482 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ NoTcmber 23, 1893. 
PROFITABLE LIVE STOCK. 
So important is the question of the best cow for the dairy 
farmer, and how to feed it, that we return to this subject this 
week, in view of touching a few more points of practice, with 
some facts bearing upon them. 
If, as we hold, the keeping of an inferior cow is both foolish 
and wasteful, it is surely owing to want of thought, a failing to 
grasp this fact in its full significance, that such animals pre¬ 
dominate everywhere. All the food that a cow consumes, 
beyond what is necessary to sustain life, should go to promote a 
fully sustained milk yield up to a given standard, both in 
quantity and quality. The average milk yield in the British 
Isles is 440 gallons per cow, which means the yield ranges from 
300 gallons upwards to 1000 gallons or more. A cow yielding 
the lesser quantity is kept at a loss, at the greater quantity the 
profit is so high as to exceed the bounds of all ordinary 
calculations. Granted that 1000 gallons per cow is a yield so 
extraordinary and exceptional that only a few of such marvel¬ 
lously deep milkers are met with in our best herds, yet we can 
afford to fall from that high figure to a minimum of 500 gallons 
and still have profitable cows. But no sensible man can possibly 
rest contented even with such cows ; the net profit upon them 
cannot be much more than £4, and the yield is in reality a very 
low one. Ten quarts daily for 200 days make up the sum of it, 
yet it falls below that. At the lowest computation a cow should 
be in milk quite 250 days out of the 365 days of the year, and we 
have often told of a small black Kerry cow which we had from 
Dr. Hogg’s herd that gave 16 quarts of exceptionally rich milk 
daily. It was a mere pigmy beside a huge Shorthorn, which at 
best only gave 10 quarts daily—not by any means a fair 
equivalent for the food consumed by it. Such large animals 
must be deep milkers to be profitable. Extra outlay upon food 
only answers for well-bred cows, it is comparatively wasted on 
mongrel breeds. 
According to a high authority an inferior cow costs £14 
a year for its food, and yields a calf worth £1, and 400 gallons 
of milk, which at 8d. is £13 6s. 8d, or a total of £14 6s. 8d., 
profit 6s. 8d. A superior cow costs £17 a’^year for^its food, 
yielding in return a calf worth £2, and 700 gallons of milk 
at 8d., or £23 6s. 8d —total, £25 6s. 8d.; profit, £8 6s. 8d. If the 
milk of both cows was used for butter or cheese making, the 
difference in the result would be much more in favour of the 
supei’ior cow. It is also obvious that if the milk producer could 
dispose of it to the consumer at the present ordinary retail price 
of 4d. per quart his profits would be doubled. Truly a grand 
business is that of the retailer of milk! the eager competition, 
the headlong rush of a dozen or more milk carts along every 
suburban street or road of the metropolis twice daily is not to 
be wondered at, even if new milk only was sold. But there is no 
doubt that much separated milk is mixed with it and sold as 
new, and police court reports often tell of an addition of 30 or 
40 per cent, of water. 
For the production of cheese or butter, quality is a prime 
factor, dependent both on food and breeding. For example, the 
milk of a Jersey cow yields 25 per cent, of cream, and when we 
have such richness in combination with the desirable average of 
700 gallons the result is certainly satisfactory. Cows of this 
breed frequently yield much more than this; the famous Jersey 
cow “ Luna’s” yield for three consecutive years was 876, 898, and 
816 gallons, an average milk yield per year of slightly over 
863 gallons, or almost double the ordinary annual average yield- 
For the home farmer a herd of Jerseys is highly desirable, 
though we must confess to a preference for the larger and more 
robust Guernseys. Certainly for rich milk, for deep milking, 
and for a well sustained yield the Guernsey ranks very high. 
For the ordinary dairy farmer we give preference to our 
favourites the Red Polled Suffolk cows, in which we have in 
admirable combination deep milking and beef production. The 
milk is rich, and the square fleshy frames are easily fattened. 
Some of the best cows yield upwards of a thousand gallons 
yearly, and the steers are equally remarkable for early maturity. 
In the Whitlingham herd of this breed—a very large one— 
especial care has been given to the selection of both males and 
females from famous milking dams, with results so remarkably 
in favour of an increased milk yield as to carry conviction of the 
value of selection both for milk and for beef. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
During the present and three following months butter difficulties 
are wont to crop up, and all possible care must be exercised to guard 
against them. For the daily churning avoid the milk from stale cows. 
Under good management there is a fresh cow or two coming in every 
month, and it is from their milk that cream for the daily churning 
should be taken. Correct any tendency to the acridity that so often 
renders butter unpalatable in winter by using a small teaspoonful of finely 
powdered saltpetre to three gallons of cream ; a small pinch between 
finger and thumb is sufficient for the daily churning. Just a modicum 
of salt in the form of brine helps the flavour, but this requires a careful 
hand, as the order which so frequently comes from head quarters of “ no 
salt in the butter ” can only be ignored with advantage by a really 
skilful butter-maker. It is just a question of palate tickling worthy of 
best efforts, and a compliment upon good butter at midwinter is certainly 
worth trying for. 
Look well to the churning, have no bewitched cream, at which one 
after another tries their hand for hours without bringing the butter. 
Temperature must have attention ; 65° is the best temperature for cream 
when it is put in the churn during winter. This is easily and best 
managed by placing the cream jar in water slightly above that tempera¬ 
ture. Warm the churn with water at about 70°, which let run out just 
before putting in the cream. There should then be no difliculty in 
getting the butter quickly. The churning may be done more briskly in 
winter than in summer, but there must be no violent or abrupt clashing 
about of the cream at any time. Begin slowly, gradually increase the 
speed, and when the butter grains appear gradually reduce the speed. 
Never break the grain in churning, or the butter will not keep sweet. 
Equal care must be taken with the cows and their food. We must 
have a clean cow house, clean hands for milking, and clean milk pails. 
For food use the best meadow hay. Carrots, bran, crushed oats. Cabbage, 
or Thousand-headed Kale. The bulk of food is in the hay, with from a 
gallon to a peck of bran, and half that quantity of oats at milking time. 
A little Palm-nut meal may be added with advantage, but care must be 
taken not to use enough Cabbage to affect the flavour of the milk. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 
Oamdbn Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.; Loag. 0'= 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
1893. 
November. 
jmeter 
2°, and 
Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Rain, 
^ CO c8 
cs It < 1 ^ 
M sm 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday .. 12 
Inchs. 
30-386 
deg. 
42-5 
deg. 
39-3 
N.E. 
deg. 
43-4 
deg. 
45-6 
deg. 
37-0 
deg. 
69-1 
deg. 
32-3 
Inchs. 
Monday .. 13 
30-126 
33-4 
32-9 
N.E. 
42-0 
43-1 
30-0 
65-4 
24-4 
0 010 
Tuesday .. 14 
29-876 
36-9 
36-9 
S.B. 
40-9 
42-0 
31-3 
42-6 
27-8 
0-594 
Wednesday 15 
29-751 
40-1 
39-9 
N.E. 
41-2 
45-7 
36-4 
49-6 
37-2 
0-023 
Thursday.. 16 
29-935 
45-2 
44-3 
S.B. 
42-1 
55-4 
38-4 
56-9 
33-2 
0-031 
Friday 17 
29-190 
55-2 
54-0 
S.W. 
43-6 
58-0 
43-0 
72-9 
39-6 
0-154 
Saturday .. 18 
29.068 
39-7 
38-9 
N.E. 
44-4 
42-4 
37-8 
49-0 
35-4 
0-277 
29-762 
41-9 
40 9 
42-5 
47-5 
36-3 
57-9 
32-8 
1-089 
REMARKS. 
12tli.—Almost cloudless throughout. 
13th.—Slight fog till 10 A.M., but almost cloudless throughout. 
14th.—Very wet fog all day; slight showers in afternoon; steady heavy rain from 
6.15 P.M. 
15th.—Continuous heavy rain till 4 A.il., then overcast and dull; continuous drizzle 
from 11.30 a.M. to 3 p.M. ; fair evening. 
lEth.—Overcast morning; fair afternoon with gleams of sun; cloudy evening and 
rain at midnight. 
17th.—Slight showers early; overcast from 8.30 A.il.; frequent sunshine from noon to 
3 P.M. but a very slight shower about 1 P.M.; overcast after, with high wind 
and heavy rain between 5 and 7 P.M. 
18th.—Rain from 3 to 7 A.M., then overcast and rain from 1.30 P.M., changing to snow 
about 3 P.M., which continued till after midnight, with a violent gale. 
Temperature below the average, rainfall considerably above it. The total rainfall 
this year, 16’85 in., is very nearly as much as fell in the whole of the year 1864. It is 
therefore clear that 1893 cannot be unprecedentedly dry.—G. J. Symons. 
