lO 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Janijabt, 
Milk, Beef, and Labor. 
Milk.— We here name the tliree purposes for 
which neat cattle are bred, and first we con- 
sider the production of milk. The question is 
often asked, " How may a man soonest estab- 
lish a good dairy herd ? " By purchase of cows. 
But then, how to purchase ? Let him go into 
a good dairy region, and buy the best young 
native or grade cows he can, without reference 
to any thing but youth, soundness, and the dairy 
qualities he desires. If he wish quantity of milk, 
he must look out for that, taking testimony and 
guarantees in black and white, in addition to 
his own best judgment, or that of an expert. If 
quality (richness in cream for butler) be the 
mark, lie should examine the milk, see it set, 
and examine the skim milk and the cream, 
trusting no cow for rich milk that is not a good 
" liandTer "—that is, having a soft, pliable, unc- 
tuous hide, that can be grasped in the full hand 
over the ribs. Soft, fine hair is not essential. 
Parting the hair to see the skin, it should have 
a buttery yellow or almost orange color, and in 
the iusides of the ears, and about the eyes, and 
under the tail, the same color should appear 
brightlj'. The buyer should 'never fail to in- 
quire and receive definite assurance in regard to 
the length of time a cow will hold out in milk ; 
and whether marked dimiuution of flow takes 
place after she has come in heat once or twice, 
or after she has been got with calf again. A 
good cow ought to give an undiminished flow 
of milk (varying somewhat according to the 
feed and time of year,) for four months, and a 
gradually diminishing flow for four months 
more; then (supposing her to have been got 
with calf three months after calving) from one 
fourth to one fifth the quantity given soon after 
calving, for two months more. The best cows 
we have ever known were hard to "dry off" 
six weeks before calving, and in careless hands 
we have often known them to be milked till the 
■ new milk " sprung,"— showing as great excel- 
lence in the cows as culpability on the part of 
their owners. These were cases of noble cows 
and prize-takers at fairs, sold to city gentlemen. 
' Ko man has a right to own a cow and remain 
in ignorance of what is her proper treatment 
under all ordinary circumstances. jMisther 
Michael O'Flaherthy is too apt to profess a wis- 
dom which he does not possess upon these and 
kindred subjects, and do much harm ignorantly. 
Cows selected as we have advised will cost a 
good deal— not only money, but care and pa- 
tient investigation. Tliey will, however, repay 
the cost. The herd will be a motley one, unless 
pains shall have been taken to select the cows 
with some reference to similarity of color and 
form. This is seldom worth while, though we 
would by no means advise the purchase of de- 
formed animals, yet some of the best cows for 
milk we have ever known, were of veiy poor 
shape, bony, pot-bellied, liollow backed, crook- 
ed legged, and coarse enough ; but some were 
very handsome. It is not best to attempt to 
find among any thoroughbred stock such a 
herd of cows as would be considered very profit- 
able daily animals. They would cost too much, 
and would disappoint expectations besides. 
The herd once established must be maintained. 
To do this a tlioroughbred bull of good quality 
should be used. Shorthorns as a breed are beef 
producers, and this is not the object in view. 
Some families of Shorthorns, however, are 
famous for qmintity of milk. A Shorthoru bull 
of such a family would be excellent for a milk 
dairy, but, on the whole, probalily not superior 
to an Ayrshu'e, to which the preference for a 
cheese dau-y would probalily be justly given. 
For a butter daily an Alderney bull would be 
the best. In the choice of a bull for a sire of 
daijy cows, his dam's milldng qualities should 
be carefully ascertained, as also those of his 
sire's dam. The progeny of a thoroughbred 
bull may be calculated upon with considerable 
accuracy ; not so with a " native," " scrub," or 
grade bull. By the use of such sires, though 
they may be very handsome, a rapid deteriora- 
tion of the herd is very sure to follow. 
How to Break a Colt. 
The word "break" seems to imply that the 
young horse has a temper wliich must be 
broken, rather than a will which should be 
trained to act in unison with that of his master. 
The training of a horse should alwa3-s proceed 
upon the principle that he is a rational animal — 
that is, that he has a will, affection, love of ap- 
probation, of caresses, and of sugar — intelli- 
gence, ability to comprehend cause and effect, 
to understand language and tones of voice, 
quickness to detect the temper of the man who 
handles him, to know if he is kind and loves 
him, or fretful, malicious or passionate, and like- 
ly to hurt him. The horse is uaturall}' timid, and 
his fears, if aroused, not only make him less man- 
ageable, but impair his judgment, making him 
see harm in almost every thing. 
The whip should be used as a wand of au- 
thority, as giving the trainer's arm a longer 
reach, and as a means of giving signals — very 
seldom as a rod of correction. When it is used 
to chastise, never threaten, or let the horse know 
he is to be whipped, but, having him perfectly 
under control, so that his springs and struggles 
will do no harm, give him one or two severe, 
quick cuts. This must be done without the 
least spite — " more in sorrow than in anger " — 
and the training should be resumed exactly as 
if nothing had happened. If a man is never 
spiteful and angry with the colt, the horse will 
rarely or never show anj' real viciousness. 
A colt, properly trained, comes to the age of 
3t or4years, halter broken, kind, fond of being 
handled and petted, and glad to see his master, 
who should have been in the habit of giving 
him an ear of corn, a sweet apple, a carrot, or 
lump of sugar, so frequently that he will follow 
him like a dog whenever he goes to the pasture. 
For the good of the horse, even unpleasant 
familiarities, such as his nose over one's should- 
er, or in one's pocket, ought not to be sternly 
rebuked. Three ounces of sugar will, in our 
opinion, go further towards breaking a colt, than 
a day's work with the whip, and even at present 
prices, sugar is a good deal the most economical. 
The colt being of such a character, he may be 
harnessed, putting on each piece of harness 
carefully, so as not to cause alarm, taking care 
always, should he show any alann, to let him 
smell the article and look at it to his heart's con- 
tent. The best place to harness a colt is a 
loose box, 9 or 10 feet square. The trainer 
should be deliberate, even tediously slow per- 
haps, if the colt is high strung. If he is very 
fractious, he may be Rarey-fied, so that he shall 
know definitely who is master. No person 
who is the least afraid of him, or who would 
jump or start when an attempt to kick, bite or 
strike might be made, should be allowed to 
have any intercourse with a horse in training. 
First put on a strong bridle, having measured 
his head and made it fit beforehand. It should 
be of a size to be put on and off easily, and have 
a smooth bit, wound with cotton cloth. It is 
well to accustom him to take a piece of wood 
into his mouth like a bit, repeatedly before put- 
ting on the bridle. This done, let him stand 
an hour not fastened, or give him a few turns 
about a circle, holding him by a 20-foot rein or 
rope. Previous lessons should have accustomed 
him to take various paces at the will of his 
trainer about such a ring, sugar or other dainty 
having been the reward of well-doing. At the 
second lesson in harness, let an asssistant lake 
the line in centre of the circle, while the trainer 
takes the reins behind the colt, at first merely 
holding them, then letting him feel the weight 
of the hand on them, and finally guiding him, 
little by little, until he may be driven indepen- 
dently of the assistant, and beyond the circle. 
When accustomed to the harness, standing 
and being exercised in it during one or two 
lessons each day for two days or a week, accord- 
ing to the disposition'of the animal, he may be 
put into the thills, but neither the traces nor 
holdbacks hitched. Now let an assistant rook, 
rattle, and move the wagon a while, and then 
aid the trainer to move it forward, while the 
colt is made to walk glowlj', letting him have 
his head and look at the wagon. Before at- 
taching the traces, at the second lesson in har- 
ness perhaps, the trainer on the nigh side, and 
his assistant on the other, may grasp the thifis 
each with one hand, just in front of the tugs, 
letting the horse step forward and draw the 
wagon by the thills, and letting him feel its 
weight as much or little as desired. He may 
be backed somewhat in the same w.ay. By his 
actions, one may easily judge when it will be 
safe to hitch him to the wagon. The vehicle 
selected should be one not heavy but strong, 
and which will run witli little noise. One sim- 
ple thing should be taught at a time, seldom 
two distinct ideas at one lesson. They should 
be daily repeated at each lesson until perfectly 
familiar, and, after each good performance, the 
horse sliould be caressed and rewarded. What 
a horse leanis in this way he remembers, and 
he will quickly exhibit a reallj' remarkable con- 
fidence in his master and alacrity to serve him. 
Economy of Keeping: Rats. 
The habits of vermin are almost if not quite 
as important subjects of study as those of more 
valued live stock; and some statements de- 
rived in part from a professional rat-catcher, 
who has made a life-business of studying the 
vulnerable jioints of rats, so that he can flank 
the enemy, storm and fake his strongholds, and 
economically maintain his prisoners alive, may 
be of much practical value to the readers of the 
Agriculturist. The common brown rat is the 
Mns clomesiir.WL. It appeared in this country 
about the period of our Revolutionary war, and 
has increased with great rapiditv, having almost 
if not entirely exterminated the black rat (J/. 
rattus,) which was common before, and which 
is smaller and not so sharp a fighter. Tlie 
Irmon is the only proper rat at the Nortli, but at 
the South two species are not uncommon 
— the Florida or white bellied rat, and the cot- 
ton rat; and in Mexico and Texas we find the 
roof rat living in thatch, etc., and the Mexican 
or bush ri I, These all breed veiy rapid!}', but 
none more so than the common rat. Tliey be- 
gin to breed at two to three months old, and 
will have six to eight litters a year, of eight 
young each on an average under favorable cir- 
cumstances, males and females being about 
equally divided. Were there no natural bin- 
