f§87 
687 
Brewster, of Putnam Co., N. Y., which cuts 
bogs to perfection, and is easily managed. It 
can be run by one or two horses, and I think 
would be just the tool for raspberries. 
Kingston, N. Y. J. v. H. n. 
CUT CORN-STACKS MUST BE MOISTENED FOR 
FEED. 
The Rural says, page 028, that a great 
deal of corn fodder will be run through the 
stalk-cutters this winter as a measure of econ¬ 
omy. I have tried this practice three winters 
and can inform Rural readers that unless 
these cut stalks are moistened before being fed 
there will be trouble. Whenever I fed dry 
stalks I found that before spring the gums and 
jaws of the stock were made so sore by the 
sharp,serrated edges of the stalks as to become 
ulcerated. Of course, food could notbepi’op- 
erly masticated with the animals’ jaws in this 
condition, audthe result was a very consider¬ 
able and unprofitable loss of ilesh. Meal was 
freely given, but no gain of tlesh was made 
until after the spring growth of pasture had 
commenced. 1 have safclj fed cut stalks sev¬ 
eral winters, when wet enough to soften the 
outside covering of the stalk, but on no ac¬ 
count would 1 attempt to feed cut stalks, un¬ 
less softened in some way. There is a homely 
old adage that proof of the pudding is in the 
taste of it. Three w inters’taste of the pudding 
proved it very bad indeed. It is much better 
to practice what may appear a wasteful meth¬ 
od of feeding stalks by throwing them in out¬ 
door racks or feed-boxes and allowing the 
uueaten portions to he troddeu under foot as 
absorbents of the barnyard liquids. They are 
not thus lost by auy means, for the saving of 
manure will offset the loss of stalks, a. t. t. 
POTATO CULTURE. 
My plan of raisiug potatoes is as follows: 
Manure broadcast in December or January— 
not later. P1ow t the manure under as soon as 
the ground will permit in the spring. Har¬ 
row the ground well and plant in drills three 
feet apart, pieces of potato cut to two eyes, 
one foot apart. Cover with a plow when just 
coming through the ground; cross-harrow, 
killing all the weeds that have started. Then 
cultivate often until the viues are too large to 
work in. 1 am entirely satisfied that manure 
applied broadcast in December or Jauuary is 
worth at least four times ns much as that put 
on at the time of plowing. If farmers would 
cultivate, say, half of their lot this way and 
carefully watch the result they would see for 
themselves the advantage of it. I keep one 
lot especially for potatoes aud raise nothing 
else on that lot. I use manure every year,in De¬ 
cember, 30 loads to the acre. Uf course, the 
ground is getting very rich and mellow by 
constant manuring aud tilling,and that is just 
what potatoes want. I can get iu this nay, 
say 200 bushels per acre,aud am always sure of 
a crop. I have no trouble whatever with grubs 
aud ! t hink this is because 1 apply the manure 
when 1 do. J. J. M. 
Whippany, N. J. 
elj e rrttem.au. 
WEST HIGHLAND CATTLE. 
The Kyloes or West Highland cattle came 
originally from the Hebrides or Western Is¬ 
lands of Scotland, where they are still most 
numerously bred. At present, however, they 
are the only beef cattle found in the whole of 
the West aud Middle Highlands of Scotland. 
Where dairy cattle are needed for milk, but¬ 
ter, or cheese for market, Ayrshire's are al¬ 
most exclusively employed; but butter, cheese 
and milk for home use are generally procured 
from the Highland cows by those who own 
them: for their milk, though not great in 
quantity, is considered the richest iu Great 
Britain. No other breed is so distinctive and 
strongly marked in appearance: short of limb, 
but muscular: chests wide and deep; ribs well 
developed; back straight; body thick, com¬ 
pact, very deep aud well formed; nock tine iu 
the cow, but rather coarse in the bull; head 
short, with a profusion of shaggy, curly hair 
coming down between the eyes; eyes promi¬ 
nent, quick and piercing: muzzle tine and uo>e 
slightly turned tip; horns long, spreading, 
curved, pointed aud tipped with black; skiu 
thick, but mellow; hair long, thick and shag¬ 
gy, comiugdovvu to the knees; color various— 
black, red, dun, cream, or brindled. 
The West llighlauders are the hardiest 
breed of cattle in the British Isles, Formerly 
all wintered out-of-doors; but nowadays the 
calves aud breeding cows have generally the 
protection of a stable or shed iu very cold 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
weather. They are better foragers than any 
other breed of domesticated cattle, possessing 
all the features which a mountain home pro¬ 
duces—compactness, agility, fearless courage, 
great sagacity and a remarkably strong con¬ 
stitution, Reared in a bleak and infertile'di-s- 
trict, they have acquired the ability of shift¬ 
ing for themselves and of subsisting on coarse 
and scanty food on which lowland cattle would 
starve. Though able to subsist on the poorest 
sort of fare, they respond kindly to better 
feed. 
The size of the animals varies considerably 
in accordance with the feed and care they re¬ 
ceive, and the district iu which they were 
raised. Those raised in Southern Argyle are 
the largest: those from the outer Hebrides the 
smallest. The steward of the Earl of Seafield, 
one of the largest breeders of the race,says that 
a cow, which matures in four years, will weigh 
11 cwt, and girth t3J£ feet; while a bull arrives 
at maturity in five years, weighs 14 cwt., aud 
girths seven feet. Steers mature in five years, 
weigh 16 cwt., aud girth 7 1 feet. They dress, 
on an average, two-thirds of their live weight. 
Their beef is of the very best quality, laid on 
heavily on the best parts and finely marbled, 
always fetching Ihe highest prices iu all the 
markets of Great Britaiu. They seldom breed 
till three years old, but they are extremely 
regular breeders, dropping one or more calves 
regularly every year. Though natnrally wild 
from the way they are raised on extensive 
mountain ranges, they soon become gentle and 
docile, and a vicious cow or bull is considered 
a rarity. 
Only a few importations of West Highland¬ 
ers have been made into this country; but it 
is very likely they would be well adapted for 
the high ranges about the Rocky Mountains in 
the Northwest, os their hardiness, agility and 
ability to shift for themselves, together with 
their thick, warm shaggy coats of hair, would 
enable them to endure the inclemency of the 
winter better tbau any other breed. As the 
bulls are remarkably prepotent, if crossed on 
the rauge cattle, they would much improve 
the quality of their meat and impart to them 
other desirable qualities, 'Ihe Earl of Duu- 
more, one of the largest breeders of West 
Highlanders, and who has traveled a great 
deal in Northwestern United States aud Can¬ 
ada, is convinced they w ould bo a much better 
cross for that region than the Short-horu, 
Hereford, Aberdeen Angus or Galloway. 
At Fig. 425 is shown a likeness of Rob Rov, 
one of the lvest specimens of the breed living. 
The Live Stock Journal (Loudon), from which 
the likeuess has boon re-engraved, tells us ho 
was second at the Highland and Agricultural 
Society's show at Sterling iu 1881 as a three- 
year-old : first as aged bull iu Glasgow* in 1882, 
aud second at the Highland Society’s Centeu- 
nary Show iu 1884, against all former prize¬ 
winners. 
- » • » — 
A MODEL COW. 
A. B. ALLEN. 
Perfection in breeding.such a cow is prob¬ 
ably unattainable by mankind; but as there 
are different models for the same, necessary 
for different purposes, it should be the far¬ 
mer’s eudeavor to breed whutever kind he can 
and keep it'as perfect for its special use as pos¬ 
sible. Before attempting a particular descrip¬ 
tion of each of these, I wish to speak of what 
they should be iu general. 
Every cow worthy to be bred from, if not 
polled—which is really best—ought to pos¬ 
sess as small, flat and rather short horns as 
possible: a fine head with dished face; open 
nostrils, a good-sized mouth and bright, glow¬ 
ing eyes, slightly prominent. The neck must 
he fiue, harmoniously extending to the shoul¬ 
ders and without dewlap; the chest either 
broad or deep or both combined, as requisite 
for its particular purpose; the body level from 
the crops to the end of the rump, round and 
well-ribbed up, rather broad across the loin 
aud hips; full in the twist and a fine well-set 
tail; thin thighs; clean, flat legs; hoofs of 
moderate size, tough and clear; the udder ex¬ 
tending well forward and behind, rather than 
deep, with four square-set teats, long enough 
to fill the hand of her milker. Now for par¬ 
ticular requisites. 
The General Purpose Cow.—Some con¬ 
tend that such a cow does not exist, but I 
know that it does, and that it is the very best 
and most profitable sort to keep by the farmer 
who is not devoted to the special purpose of 
making either cheese or butter, or selling his 
milk fresh. Such a cow annually drops a calf 
that fattens nicely to a satisfactory weight 
on its mother's milk when one mouth old, aud 
can then be sold to the butcher for a good price 
and turn out first quality veal. Or it can be 
raised at a moderate cost as a steer or cow, ac¬ 
cording to its sex, aud then parted with if de¬ 
sired at a fair profit. 
This^ow will give from 1(3 to 24 quarts of 
milk of good quality when flush, aud if proper- 
ly'fed aud treated she will continue to yield a 
fair mess till within one to two months of 
calving, as may be desired. The milk will be 
found excellent for family use, and for the 
makiug of butter aud cheese. 
When the cow becomes aged, she can be 
dried off easily, aud economically fattened 
aud turn out an excellent carcass of beef. 
In make-up she should beasuearmy general 
description above as possible, and broader be¬ 
hind than forward—iu fact moderately wedge- 
shaped. 
The breeds of cows which have for many 
years past been ami still are the most satisfac¬ 
tory for the general purpose of the farmer, are 
the Short-horu ami its cognates,the Yorkshire 
of England, the Devou.the Polled Norfolk ami 
Suffolk, ami the Guernsey also to some extent. 
The grades of the above often excel iu this 
respect, especially wlieu as high as three- 
fourths or seven-eighths bred. 
The Dairy Cow, such as particularly ex¬ 
cel in yielding a large quantity of milk 
of fair quality, to sell to the population 
of towns ami cities, or to make iuto 
cheese, may also approach, or be as per¬ 
fect iu form as is required by the above 
description; but it is not necessary for a good 
yield of product that she be so fiue and 
shapely in all her points, as a superior dairy 
product is the great consideration. The dairy 
cow ought to be considerably broader behind 
thau forward, quite wedge-shaped, with a 
large stomach capable of first-rate digestion; 
and deep, rather than full, in the chest. When 
milking it is not expected that she will take 
on flesh, but give all she consumes to the pro¬ 
duction of milk, retaining merely enough of 
nutriment to keep her strong and in good 
health. Now and then one of these cows, 
most excelling in the dairy, makes a fair 
quality of lieef svben dried off and fattened 
for this purpose; but it is not expected that 
she will do so as a general thing, and it 
may not be profitable to strive for it. They 
are satisfactory for the dairy alone—that is 
enough—all that should be asked of them. 
The breeds of dairy cows which generally 
excel in the richness of the quality of their 
milk are the Guernsey and the Jersey. Next 
come the Devon and the Red Polled Norfolk 
and Suffolk The Ayrsbires and Holstein-Frie- 
sians yield milk of a fair quality bountifully, 
the latter, chiefly on account of their larger 
size, much excelling. Indeed, they yield in 
our country beyond all precedent known in 
any other. 
The Beef Cow ought to be of the best pos¬ 
sible form, round and smooth, and fine in all 
her points. The chest should be bioad and 
deep, with a good projection of the brisket; 
the crops fuller thau in a dairy cow, and the 
foreribs particularly well sprung, wide across 
the loin and hips, with a low let down 
of the twist, fiat thighs and clean limbs; 
the body thus presenting the shape, as 
nearly as possible, of a right-angled paral¬ 
lelogram. She should have a moderate-sized 
udder and teats, the latter set square. If she 
gives milk enough to bring up her calf this is 
all that ought to be required of her. 
The breeds of cattle most sought after for 
beef are the Kyloe, the Aberdeen-Angus and 
the Galloway, the Short-horn, the Hereford, 
the Devon and the Sussex. 
General Remarks. —Our farmers are of¬ 
ten very neglectful in not breeding their own 
cows. Unless some neighbor whose stock they 
thoroughly well know is entirely suited for 
their particular purpose does it for them, they 
should invariably breed for themselves. When 
they depend on cows of which they know no¬ 
thing except their present appearance, they 
are often liable to purchase such as are not 
suitable for them, which entails a loss rather 
than a gain. Moreover, it is generally much 
cheaper to rear one’s own cows than to buy 
others, considering the present advantage of 
the use of improved implements for all kinds 
of farming operations. To this we may add 
the introduction for several years past of new 
sorts of excellent forage for soiling in summer 
and autumu, aud for curing for winter feed. 
If the farmer pleases, with the use of these im¬ 
proved implements and the cultivation of 
suitable crops, he may defy droughts which 
have so often been destructive to the profits of 
his occupation. A steady and abundant 
growth *>f forage is alwolutely necessary as a 
supplement for short pasture for dairy cows. 
If their daily yield of milk is not pretty regu¬ 
larly kept up it will be difficult, after it is 
much lessened, and take considerable time 
to restore it to its former abundance. Thus not 
only a present but a future advantage is lost 
to the great detriment of the farmer. 
WHENCE THEY COME. 
The horses in New York city represent over 
#12,000,000 worth of property. As the city 
life of a horse is, on an average, barely four 
years, one can readily see that the business of 
breeding horses for this market is of great im¬ 
portance. The greatest demand is for stylish 
driving and coach horses aud for heavy ani¬ 
mals suitable for truck and express work- 
The best roadsters and carriage horses find 
ready sale here. Business men are anxious to 
secure a fast horse, and fashionable stable 
keepers are always hunting for stylish ani¬ 
mals to drive iu carriages or to use as saddle 
horses. Grade Cleveland Bays are much de¬ 
sired for these purposes, as well as shapely 
grades from Thoroughbreds or Freueh eoach- 
ers. Very many of the roadsters and driving 
horses come from Now York State. The coun¬ 
ties along the Hudson River send many fine 
animals. Throughout Orange and adjoining 
counties almost every farmer aims to keep one 
or more favorite mares for breeding purposes. 
A large, strong, fairly well bred mare is gen¬ 
erally selected, that can do her share of farm 
work or act as the family driving horse. She 
is bred to a good trotting stallion each year 
and the colts are generally sold as three-year- 
olds. Agricultural specialties seem to sort 
themselves, aud New York State farmers are 
evidently inclined to let the West have the 
market for heavy draught horses. 
NUMBERS AND CAREER, 
According to the most careful estimate we 
HIGHLAND HULL, HOB HOY Bn. Re-engraved from the Loudon Live Stock 
Journal. Fig. 425. 
