586 



THE AGRICULT 



URAL JOURNAL. 



and have taken Championships at Johan- 

 nesbeig, Pretoria, Maritzburg, Durban, 

 and at the local Shows. From most of 

 the importers of Shorthorns I have bought 

 cows, and these cows, mated with my own 

 bulls, have founded my present herd." 



"What class of Shorthorn do you 

 favour ? " 



" General utility, and in shape cobby. 

 In colour I make dark red a speciality, 

 and I aim at having short hair and a thick 

 skin. I have found my herd as hardy as 

 any other herd of whatever class. This 

 wdll give a notion of their hardiness. The 

 main part of the herd winter at my farm 

 under the Berg, near Giant's Castle. Six 

 years ago the kafir chief Philip, with 

 a much larger run of similar ground near 

 by, lost seventy head, whereas I did not 

 lose any. Here is another example of 

 their hardiness compared with the ordin- 

 ary cattle of the country. Of these, a few 

 years ago I bought 200, and while winter- 

 ing with my Shorthorns they died heavily. 

 In two years I got rid of the v/hole lot 

 as unproHtable. Once I walked the stock 

 for show to Greytown, a distance of sixty 

 miles. They were three days travelling. 

 There were eight head of cattle, including 

 the imported bull Master Mid Kent. 

 They arrived in fit condition, and took 

 the challenge cup (or the best group of 

 cattle on the show. I often ask people to 

 come here at what they consider the 

 worst time of the year to look at the herd. 

 I find Shorthorns regular breeders, some- 

 times having twins, and far above 

 the average as milkers. The high 

 quality of the milk can be proved 

 at the Mooi River Creamery, where 

 the milk I, and all others, supply 

 is regularly tested. All the cows I sell 

 for dairy purposes are perfectly docile 

 and trained to eat out of the manger. 

 Many of them, also, are trained to be 

 milked without their calves." 



" Do you believe in hand-rearing the 

 calves ? " 



" Certainly, if there is any market for 

 the milk. If there were a demand I 

 would rear every calf by hand, and I could 

 easily supply from gallons to 200 gal- 

 lons H day throughout the year. I could, 

 of course, sell cream for butter-making, 

 but taking everything into consideration, 

 more especially the fact that my chief 

 business is in bulls, I think it best to let 



the calves have the milk beyond that re- 

 quired at the Creamery. I have over 80 

 at present and anothisr 40 are expected. 

 Calving here is practically all right all the 

 year round. There is only one mouth 

 that should be avoided — February. The 

 calves of that month belong to neither 

 summer nor winter, and are bad doers. 

 During the hot days of the summer 

 months my calves go into the gum tree 

 plantation you have seen. It is always 

 cool there, however hot the sun or the 

 north wind may be. All my calves which 

 I consider are not up to the standard for 

 bulls are castrated, and are sold at 

 from 9 to 12 months old. There is now a 

 regular trade in them, most of them being 

 purchased for reselling to natives at very 

 considerably increased prices. I arrange 

 that heifers of the best milk strain shall 

 calve down at from 2^ to 3 years old. As 

 to milking, I am almost inclined to say 

 that the milk cow is as much made by 

 training and treatment as by the breeding. 

 From the very first the milking ought to 

 be made a pleasure and relief to the cow. 

 All my heifers are milked by my most 

 skilled kafir, who is exceptionally patient, 

 gentle, and kindly in his treatment of 

 them. For softening the teats I use fresh 

 lard. It is commonly used throughout 

 England, and I have found it serve ad- 

 mirably ; vaseline, however, is now being 

 used by many in preference." 



" Do you prefer kafirs to coolies for 

 milking ? " 



" So far as my personal experience goes 

 I can say, certainly kafirs as a rule. I 

 have, however, two or three coolies who 

 have the necessary sympathetic tempera- 

 ment, and without that no dairy work can 

 be properly done." 



You aerate the milk ? " 



" Of course. One boy is constantly col- 

 lecting the milk from the milkers as soon 

 as it is drawn, and taking it away from 

 the byre to the aerator, which is cooled 

 with water led in underground piping 

 from a cold spring in the kloof." 



" And about feeding ? " 



'' In summer the milk cows run like 

 the rest of the herd on the veld only. Of 

 course if there was any demand for milk 

 I should give them some supplemental 

 milk-producing food. In winter I give 

 brewer's grains and crushed mealies, 

 boiled and given warm ; also roots, cab- 



