18 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 3 



IMPROVED STOCK. 



Ayrshire, Durham and Native. 



(From Mr. Colman's Fourth Report mthe Agriculture of Mat- 

 sachusetta. 

 Dairy Stock. 

 [Condudcd from our last, page 3.] 

 12, Cows. Enoch Silaby, West Bradford, Maae. 

 «' The Diirhom Short Horns, I think highly of, for 

 the improvement of our country stock, and should 

 prefer half and throe quarters blood, to full ; they 

 com6«in as well at two as ours at three years old, 

 feed well on the same food ne the natives, and look 

 better in the spring ; the pure blood were fair milkers 

 and would bold out till calving, if required ; I pur- 

 cha eJ at different times, ninety-eight selected, coun- 

 try heifers ; would keep none if they did not give 7 

 quarts at night and five in the morning, on a flush ol 

 feed, at three years old. Many did it, but would fall 

 off, and by November, become dry or nearly so. Out 

 of the said ninety-eight, I kept but two who would 

 give a good mess of milk up to the time of parturition 

 (if wanted). From these and their progeny, I have 

 been most successful in raising, by putting the Dur- 

 ham Short-Horn bull to the cows. The production 

 has been a great improvement on the natives both for 

 milk and appearance, audi have not had asincle fail- 

 ure. I feed principally on English hay, occasionally 

 oat and barley straw, and roots, and bring them in at 

 two years old as well as the nalires would come it at 

 three. I have never kept a particular account of the 

 quantity and quality of the milk, but I know they are 

 auperior to my neighbors' ; with good feed, they will 

 give from 16 to 21 or 22 quarts per day ; for curd I 

 cannot tell, as I do not make cheese." 



B. Shurtletf, of Chelsea, who has for many years 

 kept an extensive milk farm near Boston, and who has 

 had several of these animals of different grades, and 

 had likewise many calves from Bolivar, the bull before 

 referred to, says—" they have no merit as milkers 

 above our common stock." A farmer in one of the 

 best towns in the county, who has been some time en- 

 gaged in raising this stock, says without hesitation, 

 " he should much prefer our native stock for a dairy." 

 A farmer in Marlborough, who is one of the best 

 managers in the county, and who keeps a dairy of 

 twenty-five cows, will not have a Durham among 

 them ; and the farmers in this excellent farming town 

 are agreed in the opinion that a calf of one of the Im- 

 proved Short Horns, at six weeks old, is very inferior 

 to a calf from a native cow. A great amount of veal 

 is sent from Marlborough to the Boston market ; and 

 the marketmen and the butchers agree with the far- 

 incs in this opinion, which is very probably, after all, 

 mere prejudice. 



From a letter received from a farmer in Rhode 

 Island, second for his excellent management to none 

 other within my knowledge, the following is an ex- 

 tract : — 



" My experience in cows is confined to native stock 

 and a cross of the native and Durham. Some of the 

 latter have been good milkers, but not superior to the 

 common stock. From one I probably obtained nine 

 quarts per day on an average for the year ; and from a 

 native cow. twelve quarts for the same period. I do 

 not know the exact quaniity, but from the circum- 

 stance of having milked them myself from first to 

 last, and from weighing at different periods, I am con- 

 fident It IS not overrated. Their keeping while at 

 pasture, which was poor, was some hay daily and 

 perhaps three quarts of Indian meal. When confined 

 to the barn there was an addition of three quarts of oil 

 meal, or, as a substitute for this, twice the quantity of 



Igiveancxtract of a letter from another farmer, 

 resident in Medford, in this county : 



" Of the Durham stock, I have but three, a bull and 

 two cows, imported by R. D. Shepherd, in 1839 

 One of these cows is of no value as a milker. The 

 other IS a very fine animal in appearance, but has 

 twice slipped her calf, and until this season has given 

 no milk, bhe had her first living calf on the 28th 

 ^hl^rfif ' ""'' "^'''l' "K^ ^^^^ ^''^ good ^'er-'ged 

 ^r„H ,„nl 1- H ^""^' "^ !!""' P"' ^"y- She has since 

 gradually fallen off to about ten and a half per day, 

 which she gives now (November). Her milk hai 

 never been separated from that of the native cows ; I 

 can therefore say nothing definite of its quality I 

 have been less curious and exact in measuring it and 

 tryingits quality from having always understood this 

 Bt.ick to be more distinguished as beef cattle, than for 

 any peculiar excellence as milkers." 

 ^1}!^\"1 1^1 ""''' Pofif^ular and delai'cd state- 

 ments which I have been able to obtain. My own 

 experience, either with the full bloods or the raised 

 breeds, has not been favorable to them for m™k or 



butter. I visited some time since the yard of a far- 

 mer in this Slate, who has passed ihe higheet enco- 

 miums on this stock for their dairy properties, saw 

 his cows milked, and measured the milk. He had 5 

 animals, — 2 as I understood, of full blood, Denton's 

 progeny ; 3 of mixed blood ; and some other native 

 cows. It was in September, and the pas'. urage was 

 abundant. The best animal in the yard at the morn- 

 ing's milking did not give more than four quarts ; 

 the second not more than three ; the li ird, one quart 

 and a half. It is not necessary that 1 should give any 

 farther minutes. 



I feel myself bound in honor to state these facts 

 and these prevailing impressions, leaving them to 

 have the weight to which any may think them en- 

 titled. 



NATIVE COWS. 

 I shall proceed now to give an account of some na- 

 tive cows, or cows raised among us, which have fallen 

 under my obeervatioii ; and I have only to add, that 

 in my opinion, nothing is wanting to multiply such 

 cows among us by hundreds but more cnre in the ee- 

 lection of the best, and a great deal moie liberality and 

 carefidiiees in feeding and nourishing them. I have 

 referred to some of these cows in my former reports ; 

 I shall aad others, and hope to be be pardoned for the 

 repetition on account of the importance of presenting 

 this whole subject in a connected view. 



I shall refer in the first place, to the celebrated 

 Cramp cow, owned in Lewes, England, because as 

 yet she bears the palm of all others ; and because I 

 wish to direct particular attention to the extraordinary 

 care with which she was kept. She was not of the 

 Improved Durham Short Horns. She was bred in 

 Sussex from a Sussex bred cow ; and it would seem 

 as though she had some aristocratic blood in her veins, 

 as it is said her great great grandsire received a prize 

 cup at Petersham, in 1726, though I think this must 

 be on error for a much later period, as she was calved 

 in 1799. 



From the first day of May, 180.5. the day she calved, 

 to the second day of April, 1806, a space of forty- 

 eight weeks and one day, her milk produced 540 lbs. 

 of butter. The largest amount made in any one 

 week, W08 15 lbs. From May to June, she gave 20 

 quarts per day. From 20th June, to 10th September, 

 ISJ quarts. In forty-seven weeks, she prodnced 

 4,921 quarts of milk. 



In the next year, from 19th day of April, 1806, the 

 day she calved, to the 27 ih February, 1807, forty-five 

 weeks, she produced 4.50 lbs. butter. The largest 

 amount per week, was 12 lbs. The quantity of milk 

 for the time woe 4,137 quarts. During this year, she 

 was sick and under a farrier's care three weeks after 

 calving. She went dry seventeen days only. 



In the third year, from the 6th of April, 1807, the 

 day she calved, up to the 4th April, 1808, fifty-one 

 weeks and four days, she produced 675 lbs, of butter. 

 The largest amount made in a week, was IS lbs. 

 The quantity of mi k given in that time, was 5,782 

 quarts. In the fourth year, from the 22d April, 1808, 

 the day she calved, to the 13th February, 1809, forty- 

 two weeks and three days, she produced 466 lbs. of 

 butter. The quantity of mi k given in the time, was 

 4,21 9 quarts. In the fifth year, from April 3d, 1809, 

 to Moy 8th, fifty-seven weeks, her produce in butter 

 was 594 lbs. The arrount of milk given in the time, 

 was 5,369 quarts. The largest quantity of butter in 

 any week, was 17 lbs. This is the most extraordina- 

 ry cow of which we have any record. Though it has 

 been presented to the public before, ye; the account 

 may not be accessible to all ; and I deem it useful to 

 state the mode of her treatment. 



" In the summer season, she was fed on clover, 

 lucerne, rye gross and carrots, three or four times a 

 day ; and at noon, about four gallons of grains and 

 two of bran, mixed together, olways observing to give 

 her no more feed than she eat up clean. In the win- 

 ter season, she was fed with hay, grains, and brnn, 

 rnixed as before stated, feeding her often, viz. five or 

 six times a day, as was seen proper, and giving her 

 food when milking ; keeping the manger clean, 

 where she is fed with grains ; not to let it get sour ; 

 wash her udder at milking three times widi cold wa- 

 ter, winter and summer ; never tied up ; lies in or 

 out the barn as she likes ; particularly careful to milk 

 her regularly and clean. Milch cows are often spoil- 

 ed for want of patience at the latter end of milking 

 them." ^ 



I now proceed with a list of cows produced and 

 raised among ourselves ; not a distinct but a mixed 

 race ; raised under innumerable disadvantages ; yet 

 showing, in a remarkable manner, what valuable ma- 

 terials we have to work with. 



1. The OakeaCowin Danvers, Mass.. produced in 



over 400 lbs.; in 1816, 484J lbs. During this time 

 one quart of the milk was reserved daily for family 

 use, and she suckled four calves for four weeks each, 

 in the course of those years. She produced in one 

 week 19J lbs. butter; and an average of more than 

 16 lbs. of butter per week, for three mouths in suc- 

 cession. The largest amount of milk given by her 

 in one day, was 44J lbs. She was allowed 30 to 35 

 bushels of Indian meal per year, and all her own 

 skimmed milk and most of the buttermilk. At one 

 time, the owner gave her potatoes, which increased 

 her milk, but not her butter. In the autumn, be gave 

 her about six bushels of carrots. 



This cow came into the possession of Josiah Quin- 

 ey, then of Quincy, who had at the same time a large 

 cow of English blood, the progeny of a celebrated im- 

 ported cow, and owned by John Welles, of Dorches- 

 ter, whose improved stock are held in high estimation j 

 but as to their legitimacy in the Short Horn family, or 

 the strict purity of their blood, I cannot speak with 

 confidence. On a trial of this Oakes Cow with this 

 English Cow for a fortnight under the same food and 

 treatment, the English Cow produced 16 lbs., the 

 Oakes Cow thirty-two lbs. and a few ounces in that 

 time. 



2. The Nourse cow, owned in North Salem, made 

 20 lbs. of butter in one week, and averaged 14 lbs. 

 butter per week for four successive months. 



3. The Haverhill heifer, two to three years" old, 

 produced 14 lbs. of butter in a week after her calf was 

 killed at six weeks old, and more than 18 lbs. of but- 

 ter in the ten days after her c>ilf was killed. 



4. Cow owned by John Barr, in Salem. 



1822. In 174 daysthe weight of milk was 7611 lbs. 

 No. of quarts, beer measure, 2965J 



1823. In 268 days, weight of milk was 7517 

 No. of quarts, beer measure, 2923 



The sales from this cow, including the calf at 5 dol- 

 lars and milk at5 cents per quart, in 1822, wa6.ftl53,- 

 25. In 1823, $151,15. 



5. Cow. John Stone, Marblehead. From June 

 to October, this cow averaged 11 lbs. of butter per 

 week. 



6. Cow. N. Pierce, Salem. 3,523 quarts of 

 milk per year; nearly 10 quarts per day. 



7. Jeremiah Stickney, Rowley. 19 'quarts daily ; 

 calf at 6 weeks old weighed 196 lbs. ; gain 2 3-7 lbs, 

 per day. 



8. Cow. Isaac Osgood, Andover. 17 quarts of 

 milk per day ; made 5C lbs. of butter in the month 

 of June. 



9. Cow. S.Noah, Don.'ers. In 148 days from 

 2d May, gave 587J gallons milk ; more than four 

 gollons per day for that time. This cow calved on 

 the 28th of April, and in the 148 days succeeding the 

 2d of May, she yielded 6054J lbs. of milk. 



10. Cow. T. Flanders, "Haverhill. From 20th 

 April to 22d September, besides 46* gal one milk used 

 for family, made 163 lbs. 4 oz. butter. 



11. Cow. Daniel Putnam, Danvers. " This 

 cow calved May 21 st. The calf was sold June 20th 

 for$7 62J. During the 30 diys that the calf sucked, 

 there were made from her milk 17 lbs. ot butter. 

 From June 20th to September 26ih (fourteen v.'ceks) 

 she gave 3370 lbs. of milk, or more than 34 lbs. 6 oz. 

 per day. The greatest quantity on ony one day was 

 45 lbs., or 17i quarts. "The weight of a quart of her 

 milk is 2lbB. i) oz. The greatest quantity in one week 

 was 288 lbs. The quantity of butter made in the 

 saine fourteen weeks was 139 lbs. The greatest 

 amount in one week was 12 lbs. 2 oz " 



12. Cow. Owned by William Osborn, Salem. 

 The milk of this cow from Januory 24ih to April 10th, 

 was 3127 lbs. varying from 33 to 48 lbs. per day, 

 averaging 40J lbs. per dny during that time. 



13. Cow. Owned by Richard Elliot, Danvers. 

 This cow's milk gave 16 lbs. of butter in one week ; 

 and she yielded on an averoge from 15 to 18 quarts per 

 day, beer measure, for a length of time. 



14. The yield of a cow owned in Andover is re- 

 markable. Her origin is not known, but her appear- 

 once indicated a mixed blood ; and I was led to be- 

 lieve she partook of the Yorkshire blood, a race of 

 cattle which I have found in the neighborhood of 

 Moultonborough and Conterbury, N. H., but whose 

 introduction I am not able to trace. 



In 1836, besides supplying the family with cream 

 and milk, there were sold 127| gallons milk at 14 



cents per gallon, $17 88 



166 lbs. butter at 25 cents 41 50 



Calf sold 8 00 



$67 38 



" Tiie keeping was good pasture and awill of the 

 houEC, including the skim milk, with three pints o 



1813, 180 lbs, of butter ; in 1814. 300 lbs- ; in 1815, ' mesl par day," Thes* statements show, in s »lrdiwf 



