9 
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JULY 43 
u gasman. 
ARE LARGE BREEDS OF COWS MORE 
PROFITABLE THAN SMALL'S 
There is a great deal of discussion from 
time to time among dairymen as to whether 
large or small cows are most profitable. That 
is to say, what is the relative proportion of 
milk to bo obtained from a certain weight of 
food when given to the two classes of ani¬ 
mals ? If we have ten tons of hay, for in¬ 
stance, which is to be turned to the best ac¬ 
count in milk, what cows should be selected 
for the purpose, the large or small breeds ? 
If any exact experiments have been made 
among 1.1m dairymen of the United States to 
determine this matter we do not remember 
to have seen the record. Almost, every 
dairyman of experience has hia notion in re¬ 
gard to the question, but the opinion is most¬ 
ly based on “guess work,” and not from any 
j actual test. And although the subject is one 
of interest to dairymen, they cau hardly be 
blamed for not making the necessary investi¬ 
gation, because it must require much time 
and trouble and a degree of care and exact¬ 
ness which is not to the taste of the ordinary 
! farmer. Kuch investigations belong really 
to our agricultural colleges, and should be 
conducted by men of science, so that the re¬ 
sult, when given to the world, maybe accept¬ 
ed as authority. 
Investigations of this character have re¬ 
ceived considerable attention in Germany, 
and according to the Practical Farmer the 
results of some of them are as followsIn 
regard to the size of cows, C as part made 
eighteen experiments in feeding milch cows 
with the view of ascertaining how many 
pounds of hay, or its equivalent, it required 
to make 100 pounds of milk. He found that 
in Prussia 100 pounds of hay fed to*Holland 
cows made 251^ quarts of milk ; and the 
same in the Allganers made SO 68.100 quarts 
of milk. At eleven dairies in Saxony, the 
| value of 100 pounds of hay produced iu-— 
Olclonbiirgertf. 
Hollanders... 
Allganers. 
. 5».10 “ 
Villeroy experiments resulted as follows: 
Hollanders. 
Quarts per 
100 lbs. nay 
. 28.(12 
27,45 
HernfordB. 
. 
.15.07 
AJlganora... . 
Thus it is claimed to bo clearly demonstrated 
that the larger breeds of cows are more prof¬ 
itable both for milk and feeding or beef than 
the small breeds. 
We have two breeds of cows that are now 
attracting the attention of dairymen. The 
Dutch, which is larger, and the Ayrshire, 
which may be claimed as small. Some have 
put forward the claim that the Ayrshire will 
produce more milk from a given quantity of 
food than any other breed. It would be in¬ 
teresting to have our several breeds of cows 
tested in regard to the relative quantity of 
milk produced from a hundred pounds of hay 
or its equivalent.—x. A. w. 
COWS GIVING DOWN MILK. 
Some time since, one of your correspond¬ 
ents, traveling in the South, ridiculed in a 
covert manner, the idea of a cow not “ giv¬ 
ing down” her milk without her calf. As 
men—even such a high authority as X. A. 
Willard —assert that it is doubtful if a cow 
lias the power to withhold her milk except 
from fear or anger, I desire to give a few 
facts that have fallen under my own observ¬ 
ation and experience ; and here let me pre¬ 
mise that 1 am a Northerner born and bred, 
know something of daily management in the 
East, and therefore am not writing through 
sectional prejudice, but merely to show that 
what is applicable to one section may not be 
to another. 
In the dairy management of this country 
the eows are allowed access to the calves at 
milking time, which practice, when the rais¬ 
ing of the calf is an object, I commend from 
experience for two reasons ;—First, it makes 
the cow more contented, and she secretes 
her milk for natural reasons, consequently, 
is likely to give more milk ; and Second, with 
careless hands (and we have no others here) 
the cow is sure to be milked clean, and no 
cases of garget or caked udder are ever seen 
in milch cows. The calf is allowed to start 
the milk and then it is driven away ; some 
tie them, but I prefer to keep them away 
with a tittle stick ; they veiy soon learn, and 
the quantity of milk desired, varying with 
the age of the calf, is taken, after which the 
eulf is allowed to finish it. Of course, the 
call’ gets the best of the milk; but to my 
MOORE'S RURAL WEW-YOR 
notion, it should have it, for that was what 
milk was made for, was it not t If the calf 
is not allowed to start the milk, you might 
milk at the cow for twenty-four hours and 
you would get no milk. Cows that are well 
broken will stand quietly ; but some will not 
stand and will kick ; whereas, if the calf has 
sucked a very little, they will then stand and 
give down the milk. Again ; some cows 1 
have seen that would hold a portion of their 
milk for their calves, and upon allowing their 
calves to come to them the. second t ime, a 
quantity of milk almost equal to that at first 
milked could lie obtained, there not being 
more than one minute between the two milk- 
iDgs„ I have seen cows hold it from their 
calves. 
I have experimented somewhat on this sub¬ 
ject in various ways, and 1 am thoroughly 
satisfied that with the cattle of this country 
at least, it is entirely voluntary on the part 
of the cow—the free How of her milk. If a 
cow here loses her calf she will, under the 
most careful milking, go dry in from two to 
three weeks. Cows are milked in an open 
yard without being tied ; some tie their hind 
legs to keep them from kicking ; but it is all 
in the way they are broken. Mine are not 
tied or strapped in any way, and if a 
man in striking at a calf makes a miss lick 
and hits the cow, she does not mind it in the 
least. 1 admire the spirit of a Texan cow. 
Treat her kindly, and nothing can bo more 
affectionate, even to licking you when you 
come near her ; but abuse her, and she is as 
mean as before kind. I have known gentle 
cows, perhaps, raise their foot or start, hav¬ 
ing sore teats ; and upon being beaten, never 
afterwards would allow themselves to be 
milked without being tied, or would hold 
their milk. T once milked a cow that had 
been beaten and spoiled for two months, 
treating her very kindly, without at any time 
getting over u pint of milk, though she was 
an extra good milker. I had to give her up. 
I have cows that, when their teats are sore 
will not stand or will kick their calves, but 
will allow themselves to be milked without 
moving though so bad ms to make them 
cringe. Under no circumstances will t allow 
a cow to be struck, and I find it no trouble to 
have gentle cows. I have not one kicking 
cow in my dairy. 
Another thing about drying off cows: 
Whop a cow w cans her calf, she does it by 
not allowing it to suck at all. I have seen 
many cases of cows losing their calves at 
from birth up to several months old, and 1 
have never known or heard of any bad result 
from non-milking. On the other hand, 
1 have seen numerous eases of the ill effect of 
but a portion of the milk being drawn ; as, 
for instance, in a wild cow giving more milk 
than the calf can take, which would result 
in inflamed udder, sometimes making a very 
bad sore ; at others one teat, not being milk¬ 
ed, would be spoiled, forever disfiguring the 
cow, etc. Nature Is a good guide, and in dry¬ 
ing up a cow she says, “don’t milk at all.” 
-»■»» - - - 
STOCK FOR NEW ENGLAND. 
A correspondent at Hartford, Conn., asks 
“ Which would be the most profitable stock 
to keep on rough New England farms—Al¬ 
derney* or Durham*—where feed is short and 
pastures hilly and rocky We prefer to let 
those who have experience answer this ques¬ 
tion, for we have had no experience with 
either breed 11 nde r such circumstances. Theo¬ 
retically, aud judging by our knowledge of 
breeds, we would choose neither. If the ob¬ 
ject in keeping stock was beef, under such 
circumstances, we should choose Devon: If 
milk or cheese, Ayrshire ; if butter, possibly 
Alderney, though wo arc not fully decided, 
even in that respect, and in doubt whether 
we should uot prefer the progeny of native 
stock gotten by an Alderney bull. We shall 
be glad to print the experience of men who 
have had it. 
-♦-*-*-- 
AN ILLINOIS STOCK FARMER. 
Here in Vermillion county a single indi¬ 
vidual owns and manages seven thousand 
acres, while other farms of still greater mag¬ 
nitude may be found in adjoining counties. 
Mr. John Kidell. of the townahip bearing his 
name, has a domain of seven thousand acres. 
The t ract is six miles long, and varies from 
one to two miles in width. Running through 
its entire length is the Little Vermillion 
River, skirted for two miles with beautiful 
groves and clusters of thickets. Three thou¬ 
sand acres are iu meadow, aud as much 
more in blue grass pasture, and the remaining 
thousand is devoted to corn. 
Roaming over the great pasture are fifteen 
hundred cattle, a thousand of which will 
shortly be shipped to New York city. Mr. 
Sidell has also about a thousand hogs on his 
place. The com he raises, together with 
thousands of bushels that lie buys annually, 
is consumed on his farm. He employs about 
forty teams and fifty men, and has nine 
comfortable tenement houses upon the plan¬ 
tation. 
There are no public roads through his 
premises, but Mr. Sidell says that it is a high¬ 
way of itself. Wagon roads run through the 
pasture from one end of the domain to the 
other, with gates at the fence crossings. 
The farm abounds in springs, aud is wed 
drained throughout. The proprietor of this 
miniature dominion dwells iu a brick man¬ 
sion of size and surroundings corresponding 
with the general magnitude of his compre¬ 
hensive undertaking.— Danville, 111., Timex, 
--- 
THE POINTS OF A GOOD COW. 
She’s long in her face, she’s flue in her hone; 
She’ll quickly get fat without cake or corn; 
She's clean in her jaw and Tull in her chine; 
She’s heavy In Hank and wide in her line; 
Sbe’s broad In her rib uml long in her rump; 
A straight and flat back with never a hump; 
She’s wide In her hips and culm In her eyes ; 
She’s flue iu her shoulders aud thin iu her thighs; 
She’s light in hor neck and small In her tail; 
She’s wide in her breast and good at the pail; 
She’s tine in her hone, anil silky of skin; 
She’s a grinder without, a butcher within. 
-- 
NOTES FOR HERDSMEN. 
To Prevent a Cow Hoiking up her Milk, it 
i* claimed that ad that is needful is to give 
the cow something else to think of—feed 
brat), roots, or some other palatable food, 
while milking. Tu Holland the practice is 
said to be to lay a cold, wet cloth over the 
animal’s back. 
Hard Milking Cow. —I have a Dutch cow, 
four years old that milks very hard ; can 
you, or any of your readers ted me of any 
thing that would make hor milk easier ?— 
Fred. C. Kei.sea. 
DISEASE CONTRACTED FROM UN¬ 
HEALTHY MILK. 
Something lias been said heretofore in 
these columns concerning the unhenlth fulness 
of the milk of animals suffering from disease. 
We should suppose that but one opinion 
would he had in regard to this matter, viz ; 
that if the cow is diseased her milk must in 
some measure partake of disease and cannot 
b© used with safety for human food. We 
find, however, that an impression prevails 
among some, and it may be with many, that 
so long a* milk appears of the same con¬ 
sistency as ordinary milk, and does not differ 
from it in odor or taste, no harm can come 
from its use, even though tile animals pro¬ 
ducing it are suffering more or less from dis¬ 
ease. Wc are inclined to think tiuit this view 
is held by a good many dairymen, otherwise 
why do we see so little care manifested in 
regard to keeping the milk of ailing animals 
separate from that; of those known, to be 
healthy. 
in most cases of foot-rot, we understand 
the milk is considered sound and wholesome. 
It is, at any rate, sent to the factory to be 
made into cheese, and we fear the milk of 
animals that are suffering with more serious 
complaints goes the same way, or perhaps 
may be used directly as human food. We 
desire to call the attention of dairymen who 
hold the opinion referred to above to the 
following case, reported in a recent number 
of the British Medical Journal, which wo 
condense as follows : 
Miss S-, the daughter of a farmer, had 
always been delicate, but had enjoyed better 
health than usual last spring and summer. 
She assisted in the work of a large dairy, the 
cows of which during the mouths of June aud 
July had been affected with foot-and-mouth 
disease. She had occasionally fed and milked 
the sick cows, but was veiy careful to wash 
hor hands afterwards. She was not aware oi 
any scratch on lior hands or arms. She. axe.'j 
a eonxidv ruble f/uantUy of milk ax an wild f 
of diet; but the family did not drink the 
milk of the cows while they were suffering 
from (at all events) the acute stage of the 
disease. She had not felt well for the last, 
six weeks ami had complained of lassitude, 
vertigo, loss of sleep and appetite. 
On August “0th the mucous membrane of 
the mouth was very sore to the touch aud 
there was considerable inflammation of the 
tongue and lower lip. The submaxllary 
and sublingual glands were hard, uodiffated 
aud painful. The gums were red aud the 
teeth sensitive, and the symptoms much re¬ 
sembled those of salivation. The treatment 
ordered was a mild saline aperient and a 
mixture of bark, chlorate of potash and am¬ 
monia. 
The next morning all the symptoms were 
worse. The tongue was protruding two and 
a-quarter inches out of the mouth, it was so 
increased in thickness that the teeth were 
wedged into it. She could not separate her 
jaws far apart. A peculiar odor was on the 
breath. Her lower lip was much increased 
in thickness, the glands also were much 
harder, larger and more painful. Kite could 
not articulate a word, but wrote on a slate 
that she was in great pain in the hack part of 
the mouth, evidently at the root of the 
tongue. The breathing was much impeded 
and it was almost, impossible for her to swal¬ 
low' nourishment. The discharge was more 
profuse; pulse 104 and temperature 101 °. 
Warm poppyliead fomentations, with con¬ 
stant nourishment, beef tea, milk, cream, 
&c., were ordered. in the evening the 
symptoms were much the same as in the 
morning. The breathing was much easier. 
On August 22d she seemed better, the skin 
was moist, she could take nourishment a lit¬ 
tle better; the discharge, more profuse. She 
complained still of a deep-seated pain iu the 
tongue. The patient continued in this state 
until August 27, when the discharge became 
thicker and more foetid ; she could now take 
nothing but milk, anything else causing much 
pain to the ulcerated mucous membrane. 
Tho disease pursued the same course, the dis¬ 
charge become dreadfully foetid; sloughs, 
also peeling of the tongue. About the 17th 
of September she began to Improve very 
slowly, the discharge becoming thinner, and 
finally recovered. 
All the medical attendants agreed in tho 
opinion that the disease was similar to that 
which had afflicted the cattle, with this dif¬ 
ference—that in the human subject it ran a 
much longer course and tho feet were not 
affected. 
Now in this case, which does not differ 
much from others which have occurred in 
England, it is evident the disease was con¬ 
tracted front using the milk of tho ailing 
animals; and the fact of the milk being used 
in the fanner’s family, shows very plainly 
that no danger was apprehended from its 
consumption. 
There is no doubt that, diseases more or 
less serious uot unfrequently occur in fami¬ 
lies, both in city and country, from the use 
of milk from cows afflicted with diseases, 
and we call attention to this subject at this 
time in the hope that more care be taken in 
regard to the health of animals yielding-milk, 
and that the milk of sick or diseased animals 
bo discarded for human food. Good, sound 
milk from healthy animals is a wholesome 
and nutritious diet, its wonderful life-sus¬ 
taining power is well known.; and, as an ex¬ 
ample, the case referred to may be named 
where the patient, unable to take solid food, 
was sustained wholly on good, healthy nnljc 
from the 23th of August to the 2 v)th of Sep¬ 
tember—a period of thirty-six days. 
-- 
FLAKY RINDS. 
A correspondent inquires the cause of 
“flaky rinds on cheese.” He says “ A thin 
scale oil the upper and lower surface of the 
cheese often flakes off in patches and gives 
the cheese a bad appearance, but otherwise 
seems to be no damage to it. What is the 
cause and the remedy f” 
If the cheese has been properly manufac¬ 
tured, the rinds have probably been oiled too 
soon after coming from the press, or when in 
a too nn jist state. Then very likely too much 
oil or grease has been applied, from time to 
time which, accumulating, forms a scale 
that, after a little, will flake off. If this be 
the case, the remedy is to apply the oil when 
the surface is less moist, and afterwards to 
use grease sparingly, finishing the dressing 
of the cheese, as they ure turned daily, by 
rubbing them smartly with the hand. When 
cheese ure properly made, they do uot re¬ 
quire much grease to keep them in order ; a 
little oil occasionally to keep from cracking, 
and thorough rubbing is the way to keep 
them looking nicely anti prevent the attack 
of flics. It the cheese are imperfectly man¬ 
ufactured and exude a thick, gummy sub¬ 
stance, this, with the grease applied, would 
also be likely to form a scale after a time, 
which gives the surface a bad appearance, 
and it will, in time, flake off. If this be the 
cause, the remedy is in an improved method 
of manufacture. Cheese, to look well, should 
have a smooth, elastic rind free from crack, 
scale or blemish, aud iu order to meet these 
conditions, they should not ouly be well 
manufactured, but have good care aud thor- 
ough dressing in the curing room. __ 
s-*- tt-1-_k — •. ■ ^ 
n 
