448 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t November n, isso. 
of about G5° or a little more. The plant has been known in this country about 
seventy years, and therefore it is not a novelty. Many exotic plants fail to pro¬ 
duce seeds under cultivation ; some from the absence of insects that assist in 
transference of the pollen, and others owing to the pollen itself being so altered 
in its constitution as to no longer possess the requisite fecundating property. 
Destroying Thrips (O'. When plants are so much infested as yours 
appear to be much perseverance will be necessary to completely eradicate the 
pest. All the plants should be sponged with a solution of G-isliurst compound, 
nicotine soap, or some other insecticide; or 3 or 4 ozs. of soft soap dissolved in 
a gallon of water, adding thereto a quarter of a pint of tobacco water, will 
answer your purpose. They should all either be repotted or have the sur¬ 
face soil removed, adding fresh compost; the pots should also be washed, and 
every portion of the woodwork of the house. In the spring the plants should 
be syringed once a fortnight with an insecticide, or be fumigated. By carrying 
out some such practice as this you may succeed in extirpating the insects, or so 
reducing the numbers that they will do little injury. The Vine rods should be 
washed with strong softsoap water, brushing them thoroughly with the solution 
as hot as the hand can bear it. 
Names of Fruits ( R.E.M. ).—We are sorry we cannot name either of your 
Apples. They are quite new to us. Are you sure they are not seedlings ? The 
large conical one appears to be a good late variety. {T. S. Ware ).—You have 
not put any marks on the specimens. The highly coloured russety one is 
Hambledon Deux Ans. The other two we do not know. 
Names of Plants (J. IF. Oollett). — The specimen was very much withered, 
owing to its having remained in the post over Sunday, but it resembled an 
Alonsoa. ( G.Lee ).—Oporanthus luteus. See the reply to “ C. M. Major.” 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
BREEDS OF CATTLE ADAPTED FOR DAIRY 
FARMING. 
{Continued from page 426.) 
Although we have previously entered into some details con¬ 
nected with the breeding and rearing of cattle as well as their 
daily management we have still various comments to make upon 
the same subject. It is notorious that the experiences of dairy 
farmers are often contradictory, arising from causes which can¬ 
not be here all enumerated. Our remarks will, however, be 
based upon our experience, and also upon the evidence of the 
best dairy farmers. Sometimes we have heard the remark that 
surely such small matters of detail cannot all be essential to dairy 
management. To this we reply that they are necessary, and it 
is in neglecting them that many failures occur. 
The regular breeding of cows is so important, not only for a 
regular supply of milk, but the quantity of it also, that nothing 
should be allowed to interfere with continuous breeding which it 
is possible to prevent by judicious attention. In some herds cows 
do not breed again until their calves are weaned ; in others it 
makes no difference. The weight of evidence is in favour of the 
suggestion that it is the companionship of the cow and her calf 
rather than the fact that the cows are not hand-milked that 
delays their breeding; it follows therefore that the calf should 
be removed early from the dam. In the case of heifers, however, 
which suckle calves during the first year they should be allowed 
to do so only twice a day, and at the usual time of hand-milking. 
We are of opinion that some of our best cows ought to be milked 
three times during the twenty-four hours instead of only twice, 
for the flow of milk is often checked or cannot be retained in the 
udder, and is therefore wasted. We had an instance in our dairy 
of an Alderney cow which for a time produced sufficient milk to 
make 14 lbs. of butter per week ; but we believe that 16 or more 
pounds might have been made if the cow had been milked three 
times instead of only twice, as the milk often passed away in a 
wasteful stream before the time of milking. Hand-milking is 
frequently very imperfectly done, and because the back teats of 
the udder usually yield most milk they are oftentimes milked out 
first; but practically both teats should be milked simultaneously, 
and for want of this precaution we often notice that the front 
part of the udder yields but little milk, and the udder falls down 
behind into what is termed a can-bagged udder. This alteration 
of the shape, it is contended, diminishes the quantity of milk 
secreted in the udder ; in fact, it is rare to see a good milch cow 
excepting the udder stands well forward. It is even stated that 
defects in the shape of the udder thus produced can be handed 
down to succeeding generations if such neglect and mismanage¬ 
ment has continued for any lengthened period. This, however, 
we believe to be based on a theory not generally acknowledged 
by practical men or supported by the skill of professional physio¬ 
logists. Heifers with their first calf having any imperfections 
should be sold or fed for the butcher. 
The general health of dairy cows will greatly depend upon the 
feeding and water, as well as occupying a healthy habitation in 
either boxes or stalls. We will take first the feeding, which must 
be regulated in a great measure by the way in which the milk is 
to be turned into money. If the milk is sold into the towns they 
may be fed upon inferior substances, having reference to the 
quantity of the produce rather than the quality, grains for instance 
being one of the best foods for a milking dairy, but by no means 
admissible in a cheese or butter-making dairy. Still the advan¬ 
tage of a milk-selling dairy has its value, for nearly every kind of 
vegetable produce will furnish milk for sale, whereas if made 
into butter or cheese it would seriously affect the flavour ; in 
fact, this is one reason why so many inferior articles are found 
on the market, the milk from which they are made being impure, 
either from the effect of the food or bad and unwholesome water. 
Again, boxes or stalls with correct management are of the highest 
importance, for we have no right to expect that the animals can 
enjoy uniform good health, or that the milk can be obtained pure, 
whilst foul air prevails and circulates through the buildings, for 
there is positively nothing which is more susceptible of prejudice 
in its contact with ammoniacal vapour or impure air of any kind 
than milk, especially whilst warm and fresh. We shall omit 
observations here relative to the advantages of construction of the 
accommodation for the cows under cover, for we have recently 
considered the subject most fully under the heading of “ Shed 
Accommodation for Cattle ” in this Journal, and concluded on 
the 30th of September last, page 316. 
Having now referred somewhat in detail to the management 
required to rear cows adapted for the dairy, we shall refer to the 
stock as offered for prizes at the recent Dairy Show. Most of our 
observations have partaken of comparisons between pedigree 
Shorthorns and those of an ordinary character, as fitted for dairy 
purposes. We find in confirmation of our own opinions that the 
pedigree stock at the Show received no prize in the milking com¬ 
petition. It is important and also interesting to notice the result 
of the award of these prizes for the best milkers which was 
arrived at on Friday the 29th ultimo, and which we extract from 
the Agricultural Gazette. “ The trials being for quantity yielded 
per cow per day of twenty-four hours, with a comparison of the 
quality of the milk as determined by Dr. Yoelcker’s analysis. The 
first-prize Shorthorn cow “ Daisy,” being one of a pair which 
received the first prize in the second class of Shorthorned cows, 
shown in pairs (and not eligible for “ Herd Book ”), exhibited by 
the West London Dairy Society. This cow “ Daisy,” gave in two 
milkings in twenty-four hours 48^ lbs. weight of milk of very 
high quality, which latter merit carried the first prize. Mr. George 
Taylor’s cow “Beauty,” which obtained the second prize in the 
third class for Shorthorns, shown singly, and not eligible for the 
“ Herd Book,” yielded a still greater quantity—namely, 50^ lbs. 
of milk, but of quality somewhat below that of the other, thus 
lowering her to the second place. The first-prize Dutch cow gave 
40i lbs. of milk of good quality ; and the second-prize Dutch cow 
43^ lbs. of a lower quality. The first-prize Ayrshire gave 25^ lbs. 
of milk ; and the best Jersey 30~ lbs. of milk. The rich quality 
