JUNE 26 
408 THE BUBAL ME W-Y0B 5CEB. 
made out, the writer begs to offer his exper¬ 
ience in this matter. Having previously made 
experiments on Indian corn, Sweet and Irish 
potatoes, tomatoes and a variety of other 
garden vegetables, aDd getting what was 
thought to be insufficient results from the 
amount of fertilizer expe* ded. last year about 
this time he made a trial of the value of this 
sort of fertilizer upon a small piece of rich, 
old pasture land. The six months' accumula¬ 
tion of the d„ng of 100 pigeons and that of 
half as many fowls was spread upou an eighth 
or tenth of an acre after the grass had been 
eaten quite elose, and no other attention was 
paid io the experiment further than to suffer 
the stock to eat off the remaining grass pro¬ 
duct of the year, which did not seem to have 
increased. But quite early this spring the 
Blue-grass sod took an unusually deep color 
and started before any other part of the field, 
and a full bite of herbage had started before 
half a bite could be touud on any other spot. 
As the season advanced, the grass was seen to 
thicken up at the bottom, and by the first of 
May a part of the effects of the application of 
the fertilizer was to bo 6een rather in the 
density of the color of the grass and the thick¬ 
ness at the bottom than its rank growth. But 
the value of the application remains to be told in 
the statement that stock seek this fertilized 
patch in preference to any other lot in the pas¬ 
ture and would, if suffered to do so. eat off the 
grass and leave it asshortasupon ashaven lawn, 
at the same lime, while the gates are open to 
olher fields, neglecting good grass standing up 
to their knees. Evidently in the case of the 
land of these pastures, which were originally 
prairie laud of the best class aud the deepest 
soil, the fowl and pigeon dung acts as the best 
of all known foods and fertilizers for the 
Blue Grass and whiti clover of which the sod 
Is composed, and it is plain, too. there is that iu 
it which produces a very strong aud thick 
growth of herbage—and that hm bage is of the 
sweetest and mo«t nutritious character. The 
writer has saii-fi>d himself that the best of all 
uses for the kinds of fertilizers under notice, 
Is to broadcast them as olien as the dove¬ 
cotes and fowl houses are cleaned out, on 
meadows and pasture lauds, and though the 
experimenter may nave to wait a year before 
he gets a return for the expenditure, it is sure 
to be a satisfactory one iu the end. 
Barbed Wilts Fences.— The Rural sayB 
“ we should be glad to hear from our readers 
who have tri. d Hum, how well, or ill, they are 
pleased.” Quite as much to learn personally 
the cost of a first-class barbed wire fence, aud 
Its value for taming stock, as for any other 
purpose, the writer, in ibe summer ol 1879, 
built 40 rods of it, iu front of bouic lots in a 
town ol some importance in central Illiuois. 
The style adopted was copied from that ia 
use on the Illinois Central R tilroad, aud con¬ 
sisted ol five wires, three barbed aud two 
plaiu, stretched between white-cedar posts 16J 
feet apart. Begiuuing at the surface the wires 
were respectively 6, 8 8, 10 and 12 iuches 
apart, making the total higbt of the fence four 
inches leas than tour feet. These are not the 
distances adopt-d Wy the TIL. Cen. R. R , but 
they are better for iho town than the country. 
On trial of the fence, it was fouud necessary to 
8uostiluie barbed loi plain wire ou the 6ecoud 
a d lourth strand, to prevent cattle from reach¬ 
ing tueir heads through the upper space, and 
small hoys crawling mrough the lower. For 
a year the fence has answered i'a purpose ad¬ 
mirably, and though cows, horses aud other 
stock have grazed iu the stre-ts alougoide of 
It, uotie nave brokea through, Utougti two or 
three havebeeu caught, but uut seriously hurt or 
long held, nor has the wire been broken, though 
subjected to a great stretch aud strain. Tue 
cost of the fence was about oue dollar per rod, 
divided ts iollowa; posts (very good ones; 25 
cents each; three strands of best galvamz d, 
double siraud and barbed steel wire, 45 Ctme; 
ten strands common non wire, 16 cents; braces, 
staphs, labor, etc,. 14 cents; total $L00. Buy¬ 
ing materials iu large quantities aud contract¬ 
ing on an exteusiVe scale, the railroad makes 
a better fence for 85 ceuts a rod ; und faige 
farmers, buildiug two, three, or four miles, or 
more, might reduce the cost to nearly the same 
figures. But < xpertence has already taught onu 
farmer that five wires are not at all necessary, 
nor four, nor turee cither, aud the thing has 
been simplified to the extent of sirelching two 
wires. 16 to 18 inches apart, on oak posts 
standing two rods each from the other, ana 
ntakiug that a sufficient fence against all 
Btock aud swine. Nor has it been found best 
to stretch the wires at all taut, the common 
way of building now being to roll the wire into 
the wagon, and reel it off aud fasten as the 
team moves along. 
Makmg its fiist trial of barbed wire some 
five or six years ago, the 111. Gen. R R., has 
adopted it definitely, aud as fast as the old 
wooden fence gives way it will be replaced by 
barbed wire, a > that in course of the next ten 
years it will owu three or lour thousand miles. 
Mo.t of ihe otoer railroads are leuciug their 
lines ia the same way, aud the time is not far 
off (at least so it uppiarr) when little other 
fence (live hedges excepted,) will be seen in 
the prairie and timber cleared portions of the 
West. 
Io respect to the objection that the fence ia 
a barbarous invention and inflicts unnecessary 
injurv on stock accidentally or willfully at¬ 
tempting to break through, the excuse is that 
stock very quickly get educated up to the 
point of knowing what it is and avoiding it. 
and the other answer is that if one has neigh¬ 
bors who indulge in the breeding of breachy 
stock, or lives among apeople against whom one 
has to protect himself by carrying arms, the 
right of either is not recognized to dictate what 
a sufficient fence shall be. or whether the 
arms of defence shall be a pistol, shot-gun or 
possessed a herd purchased directly from the 
Jarvis farm, wrote of them in 1868 as follows : 
'• They aro large enough for all practical pur¬ 
poses. aud produce more milk and that of a 
better quality for butter than any other breed 
I have kept The cows weigh from 1 000 to 
1 250 pounds, live weight, are very quiet and 
gentle and hold out through the season, giviug 
a good flow of milk for 10 or 11 months, with 
proper food. The butter is colored as highly 
as that produced by the Jerseys, and 1 think it 
is finer flavored. The bulls are also quiet and 
gentle, so much so that I never had to put a 
ring iu the nose to handle them at any age.’* 
The herd of Dutch cattle with which I am 
a fine view of the Orange Mouutain range, the 
first to strike the eye o f the mariner on reach¬ 
ing the Narrows. The improvements are of 
the very best character. A flue mansion of 
ample proportions and elegant exterior is 
beautifully situated on the c»e“t of a hill, com¬ 
manding an extended view of the surrounding 
country, with wide, close shaven lawns adorned 
with shi-ubs. plant!, and flowers. Mr. Barbour 
is a prominent member of the American Jersey 
Cattle Club and at the late great sale of choice 
cattle of that breed under the management of 
Peter C Kellogg he made some excellent addi¬ 
tions to his herd. As shown in our account of 
the sale in the Rural for June 5. his purchases 
amounted in the aggregate to $3 600. The 
most notable animals among them were Etn- 
pressa II two years old. oue of the Prizi- 
Medal Herd at the N- Y State Fair, 1879. for 
which, together with her one day-old calf, 
he paid $835 and refused an offer of $1000 
just after the sale. For Maple Blossom, a 
heifer in milk. 37 months old. with her two- 
days-old calf he paid $580. Her sire, Niobe 
Duke. 2364, was winner of the first prize at 
the N Y. State Fair, 1878. Godiva II, and 
Timid, both heifers 18 months old and both by 
Niobe Duke, cost him $325 and $200 lerpec- 
tively; while for Bibl. heifer, 20 months old, 
he paid $225. and $310 for 8un!ight, cow 4£ 
years old, and $250 for Lady Adelaide of the 
same age. 
--- 
The Stallion Morgan Black IIawk. —We 
see it stated that this horse is still living at 
Milton. Delaware, 87 years old aud a number 
of his colts near by are over 25 years old. We 
should like to know as to the truth of this, if 
any of our readers can inform us. It is not 
often that a stallion reacheBthis age, and when 
he does it is worthy of record. 
-- 
Twin Colts —Four thorough-bred mares in 
the stud of Lord Falmouth, of England, have 
thrown twins, which is very extraordinary, 
for it is rare for a mare to do this, although it 
is frequent with cows. 
tiatrp Ijnsimiiri). 
THE DAIRY COW.-No. 1. 
HENRY STEWART. 
The Value of a Oow. 
The cow is our most valuable domestic aui- 
raal. In its life it supplies us with food, from 
infancy to old age. aud after it has spent a use¬ 
ful life every portion of its carcass is of value 
for some indispensable purpose. It a flesh, 
blood, hide, hair, horns, hoofs, cutrails. all to 
the last fragment, are turned io some good 
use. A cow is generally considered as a busi¬ 
ness animal, either for raising grazing beeves 
or for dairy purposes. But it is equally ser¬ 
viceable for the domestic use of a family ; and 
a family that can keep a cow is assurtd of a 
considerat le portion, and that the most desir¬ 
able, of its food supplies. 
The chief object of ibis series of articles is to 
show that, THE FAMILY cow is a most valuable 
family possession, aud to induce the thousands 
of persons who can keep a cow if they will, to 
do so. by showing to them the advantage and 
profit that may be gained by it, as well as to 
remove the common, but erroneous, idea 
which prevails, that it is altogether too trouble¬ 
some aud disagreeable a business, by telling in 
a plaiu and concise mutiuer how a cow may be 
procured or raised, fed, eared for and made the 
most of. As the greater includes the less, so 
all this information will apply uot only to the 
one cow dairy, but to a small dairy of two or 
three cows, as well as to larger dairies ; for if 
one cau keep a single cow iu the best manner, 
it is reasonable to suppose that we may keep a 
score or a hundred ; aud whtu is good for one 
is good for many more than one. It is. there¬ 
fore, hoped that among the interested readers 
of these articles there may be a large number 
of dairymen, who may, perhaps, permit the 
remark that there are some of their number 
who have got something to learn ou this sub¬ 
ject as well as those who have never yet Kept 
a cow. 
The Value of Milk uh Food. 
Some lime ago It ..courtcd to a person who 
was engaged iu milk dairying that a lady cus¬ 
tomer suddenly increased her order from two 
quarts to six, aud sometimes seven quarts a 
duy, this milk bung supplied ad libilutu to uer 
children both for food and drink. As the milk 
cost seven cents a quart, the dairyman sug¬ 
gested that his customer would find it better to 
keep a cow, and offered to advise her how to 
care for it II she did. The idea was seized 
upon; the ludy procured a family cow and 
the dairyman lost his best customer. If the 
ease ol keeping a cow aud the value of milk as 
food were generally kuowu, many olher moth¬ 
ers would do likewise, and would do well in 
doing it, for there is no other kind of loud that 
is so healthful, agreeable and nutritious for in¬ 
fants, children or grown persons as this; and 
. r V ,; ; % 
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V:, V--v ;; 
'0<- : v.'i&Jji 
SHORT HORN HEIFER, FUCHSIA.—FIG. 221. 
a club. It is an outrage that in a civilized 
country a man roust defend his lands and 
crops against his neighbors' unruly cattle; and 
thanks to the common sense of our earli r and 
later law-makers, the common and the statute 
law is against it, though iu neither has it been 
often enforced. The chief aigumcnts in favor 
of barbed wire fencing are these: 
1. It is strong aud cheap. 
2. It will neither blow down nor bum up. 
3 It will list a long time. 
4 It is not possihle (exeept by live hedges, 
which are very costly to make and maintain) 
to defend our farms in the old way because 
there is neither material nor space enough to 
do it. b. F. J. 
AN EARLY IMPORT AT ION OF DUTCH 
CATTLE. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
That the Dutch breed of cows (for a time 
erroneously known in this country as the Hol- 
steius, and more lately designated as Dutcb- 
Frisiaus) are attracting more and more atten¬ 
tion as dairy cattle is quite ipparcnt.. The 
herds are increasing in numbers und in size, 
aud those who handle them seem more than 
satisfied with their quality for the purpose to 
which they have been bred. They give 
immense messes of fairly good milk, and 
though the humorous Han is Lewis charges 
them with adulterating their milk with water, 
this will, no doubt, be regaided as a merit by 
purchasers of market milk, as the natural 
adulteration leaves less excuse for the arti¬ 
ficial ; and if the views of Dr. Sturtcvant and 
Col. Cunis regarding the pernicious uulure of 
Jersey milk as an article of diet, urc to be gen¬ 
erally accepted, we shall be obliged to look 
upon the Dutch cowb as supplying u great 
need. 
Many suppose that this breed of eatt'e is of 
very recent introduction, but they have bpen 
well known in the State of Vermont since 
early in the present century. The lion. Wil¬ 
liam Jarvis, of Wetheisfieid, Vt., famous for 
bis couneclion with the introduction of the 
Spauish Merino sheep into America, also im¬ 
ported from Holland a bull and five cows, 
which were kept upon his farm and bred pure, 
both during his life-time und since. Several 
herds of this strain are now in existence and 
are highly va’ued as dairy beasts, not only for 
market milk aud cheese, but for butter also. 
I have been quite familiar with one of these 
herds lor the last 14 years, they having been 
kept in this couuty. During the long time they 
have been in New Eugland, they have under¬ 
gone some modifications, bine notuow so bulky 
as recent importations, more quick in their 
motions and better adapted to upland pastures 
lor that reason. They have lost liLile in their 
aptimde for milk secretion, while the quality 
of the milk for butter making has improved. 
Mr. C. W. Bellows, of Pepperell, Mass., who 
most familiar was derived from the Bellows’ 
herd, and first owned by Carlos Pierce, of 
Staustead, Quebec, only an hour’s ride from 
my home. It was afterwards purchased by 
Thomas Biker, of Barton, Vt., whose splendid 
farm oI 600 acres lies but half an hour’s ride 
hy rail south. In Mr. Biker’s hands for 12 
years it averaged from 25 to 50 head of thor¬ 
oughbreds, kept entirely for butter, which 
always sold at an extra price in the Boston 
market. I have seen this herd frequently, and 
the butter also. It was as good butter as I 
ever saw or tasted. The herd was remarkably 
uniform in its yield, a poor cow being rare 
among them. 1 have no memorandum of the 
yield, but it was large. Mr. Baker has recent¬ 
ly sold his place and removed to Dakota, and 
the farm aud stock are now owued by a party 
with whom I have no acquaintance. 
For some reason, chiefly, I think, because 
the owners have not been p-.ishiug men, the 
Dutch cattle of the Jarvis strain have never 
attained much popularity. Mr. Baker never 
seemed auxious to sell any of his, but occasion¬ 
ally other farmers bad some <*f them, and they 
were uniformly likid fur utiik. for butter, for 
cheese, for working cattle and for beef. Tue 
Jerseys have now got such a hold upon the 
uffectiousof our butter dairymen that they will 
rarely hear of any other breed, aud it is a mere 
chance whether the Baker herd will long be 
kept up. The later importations, being larger 
and, perhaps, deeper milkers (though the milk 
is probably proportionally poorer), will doubt¬ 
less have the preference with the fancy farm¬ 
ers. But the Dutch stock has stood the test of 
upwards of 60 years’ practical use for dairy 
purposes in Vermont, and stood it well. This 
is a fact worth noting. 
Our Animal Portraits —The accompany¬ 
ing portrait, reproduced from the Agricultural 
Gazette (Eng ). represents Mr. Bliss’s Short¬ 
horn heifer, Fuchsia, wiuuer, the other day, of 
the first prize iu her class at the Oxfordshire 
Agricultural Show, England. Although only 
19 mouths old the weighed 1,473 lbs., live weight, 
a d is remarkable, too, for her fiue bone and 
powerful muscular aiuis and thighs. As wefi 
shown in the engraving, she is uu extremely 
beautiful animal with an elegant head, set off 
by handsome, waxy horns; splendid back, ribs 
aud hind-quarters. She is a soft, silvery roan in 
color, aud thoroughly feminine in chaiacter. 
in her is combined the best blood of the Bates’ 
Duchess tribe with that of the Kuightley Prin¬ 
cesses, her sire being Grand Duke of Geneva 3d, 
aud her dam Princess Royal, by Grand Duke 
of Lightbourne, the Barne stratus being also 
combined twice more in her pedigree. 
STOCK NOTES. 
A fine Stock Farm.— Oue of the finest stock 
farms in this sectlou is that of Mr. Thomas 
Bat hour, situated on the Passaic River, near 
Paterson, N. J., consisting if woods, aud 
springs, and flue pasture lauds of over 100 
acres, fronuug ou Dundee Lake, Passaic River, 
within five minutes of Duudec Lake Station. 
The country i9 picturesque and beautiful, with 
