The Farm Prize Competition f/1890. 
787 
:ows, in like condition as regards breeding — into a field at the 
,anie time, and change the fields often, rather than divide the 
:ows into smaller lots, and spread them over more fields. He 
:onsiders the freshening of the grass under his plan very desirable. 
The dry cows are kept at the other farmstead, and are either 
fed for the butcher or retained for breeding, according to their 
state and milking capacity — the rule being that, as soon as a 
cow goes wrong in respect to breeding or milking, she is fed off 
as rapidly as possible. 
The supply of cows for the dairy is kept up by frequent pur- 
chases of newly calved ones. Mr. Vosper, being well known in the 
neighbourhood as ready at all times to purchase good milkers at 
top market prices, gets early intimation of any that are for sale, 
and when the appearance of an animal suits him he does not 
often miss the opportunity of buying. From 15 to 20 calves 
are reared yearly, and these are only from the very best milkers ; 
the remainder are sold off, so as not to entrench upon the 
supply of milk available for sale. 
For a herd mostly made up of individual purchases this one 
bears a remarkably uniform character, all the animals having 
the appearance of having been cast in the same perfect mould. 
The Judges on their first step on to the farm were greeted by 
as fine a lot of 70 dairy cows as they would wish to see, all 
with large level frames, deep sides, and capacious udders, which 
went far to remove from their minds impressions which had 
previously been formed somewhat adverse to the South Hams 
cattle. No one who has seen Mr. Vosper's herd can venture 
again to express a prejudice against the breed in its native 
district. 
Only the morning's milk is sold as new, circumstances not 
being convenient for an evening delivery into the towns. 
Milking commences between 4 and 5 A.M., and is conducted 
by 13 or 14 hands, to each of whom 10 cows are allotted. In 
warm weather the milk is passed over a refrigerator prior to 
its being put into tin cans and sent off, which has to be 
done in time for delivery at Plymouth at 7 a.m. As an instance 
of Mr. Vosper's energetic activity it should be mentioned that 
he is frequently at the Saltram Buildings when operations begin 
in the early morning. The evening's milk is set in tin pans 
holding about 2 gallons apiece. These tins are all of a uniform 
size, so as to allow of each one being placed on any of the 4 holes 
prepared in a stove on which the scalding is done. This work 
takes place on the following morning, and is superintended by the 
foreman's wife, who has done the dairy work for Mr. Vosper and 
his father for nearly 30 years. Of her and her work Mr. Vosper 
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