554 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Deccmtxr 13,1S9-1. 
COWS at the Grange Farm being specially remarkable for its 
average of 677 gallons per cow per annum for seven years. In 
1893 an interesting and instructive account of the cows and 
their management was given in the Journal of the Royal 
Agricultural Society by the Hon. Cecil T. Parker, the Duke’s 
agent. We now give some of the details of management and 
feeding, as we regard the milk yield as a standard of excellence 
for every home farmer, or rather for every farmer, for as Mr. 
Parker so wisely says, “If farmers would exercise care in 
selecting and breeding from good milkers, and in eliminating 
the poor ones, the returns would be more satisfactory, for 
it costs as much to keep a bad cow as to maintain a good 
one.” 
“The cows are all shorthorn crossbreds, very like the 
ordinary Cheshire dairy cows, but containing more shorthorn 
blood than the latter. It is arranged for the cows to begin 
calving in November, and to finish by about May 20th. Most 
of them drop their calves in February, March, and April, but as 
it is necessary to supply large quantities of milk, cream, and 
butter during the winter months, a higher proportion of the 
cows calve down in November, December, and January than is 
the case in the majority of herds.” 
It will, of course, be \inderstood that both herds are kept 
specially for home farm requirements, and the management of 
the calving is applicable to every home farm whence a similar 
supply of dairy produce must be forthcoming for the household. 
“ During the winter and early spring months the cows which 
have calved are fed with hay, and 4 to 7 lbs. per day of ground 
Oats. Silage, Swedish Turnips, pulped and mixed with hay chaff, 
and Mangolds are also used, but in varying quantities to different 
cows, and some have none. Turnips and silage, unless used very 
sparingly, give a flavour to the milk and cream, and it is 
found necessary to keep these two foods away from the cows, 
the milk or cream of which is directly consumed. When, 
however, the milk is made into butter the flavour is very little 
noticed, provided the Turnip? and silage are used in moderation 
and not given till after milking. At the time the C3ws are cot 
in milk during the winter they have a larger quantity of pulped 
Turnips and as much silage as they care to eat, but the meal i? 
discontinued. Hay is given twice each day. The crushed Oats 
are used in various quantities according to the size of the cows 
and the amount of milk they may be giving, and the quantity 
also varies according as the quality of the hay is good or 
indifferent. We occasionally use Maize meal. Bean meal, and 
bran, but crushed Oats form the staple purchased food. This 
feeding is continued up to the time the cows go to grass, which 
is generally between the 1st and 12th of May. After this they 
are fed morning and evening with cotton cake or meal for ten 
to fourteen days, and then all artificial feeding is discontinued 
until the autumn, when the cows commence to calve again.” 
We thus learn that the winter dietary of these famous herds 
consists practically of hay and crushed Oats, with a cautious 
addition of silage and roots. The individual requirements of 
the cows are evidently carefully studied, and due heed is given 
to the production of sweet, wholesome milk, and palatable 
butter. To apply this valuable lesson to practice is surely easy 
enough. Perhaps the most striking thing about Mr. Parker’s 
system of management is the combination of efficiency with 
simplicity. The ducal herds, though affording a milk yield of 
nearly twice the general average, have no heavy cake bills, no 
costly or extravagant outlay of any sort. Even the implied 
purchase of crushed Oats may be an advantage under pi’esent 
prices, though we are bound to hold that for farmers generally 
the home production of Oats is desirable for the sake of the 
straw as well as the corn. No doubt careful breeding has much 
influence upon the milk yield, and when, as in this instance, it 
is found in such judicious combination, with equally sensible 
feeding, the result is entirely satisfactory. 
WOBK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Old Clover layers or leys had so much herbage on them late in 
autumn that they were not broken up so early as usual. Where sheep 
have been folded upon them to clear up the herbage, the land will 
require little if any manure for Oats next spring. If it is not rich in 
fertility apart from the folding it may answer well to drill in with the 
seed 1 cwt. nitrate of soda and 2 cwts. mineral superphosphate. The 
decision about this must rest with the farmer, who knows or ought to 
know the condition and requirements ot his land better than anyone 
else. But we can safely advise even him to aim at full crops, and to 
remember that they cannot be had without full fertility of soil, and 
the sowing of really good seed. Take advantage of open weather to 
push on all such ploughing, but do not suffer heavy land to be dis¬ 
turbed while it is sodden by heavy rain. 
Look to the swine as being still a source of profit. Make no rash 
reduction in the number of sows because bacon hogs have fallen off in 
value. Even with a reduction of 2d. a pound we consider the advantage 
is still with the farmer who does not grow the corn, but takes full 
advantage of the low price of feeding stuffs. We may in connection 
with the feeding of swine and all other stock give a word of caution 
about the purchase of food. See that each kind of corn purchased— 
whether Wheat, Barley, or Oats, is pure. Avoid mixtures, and costly 
compound foods, about which we say the greater the merit claimed for 
them the greater the suspicion with which we regard them. 
Go carefully through the swine stock, and draught out all sows- 
becoming so large and heavy as to be liable to lie upon their progeny. 
We consider it bad practice to keep them for this risk, and also for the 
cost of extra food, which they consume. One of our first lessons in 
swine management was the fattening of a sow with an exceptionally 
large frame. That sow realised £10, and we have never forgotten the 
lesson. Bring on plenty of young sows, breed early, and fatten them as 
soon as they become faulty in any respect. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Roots for Iilve Stock (A. G. G .),—The comparative value of 
Carrots, Parsnips, and Potatoes as nutritive food will be clear to you 
in the following enumeration of the nourishing constituents in 100 parts 
of each :— 
Albuminoides 
Fats 
Carbohydrates 
.. 1*4 . 
... C-2 ... 
. 110 
. 1-3 . 
... 0 3 ... 
. 10-9 
Potatots 
. 2-2 . 
For pigs we prefer Potatoes, for horses Carrots and Parsnips. If, as you 
appear to show. Parsnips are about double the price of Carrots, avoid 
purchasing them, as it is certain that for horses the balance is decidedly 
in favour of Carrots. You have here a valuable example of the 
practical value of analysis. 
Seed Stands at the Smithfield Club Show. —We are informed 
that Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, and Messrs. B. Webb & Sons, 
Wordsley, Stourbridge, have splendid stands of seeds and roots at the 
Smithfield Club Cattle show, held in the Agricultural Hall, Islington, 
this week. The officials did not send us a reporter’s ticket, hence we 
are unable to refer more particularly to these and other stands, which, 
no doubt, are arranged by various firms. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdbn Square, London. 
Lat.Sl® 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8/ 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
'3 
eS 
1894. 
December. 
1 Barometer 
1 at 32°, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday ,. 
2 
30-441 
34-2 
32-7 
N.E. 
40*7 
44-8 
30-6 
45-6 
26-9 
_ 
Monday .. 
3 
30102 
41 9 
40 1 
E. 
41-1 
46-7 
33 4 
63-8 
35-0 
— 
Tuesday .. 
4 
29-757 
33-9 
33-9 
N.E. 
41-0 
39-9 
33-1 
40-1 
28-1 
Wednesday 
5 
29-849 
39-2 
38-5 
N. 
40-6 
43-1 
31-9 
48 2 
27-1 
— 
Thursday,, 
6 
30-038 
33-3 
33-3 
W. 
410 
43-4 
311 
43-9 
30-2 
0-016 
Friday 
7 
29-883 
41-8 
41-8 
s.w. 
40 6 
48-4 
32-9 
52-0 
29-3 
0-191 
Saturday .. 
8 
29-861 
41-2 
40 1 
N. 
41-9 
47-1 
39-3 
64-2 
35-4 
— 
29 990 
37-9 
37-2 
41-0 
44-8 
33-2 
51-1 
30-3 
0-2GZ 
BEMARKS. 
2ad.—Fine and calm; the sun generally obscured by the accumulation of smoke. 
3rd.—Bright sunshine almost th'-oughout. 
4th.—Slight fog all day; the sun generally visible. 
5th.—Overcast all day. 
6th.—Overcast day ; slight fog early and in afternoon. 
7th.—Drizzly and foggy till about 10 A.M.; bright sunshine at midday; rain from 
2.30 P.M. to midnight. 
8th.—Cloudy early, and spots of rain at 9 a.m. ; bright sunshine from 10 A Jl. to 2 P.U., 
and cloudy later. 
Dull, damp, and colder, but no severe frost.—G. J. SruONS. 
