Northumherland and Durham in 1887; Classes 4 and 5. 231 
rator, and mixed together carefully before being sent away. 
The milk-house and premises and the cans used were all scrupu- 
lously clean. 
Mr. Trotters cows were nearly all pedigree or gi'ade Short- 
horns. Most of them had been bred on the place, and one or 
two families had held long possession. They were 41 in number 
— 28 cows and 13 heifers. The milking cows were fed upon 
mixed foods, and kept in clean condition in a double-row byre 
having a vessel-house at the end, in which the milk was refrige- 
rated and prepared for market. All the cans and vessels were 
dealt with in a very efficient manner. Six pounds of barlej", or 
3 lbs. of barley and 3 lbs. of maize-meal, per cow, was the usual 
allowance of corn, besides hay and turnips, at our first visit, 
and 7^ lbs. barley, 21 lbs. hay, and 42 lbs. turnips were the 
daily rations later on. The most satisfactory and economical 
mixture that Mr. Trotter had found out was made of — 
2 tons of coarse barley, at . 
1 ton of best barley-meal, at 
1 ton of wheat sharps, at . 
1 ton of oat-meal dust, at . 
£ J. d. 
, 3 5 0 per ton. 
. 5 10 0 „ 
. 4 10 0 „ 
. 1 10 0 „ 
The cost of this mixture was b^d. per 14 lbs., or 31. 13s. Ad. per 
ton. Cotton-cake is not used at all now. Cows were often lost 
from milk fever when it was used, but since it had been given 
up Mr. Trotter said he had not lost any from this cause. 
The yield of 25 cows from November 1, 1886, to May 1, 1887, 
had been 7,500 gallons milk, which was sold at IQd. per gallon. 
The pre\dous summer half-year it had been 8,000 gallons, and 
then it was sold at 9cZ. delivered at the station. From these 
prices \d. per gallon had to be paid for freight to Newcastle, 
13 miles. 
Mr. Trotter, who has quite a mechanical genius, has made a 
dial-plate weighing-machine for weighing the milk of each cow, 
and recording it in lbs. aijd tenths of lbs. As soon as drawn, it 
is hung on the machine in the can, and its weight at once written 
opposite the cow's name or number in the stock-book. 
A summary of the weights thus kept of the milk from 28 
cows taken during the year 1886, with periods of calving, 
date of purchase or if bred on the farm, and age, was handed to 
the Judges, and from it the following interesting particulars are 
taken : — 
The average weight of milk given per cow during the year was G471'6 
lbs. ; 10 of the 28 were first calf heifers. The heaviest weight, lOy-59'8, was 
given by a cow bred on the farm — half Ayrshire, calved March 13. The 
next heaviest was given by a purchased cow, a ' Cross' — calved March 11 
— 8653 0 lbs. The next by a grade Shorthorn, bred on farm, calved March 28 
