56 
AMEll TO AN AG-RICULT U R I ST. 
[February, 
crops, its advantage lies, first, in the fact that it 
has exceedingly strong tap-roots, which strike 
deeply into the subsoil and pxtract from it min¬ 
eral food, which is either out of the reach 
of the roots of many other crops, or exists 
in the soil in a condition not easily available by 
them; and second, in the supposed, perhaps in 
the demonstrated, power of clover to absorb 
nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. Whether 
clover does really absorb the pure nitrogen of 
the air or not, it is a well-established fact that 
from some source, even when not manured 
with nitrogenous manures, it very readily 
takes up large quantities of nitrogen and stores 
a considerable proportion of it in its roots. 
Therefore, when clover or clover stubble is 
plowed under, the roots and what is left of the 
plant itself, being mixed with the soil on its 
decomposition, yield ammonia and mineral 
matter in a form and in a situation best suited 
to the needs of succeeding crops grown. 
In addition to this, the long, stout roots have 
a very great effect in ameliorating the tenacity 
of heavy soils, and the decomposition of the 
lower ends of the roots, below where they are 
cut off by the plow, opens inviting channels 
and new fields of exploration to the more deli¬ 
cate roots of those plants which succeed them. 
Perfection in a Milch Cow. 
We seek in a milch cow, above all other 
qualities, rich milk in abundance; everything 
else is secondary. The more milk, if it be rich, 
the better; and the richer, the better, if there be 
enough of it. Such a cow' is a machine formed 
for converting fodder into milk and butter, 
chiefly “ by art and man’s device.” The origi¬ 
nal cow was very different; she fed, and laid on 
flesh and fat, and bore calves, and produced 
milk, and roughed it in all weathers, and v r as 
half-starved half the time. _ Man’s necessities 
and the art of breeding have produced the 
change. Where shall we stop ? What is the 
limit of milk production and butter yielding? 
There is a limit in the nature of tilings; and if 
that be reached in one case, we shall still strive 
to breed so as to bring the average given by 
all cows of the breed as near as possible to it. 
Several months since Charles L. Sharpless, of 
Philadelphia, an enthusiastic admirer of Jersey 
cattle, sent its a magnificent “ imperial photo¬ 
graph” of his beautiful cow “Duchess,” the 
finest picture of a milch cow we ever saw. The 
engraving which we have had made, though 
lacking in the softness and mellow beauty of 
the photograph, nearly satisfies us, and reflects 
great credit upon both draughtsman and engrav¬ 
er. The cow is eight years old and was imported 
last spring with eight others. She calved on 
shipboard two weeks before landing, and two 
weeks after landing, gave 21 quarts of milk 
per day, on grass alone, and in two separate tri¬ 
als of a week each, on the same feed, made 13 
pounds of butter. Many a cow may be fed up 
to give more milk, and a few may make more 
butter, with all the oil-meal, roots, and grass, 
they can eat, but we have never known it done 
on grass alone. She is therefore a good cow, 
and her picture shows her to be no less beauti¬ 
ful than good. We give Mr. Sharpless’ enthu¬ 
siastic, and we believe, truthful description: 
“ Size, below medium—would be called small; 
color was dark, but has been growing lighter, and 
is now fawn; skin, yellow and mellow; hair, 
soft, with satiny coat; inside of ears, bag, and 
teats, deep orange; horns, semi-transparent, 
not amber, but butter-colored; hoofs, yellow ; 
eyes, full and soft; neck, very thin; crops, thin 
and sharp; capacity of the barrel enormous, in 
contrast with her fine head, neck, tail and legs; 
and she has a docile, fine, nervous organiza¬ 
tion.” Such an animal must come very near 
the standard of perfection in Jersey cows. Some 
good breeders have marked her fully up to it. 
