KERRY CATTLE. 
Kerry cattle are undoubtedly au aborigi¬ 
nal breed, and the only Irish breed that still 
exists in the island in its pristine purity. All 
the other Irish breeds have disappeared under 
frequent crosses of Herefords, Devons and 
especially Short-horns. Indeed, the general 
character of Irish dairy cattle to-day is as 
strongly Short-horn as in the northern and 
midland counties in England, and the more 
clearly Short-horn the cows are (.he higher 
they are prized in (he larger dairies. The 
Kerry cow is, and for generations has been, 
the poor man’s cow, the cottier’s cow, the cow 
for the man who can afford to keep only one, 
and has scanty feed for even that. As in 
Yonatt’s days, it can live anywhere and 
everywhere, and yield, for its size, a large 
quantity of milk of excellent quality. About 
12 quarts daily is an average yield for a 
Kerry cow when she is fairly well kept, and 
some yield PI quarts daily for a considerable 
time after calving. The yield of butter is 
one pound for 11 quarts of milk; but often a 
higher percentage of butter is obtained. The 
following is the measurement of a fat Kerry 
cow of the largest strain, exhibited at. a late 
show of the Royal Dublin Society: bight at 
the shoulder, 8$ inches; girth, 70 inches; 
length from the top of the shoulder to the 
tail-head, 42 inches. 
In form the Kerry cow is a neat, light-made 
animal with fine, rather long limbs; fine, 
small head with long, clean muzzle and thin 
lips; lively eyes; fine white horns, belonging 
to the middle class and turning upwards. The 
neck is not massive at its junction with the 
head, but. thickens gradually. The rump is 
narrow and the thigh light. The fashionable 
color is pure black; but some are black and 
white and others red. Although the hair is 
thick.the hide is elastic and mellow, and “han¬ 
dles” well. The “Dexter” strain or variety 
differs from the ordinary Kerry, in having a 
round, plump body, short and thick legs, a 
heavier and coarser head and larger and 
straigbtet horns. Its origin is generally at¬ 
tributed to selection. 
Kerry cows are extremely hardy; and al¬ 
though very active, they are very gentle and 
do well when tethered on confined bits of 
grass. Although in their natural condition 
they have picked up a scanty livelihood for 
generations on thin, hilly pastures, they gen¬ 
erously pay for good feed, aud thrive well 
when kept coustautly house-fed. Attempts 
have been made to cross the Kerry with the 
kindred West Highland breed, the Devon, 
Ayrshire and Holsteiu, but the results have 
not been satisfactory; but wheu a Kerry cow 
is put to a good Short-horn bull, the produce 
possess great aptitude to fatten, with superior 
quality of flesh and an increased weight of 
carcass. Youatt says Kerry cattle fatten 
rapidly wheu required, and this is true when 
they have been kept, like other breeds, on fair 
pasture; but poor Kerries, especially bullocks, 
when obtained direct from their native moun¬ 
tain pastures, take some time before they be¬ 
gin to show improvement Rut once they be- 
gin,their progress is rapid, and when slaught¬ 
ered, their flesh is c»C prime quality—flue in 
the grain and well flavored. Their weights, 
wheu fat, ore are from 890 to 500 pounds, 
though extra fed beasts will turn the scales at 
5(>0 pounds. 
In the mountain districts of Ireland, where 
the land is poor aud cold, and the herbage 
scant, the Kerry is, aud must remain, the best 
breed, and in richer districts also she has 
lately been introduced, not for fancy pur¬ 
poses, but for her genuine merits in the dairy. 
Several small importations have been made 
into this country, and doubtless the Kerry 
COW here would tie quite profitable iu sections 
where the conditions are similar to ( hose in 
which she is profitable in her native country. 
The cut, Fig. 18, re-engraved from the (Lon¬ 
don) Live Stock Journal, represents an excel¬ 
lent specimen of a geuuiuo Kerry cow. 
FARMERS STAND BY YOUR FRIENDS. 
Oleomargarine is badly hurt aud no mis¬ 
take: the dishonest scamps who reaped a gold¬ 
en harvest from its manufacture and fraudu¬ 
lent, sale are howling worse than the Shy locks 
whom the Saviour scourged from the Temple. 
Their brazen boasts that they made oleomar¬ 
garine that people preferred and would take 
instead of geuuiuo butter at the same price, 
have all been proven to be baseless, and now 
they are preparing to get down on their mar¬ 
row bones, yea, on their very bellies even,beg¬ 
ging Congress to remove the tax aud reduce 
the licence fees. At their convention recent¬ 
ly held at St. Louis, they decided to ask Con¬ 
gress to reduce the license fees of retail deal¬ 
ers from $4S to $12 per year, and now they 
are circulating petitions everywhere asking 
Congress to pass such a bill, and are telling 
all sorts of stories to induce farmers to sign 
them; but no one should place any more con¬ 
fidence in what they say now than before. 
The fact is,the whole business is a fraud aud cau 
thrive only through fraud, and the statements 
so widely circulated, that the effect of the 
law has been to reduce the price of every 
sheep 50 cents, of every hog $2, and of each 
bullock from $10 to $15, arc jhstas false as the 
other misrepresentations made by them. In 
its manufacture they do nob always use even 
the best classes of animal fats, but often the 
refuse of the slaughter-houses. The rendering 
shops and the cattle-yards aud the manufac¬ 
turers care not a straw for the amnuutof the 
tax levied or of the fees collected for license, 
only in so far as they compel the sale of the 
bogus stuff for just what it is. Every pack¬ 
age must now be branded and it must be re¬ 
tailed from these packages, and people can no 
longer be imposed upou and defrauded, and 
few care to buy the stuff knowingly, even at 
the greatly reduced prices 
Again, they have said, aud papers in sym¬ 
pathy with them or paid by their money, 
have widely circulated the statement “that 
the law acted in their favor; that the stamp 
was a guarantee of purity .and that the sale of 
the stuff was greatly increasing.” If this-be 
true, why so much squealing and why such 
frantic efforts to have such a beneficent law 
repealed! The best evidence of the law’s ef¬ 
fect. aud that it is protecting both the manu¬ 
facturers aud users of honest butter, is the po¬ 
sition taken by the friends of the bogus com¬ 
modity. If you see two boys fighting aud 
hear one of them squeal, you cau just be sure 
it is the one that is getting the worst of the 
fight, and the same is true of the oleo manu¬ 
facturers, They care nothing for the money 
collected iu licenses aud fees, but the fact 
that every dealer who sells it must publish the 
fact to his customers, aud that it can he sold 
for only what it is and not as butter, is what 
hurts, and these wily individuals are bound to 
overthrow the law, and both the makers and 
users of butter should not forget the fact or 
cease to closely watch their movements. 
Further, these fellows are bitterly hostile to 
every member o£ either House of Congress 
who actively assisted in the passage of the law, 
aud all fanners,without regard to party lines, 
should use their best influence to elect or re- 
elect^ those who have stood by them in this 
fight. j. s. woodward. 
WINTER DAIRYING. 
It is claimed by some that cows give more 
milk when winter dairying is practiced than 
when summer dairying is followed. It is 
easier to keep up the flow of milk through the 
winter aud prolong it into summer, than to 
prolong it in winter after the stimulus of ma¬ 
ternity begins to subside and the mess to 
shrink. Besides, as most herds are managed, 
from grass to hay is a most trying time, with 
alternate hot and cold blasts, and a diet that 
is neither green uor dry, aud often not regular. 
It is worse than from hay to grass iu the 
spring, when the temperature is softening in¬ 
stead of hardening, aud the bite of green stuff 
nipped hero and there is so relishing, re¬ 
freshing and invigorating. Tu summer dairy¬ 
ing, the COWS go dry in winter, when it is most 
expensive keeping them, while in winter 
dairying they go dry through the hot season, 
when feed is cheap, if it is not abundant, aud 
au extra grain feed is not needed to keep up 
the temperature. This, too, is a busy season, 
when release from milking gives more time 
for general farm work. T. d. c. 
Burnt topics. 
ABOUT THE HATCH BILL. 
r _ 
I am pleased to note the Rural’s indorse¬ 
ment of the leading principle of the Hatch 
Bill, that of appropriating money to be spent 
in experiments in agricultural science. I am 
also pleased to note your discriminating criti¬ 
cism of this bill, aud your reference to the 
fact that, in its original form, it does not con¬ 
tain a sufficiently absolute guaranty that the 
money it calls for will be spent for the purpose 
desired. If, however, you have followed up 
the discussion of this bill at Washington, you 
know that several amendments have been pro¬ 
posed that will strengthen its weak points, eli¬ 
minate its objectionable features, aud make it 
a measure that will most surely and economi¬ 
cally bring about the results that we all de¬ 
sire. But the fact that some of the institutions 
that receive the agricultural college fund have 
not applied that fund as the Land Grant Act 
of 18(52 designed, can have very little relation 
to this matter, provided an amendment is 
adopted to the Hatch Bill, making the mis¬ 
application of tue fuuds practically impossible. 
Senator Edmunds's suggestion covers this 
poiut very thoroughly. He would amend the 
bill so that the treasurer of each agricultural 
college which receives the Hatch experiment 
station fund shall, for the purposes of this act, 
be deemed the disbursing agent of the United 
States Government, and give bonds and ac¬ 
countings accordingly. This would bring the 
State treasurers under the United States laws. 
They would have to give bonds for the faith¬ 
ful performance of their duties, as others who 
handle government money are obliged to do. 
They would have to submit reports of their 
transactions as provided by the law; and their 
accounts would be audited at Washington, aud 
if it appeared that they had allowed money to 
be spent for purposes not iu accord with the 
design of the bill, the State Treasurers would 
be clearly amenable under the United States 
laws as defaulters, and the amount of the 
money thus misapplied, or technically em¬ 
bezzled, would be collected from their houds- 
meu. Gen. Hawley has prepared a strong re¬ 
solution covering this point iu au equally 
strong manner, but iu a less objectionable 
form to those who are sticklers for State 
rights. Again, in case the bill passes, iu what¬ 
ever form it Is enacted the fund will bo au 
annual appropriation, and if it appears from 
the reports of any station that the funds are 
being misapplied, the agricultural press of the 
country will see to it t at this fact is brought 
to the attention of Congress, when the appro¬ 
priation will either be withdrawn or the sta¬ 
tion will bo allowed another year to amend its 
ways, according to the discretion of Congress. 
The Rural says that any system of experi¬ 
ment stations that is to be influenced by 
Washington politicians will cost far more 
than it can be worth; and very likely that is 
true. Section 4 of the original Hatch Bill 
contains the objectionable proviso that the 
Commisisoner of Agriculture shall establish 
the standard of valuation of commercial fer¬ 
tilizers, but expressly limits his power and 
authority over the stations to this one thing. 
The following substitute for section 4 has 
been approved by many friends of the bill, 
aud ought, to meet with the favor of Congress. 
Sec. 4. That in order to secure, so far 
as practicable, uniformity of methods, aud 
results iu the work of said stations, it shall be 
the duty of the United States Commissioner of 
Agriculture, by the advice and with the con¬ 
sent of a Commission composed of the direct¬ 
ors (or a majority thereof), of the stations re¬ 
ceiving the appropriation hereinafter made, 
to lay out certain lines of work and methods 
which each of said stations shall prosecute and 
adopt to the extent of at least 15 per cent, of 
said appropriation: but nothing herein con¬ 
tained shall be construed to authorize said 
Commissioner of Agriculture to control or di¬ 
rect the work or management of any such sta¬ 
tion, except in the manner annually provided 
and approved by the said Commissioner, and 
to the extent of the income above set forth. It 
shall be the duty of each of said stations, an¬ 
nually. on or before the first davof February, 
to make to the Governor of the State or Terri- 
rory in which it is located a full and detailed 
renort of Its operations. Including a statement 
of receipts and expenditures, a copy of which 
report shall be sent to each of said stations, to 
the Commissioner of Aerieulture. and to the 
Secretary of the Treasury of th* TJnited States. 
And, for the purpose of securing further co¬ 
operation among such colleges or stations, and 
of coordinating the results of their work.it 
shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture to collect and publish at least monthly, 
the results of such work in the United States 
and iu foreign countries, aud to provide a 
suitable place for holding annual meetings or 
conventions of the directors or other repre¬ 
sentatives of such colleges or stations. 
Yon see this substitute provides for a system 
of eo-operatiou among the station, sthat shall 
be controlled by the statiou directors among 
themselves. The influence that Washington 
politicians could have on the work uuder the 
proposed section will have to be magnified 
very much in order to be apparent at all. The 
necessity of some such co-operation, in order 
to secure the best results with the least expen¬ 
diture, is apparent to every thinking man. 
There are many other points about this 
Hatch Agricultural Experiment, station Bill 
that might be discussed at leugth. It is the 
principle of the bill that we contend for, and 
I am glad to see that the Rural is lending its 
powerful influence to the support of this prin¬ 
ciple. And while the original Hatch Bill 
embodying this principle is loose in some 
respects, I think that if we all work together 
iu urging the matter upon Congress, we shall 
be successful in securing the enactment of a 
bill which, taking the Hatch Bill as a basis, 
will be “a much stronger aud safer measure,” 
and oue that will “more surely and more 
economically bring about the results we so 
much desire.” Herbert myrick. 
Springfield, Mass. 
Woman's Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
THE LIGHTS OF HOME. 
A bit of garden where the summer sun 
Bids glad "good-mornings,” lingering “good- 
nights 
Where clematis and honeysuckle run 
In reckless rivalry to dizzy bights— 
Where violets bloom In spring-time, rivaling 
The tender azure of the vernal dome. 
And robins come, their earliest song to sing. 
And build in happy faith their summer home— 
A bit of lawu where shadows huger long 
Through summer mornings, and eaeh passing 
breeze 
Loiters a while to sing its minstrel song 
Of love and laughter to the maple trees. 
While crickets vainly strive to catch the tune 
And bumble-bees grow boisterous with delight, 
TUI shadows come again with afternoon 
Aud lengthen slowly eastward into night. 
Between the two. a cottage nestling low— 
Fair when the sunset -miles, the night to greet 
Bui yet more fair, when o’er the drifted snow 
Its own bright welcome hastes my weary feet. 
With sullen roar and fickle winds go past— 
The trembling maples whisper thi-tr affright — 
But, gleaming golden through the whitened blast, 
The lights of home shine out across the night. 
* * • ♦ * * * • 
The bitter winds blow some day through our lives 
And In our hearts is manv an empty nest 
And o’er the garden of our youth there drives 
The snow of sorrow. Brightest theu and best 
The lights of home shine out across the storm 
To welcome weary feet and hearts that ache. 
And, lo! their wonder-working beams transform 
To golden blessings every falling flake. 
—Arthur Home ell, it Good Housekeeping. 
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN. 
Philadelphia has followed the example 
set by New York in appointing a woman as 
School Commissioner. At. Washington advo¬ 
cates of feminine equality have scored an¬ 
other point: a woman has been appointed sec¬ 
retary to a Congressional committee, the first 
time such au office has been bestowed upon 
one of the gentle sex. 
A novel material for beaufet scarfs is ordi¬ 
nary blue or brown jean. It must have odd 
geometrical design worked on the ends, in 
white embroidery cotton, and is further 
adorned by a white knotted fringe. The dull 
coloring, in this heavy stuff, shows up the em¬ 
broidery—which may be in outline—very fine¬ 
ly. Some decorative genius previously dis¬ 
covered the artistic value of this homely stuff 
