their character and keeping. The 

 average return of milk, os above, wasC 2-9 quarts per 

 day, exclusive of the required quantity. 



8. I subjoin on extract of a letter from one of the I , u - c - fr.i. 



the most intelligent and public spirited f„mers in '"" .^.^°" f'"' f ".'r™""'™,""'?' ^^^ V"'" 



ing the bull, when she again increased, and after- 

 wards diminished to 16 quarts. 



" My second cow, Violet, gave, after cnlvine, 24 

 quarts of very rich milk, and coniinued to milk deep- 

 ly for three or four monihs, when the quimtiiy was 

 diminished to 10 or 12 quarts per day. 



" My third cow, Strawberry, gave by measurement 

 22j quirts of milk on the grass she could clip from 

 my short pastures. Her milk was very rich and yield- 

 ed a large amount of butter, though I cannot say ac- 

 curately how much, as it (the milk) was not all bro't 

 to the house, and a fair proportion was used for ordin- 

 ary purposes in the family. Mr Lnthrop, on whose 

 farm, at Hadley, she remained iour lU- five weeks, 

 wrote to mo on her return as follows : — ' 1 must spenk 

 in the highest terms uf S;rawberiy for a milker, and 

 butter cow. As for size and shape, she speaks f^r 

 herself.' She is without doubt, a very supeiior cow. 

 She was at Hodley in October, 1810. 



"My founh cow. Ringlet, calved about a year 

 since, producing twin heifers. Slic was milked turee 

 or four times, giving from 10 to 12 quarts each milk- 

 ing, when she fell sick with the milk fever and was 

 two or three weeks ttetore she recovered. During 

 her illness she bruised one of her tents so badly, that 

 she has lost the use of it. This cow is undoubtedly 

 the best inilch cow I have ; bul as the calves have 

 sucked her until within a very short period, I cannot 

 give any poriiculars. She is now five months in calf ; 

 her twins ore one year old, and she gives now fiom 

 three teols 8 quarts per day. Yon will please under- 

 stand that I measmed the amount with care, full beer 

 measure, purposely for my own gratificution and with- 

 out giving any extra ieeA for the purpose of increasing 

 the milk. 



"My cows were fed in winter on cut straw with 

 corn or oil meal mixed — say half a peck of corn meal 

 to 4 bushels of finely cut sitraw and about 2 quarts oil 

 meal added. About a bushel was given to each cow 

 once a day, and 3 pecks of turnips or ruia bagas twice 

 a day to each, besides a liule hay. This was my feed 

 when they were in the greatest flow of milk. In sum- 

 mer they are out at pasture, and when it is short, 

 corn stalks and other green feed are given to them.— 

 On our dry soil, however, it is difficult for the Dur- 

 hams lu thrive when the summer droughts commence. 

 They suffer, too, much from the beat and from tie 

 stings of flies, which almost set them crazy. They 

 stand our winters fully as well as our common cattle, 

 and put on flesh very rapidly at that season, if well 

 fed. 



" My calves, at a year old, weigh from 70 to 1050 

 lbs. ; and I feel confident that a thorough bred Dur- 

 ham steer can be made to weigh as much at three or 



New England, Henry Whitney, of New Haven, giv 

 ing an account of his Improved Short Horn stock. — 

 Perfect relianoe may be placed on it, and it will be 

 read with much inte-'est. Mr. Whitney's personal 

 improvements iuagriculture and gardening, his liberal 

 expenditures in his importalions, with a view to im- 

 prove our live stock, and the intelligent and efficient 

 aid %vhich he is rendering to the great cause of an im- 

 proved husbandry, entitle him to the grateful respect 

 of the agricultural community. Many men are like 

 the spindles in a factory, which make a great deal of 

 buzzing and racket, yet peiforin a very humble part. 

 Mr. Whitney, without noise or ostentation, moves 

 with the force of n power wheel. He turns the spin- 

 dles, while the little things, with their heads always 

 erect, imagine that they fly round of theirown accord. 

 Though we would give honor to whom honor is due, 

 it is not worth while to undeceive them. They per- 

 form their part well, and their operation is essential. 

 The Connecticut agricultural loom is now turningout 

 many a beautiful and substantial fabric. 



fc-!J'™'',^l^i"''"'^!''« •''•''' "S"':'. tbe two cows should luive 

 OwS rt "'-'"= begiuniagknd end of the e"pe In ent 



"I have never kept an accurate account ol the milk 

 given, lor any particular lengtii of lime. The calves 

 generally have been allowed to suck until three or 

 lour months old, after which it was given to them 

 from the pail until 8 or 9 months had expired. 



"I have impoited four cows, ail of which were 



carefully selected in England, and at high prices. 



They have all produced one or more calves since I 

 have owned them, and with one exception they have 

 been dropped in winter. Strawberry, the cow you 

 saw at Northampton, calved in July 1840. I have 

 carefully measured the milk from each soon after calv- 

 ing, and they have averaged from 22 to 29 quarts per 

 day. Betsey, the first cow I imported, gave in Janu- 

 ary 1839, soon after calving', 29 quarts, and 1 months 

 afterwards, she was giving 20 quarts. Her milk was 

 only of a fair quality. She continued to milk very 

 largely unlil within a few weeks of slipping her calf, 

 which occur.rsti dbo«i th« 7iij or Stb montlj after taJt. 



are certoinly objections to the breed where pasiurage 

 IS short and a full supply of hay is not given. They 

 are greater consumers than the common cattle of the 

 country, but they are of much greater size, and, as 

 said before, mature much earlier. My cows ire mostly 

 uerd-bouk aiiiina'p, thorough bred. I enclose you the 

 pedigrees in full, of Strawberry, Ringlet, and Violet, 

 as requested." 



9. Cow. LeviLincoln, Worcester, 1823. Across 

 from Denton on a superior native cow. " This cow 

 has often given from 24 to 27 quarts of milk per day 

 of excellent quality, yielding a large proportion of 

 cream. The least quantity of milk given by her in 

 any one day during the summer drought, on grass- 

 feed only, was 13 quarts." [Mr. Lincoln stales to me 

 that this was beer measure.] 



For the dairy and the stall, he speaks with the ut- 

 most confidence of the pre-eminence of Denton's stock. 

 One of his 3 year old heifers (a half or three i'ounha 

 blood) gives from 10 to 20 quarts of ih-; richest miik 

 by the day since calving ; the other a little less, from 

 the circumstance of having been in milk continuolly 

 for more than a yeor ; but her milk is in no degree 

 inferior in quality. The last season she gave eleven 

 quarts at a milking, with grass only, and this not un- 

 frequemly. 



Mr. Lincoln likewise states to me, that on putting 

 six o*" our best native steers, purchased from Vermont, 

 and six others of the mixed blood of Dentoji into the 

 same open yard in the fall, and keeping them through 

 the winter at ihe same manger, on ihe same feed, and 

 in the same exposure, the growth and condition of the 

 mixed bloods in the spring were greatly superior to 

 those of the native stock. 



10. Cow. Dolly. George Hood, Lynn. "Dolly 

 had her first calf in Apiil, 1833, before she was two 

 years old. In the following June she gave 14 quarts 

 per day, measured a number of days in succession, and 

 made 10 lbs. and 2 oz. of butler per week. She calv- 

 ed in October, 1839, and from the loth of that month 

 to April 13ih, 1840, 180 days, she gave 16 quarts per 



