THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
m 
i889 
quantity, and the most economical butter 
ration is that which produces the most 
butter of the best quality at the least cost. 
This is a problem for the stations of the 
dairy States to work out. 
Stowe, Yt. 
FROM W. B. PRATT. 
I have never fed wheat or buckwheat 
bran for butter, but have used both in 
slops when an increased flow of milk was 
wanted, and have found both good for the 
purpose of producing it. For making but¬ 
ter in the winter I have added to early-cut 
and lightly salted hay either clover, Timo¬ 
thy or Orchard Grass and fodder-corn or 
corn-stover, a daily ration of sliced Golden- 
Tankard Beets, sprinkled with two to four 
quarts of corn and oat-meal, in about equal 
parts of each by hulk. The excellence of 
corn-meal is questioned by no one; nor 
have I ever discovered or suspected injury 
to the quality of the butter from the oat¬ 
meal part of the ration. Indeed, in seasons 
when the oat-bin has been fuller than the 
corn-crib it has been thought that the 
larger proportion of oats that entered 
into the mixture was more satisfactory in 
its results, possibly because of the better 
condition of the animal arising from a less 
concentrated ration. If the color of butter 
is traceable to the food given, then ought 
not yellow corn give a more golden hue 
than white corn? Who shall say that it 
does ? If it is the kind of meal rather than 
the nature of the animal that determines 
seemed to fatten up too much when fed on 
it in warm weather ; but it is a great feed 
for butter if fed with wheat-bran, pound 
for pound. I have fed some cotton-seed- 
meal and it made the milk very rich; so 
much so, indeed, that I thought the butter 
tasted oily. I may have fed too much of it. 
I have never fed any pea-meal to my cows. 
There is a great difference in the flavor of 
butter according to the way it is made up, 
for so many things one comes in contact 
with damage flavor, such as w r eather, 
water, feed, ventilation, too much ripening, 
poor salt, ill-treatment of cows, etc., so 
that a dairyman has always to keep his 
wits about him or he will get left occasion¬ 
ally. Dairying is about as trying a way to 
make money as one may well get into. 
Meadville, Pa. 
FROM J. MCLANE SMITH. 
My business is furnishing cream, not 
making butter. I churn only when I have 
some cream left over. I have never fed pea 
or cottou-seed-meal or buckwheat-bran, as 
they are not sold in our market. My usual 
ration consists of wheat-bran and malt 
sprouts, with the addition of crushed corn 
and a small amount of linseed-meal in win¬ 
ter. These in our market afford the 
proper nutriment at the least cost. But I 
have never fed the ingredients separately to 
note the effect. 
Dayton, O. 
FROM H. S. WEEKS. 
As my farm has for many years been 
stituted rations. The results of Mr. Stew¬ 
art’s experiments were substantially as I 
should have expected. From my previous 
knowledge of the characteristics of the 
various foods tested, I should not have an¬ 
ticipated just the results obtained from the 
use of well cured oats and peas, but I do 
not question the correctness of his results, 
as I have always used these foods in con¬ 
nection with corn and cotton-seed-meal. 
In such a combination, I regard both as 
valuable, when fed to a butter-producing 
herd; but the characteristics of the two 
former constituents would naturally coun¬ 
teract the defects claimed for the latter, 
and thus make an excellent combination, as 
I practically find them to be. 
Whiting, Yt. 
FROM C. M. LUSK. 
My experience with some of the kinds of 
feed mentioned is limited. There is no 
question in my mind that the feed makes a 
vast difference in the quality of the butter. 
I have fed buckwheat ground and found 
that I got a greater quantity of milk, but it 
was not very rich in butter and what was 
produced was white and of an inferior 
quality similar to winter butter. I find 
the same to be the case with wheat bran 
and middlings ; but the butter from them 
is not so light-colored. I have also found 
that ground oats do not make good butter. 
Corn-meal makes butter that is high- 
colored, firm and of the best flavor. I 
have not fed cotton-seed-meal or linseed- 
younger trees grafted from the parent. Its 
age proves its longevity and hardiness—it 
is surely an iron-clad. Its bearing quali¬ 
ties are first-class. The fruit does not scab 
or drop. The tree is an upright, strong 
grower, bears its fruit evenly on the tree 
and is a constant bearer. Our local nur¬ 
seryman from whom I procured the samples 
sent, says that the fruit is to-day the best 
in western Indiana as to quality. While 
mellow in October, it will keep till March. 
This apple should be brought before the 
public. A. c. B. 
Park County, Ind. 
R. N.-Y.—This apple (but one specimen 
was received) is, in shape, oblate-ovate, 
with a deep cavity, a short stem, shallow 
basin and calyx. It is about the color of 
King (Tompkins County) obscurely striped 
and lined with yellowish-red. The flesh is 
yellowish-white, tender,fine-grained, slight¬ 
ly sub-acid, aromatic. It is an apple of ex¬ 
cellent quality and in so far as can be judged 
by the one specimen, it is well worthy of 
introduction. 
( c* 
1 s. 
bljccji ijm 
jaaitunj- 
WINTER FEEDING OF SHEEP. 
Hard to restore good condition once lost; 
extra feeding must be began slowly; salt 
A NOR1 HERN MICHIGAN THRASHING SCENE. From a Photograph. See First Page. Fig. 270. 
all other characteristics of butter, then 
ought not all cows give a like quality of 
butter from a like sort of feed ? Who w r ill 
say that they do ? I have not had experi¬ 
ence with many of the sorts of meal men¬ 
tioned. 
Prattsburgli, N. Y. 
FROM GEO. M. ORRIS. 
I feed mostly bran to my cows in sum¬ 
mer and half corn and oat chop with bran 
in winter, and 1 know that my butter was 
higher-flavored last winter than it is now, 
but I attribute it to the mode of making it 
more than to the feed. 1 have been placed 
in a position requiring me to make my own 
butter, and I know that there is a great 
deal to be learned yet in the making of but¬ 
ter and the feeding of cows. I shall try 
some experiments this winter on this sub¬ 
ject and report to the R. N.-Y. 1 fully 
agree with Mr. Stewart in regard to buck¬ 
wheat-bran (shorts) and linseed-meal. 1 dis¬ 
covered their effects on butter some time 
ago. 1 always was in favor of corn-meal 
for cows in the cooler mouths of the year; 
but disliked to feed in summer as the cow 
devoted almost exclusively to the produc¬ 
tion of cream for hotel use, I have 
not experimented much in feeding 
for butter : but I have used all of the 
feeds mentioned by Mr. Stewart, except 
cotton-seed-meal and peas, and find none 
that will take the place of corn-meal as a 
part of the ration in making rich, heavy 
cream, though if silage from well matured 
coru along with some of the other foods 
named be used, my own experience is that 
equally good results will be obtaiued, and 
my custom is now to feed bran and mid¬ 
dlings with silage, and when the cows are at 
pasture or on green feed, to add corn-meal 
or corn and oats ground together in the 
proportion of one-third in weight. 
Oconomowoc, Wis. 
FROM F. I). DOUGLAS. 
I have had little experience with any one 
of the various kinds of feed named, when 
used alone, as a grain ration for milch 
cows, because of the fact that neither alone 
makes a well-balanced ration, while all, 
with the exception of buckwheat-bran, are 
valuable as constituents of judiciously con- 
meal. I do not feed oats. To increase the 
flow of milk I feed middlings and bran, 
and corn-meal to improve the quality of 
the butter. There is as much differ¬ 
ence in the quality of butter from the dif¬ 
ferent feeds mentioned as there is in that 
from dry hay and grass fresh in June. As 
far as my experience goes, I agree with Mr. 
Stewart, and my experience covers a period 
of over 25 years, having had a dairy during 
the whole time. 
Broome County, N. Y. 
Porno Logical. 
A NEW SEEDLING APPLE. 
I SEND the R. N.-Y. a box containing 
two apples, seedlings from this county. 
The original tree grew from seed planted 
in a fence row, 65 years ago, and is still in 
good bearing, although showing much age. 
The specimens I send were taken from 
indispensable; how to feed it; scparat- 
ing the different classes; all poor animals 
should be culled out; regular feeding of 
para mo un t importance. 
It must be remembered that sheep are 
not to be allowed to get thin during winter 
with the idea that their condition can at 
any time be readily raised by better feed, 
as in the case of the horse or ox. It is al- 
ways difficult, and, unless properly man¬ 
aged, expensive and hazardous to attempt 
to raise the condition of a poor flock in the 
winter, especially if they have reached that 
point where they mauifest weakness. If 
the feeding of a liberal allowance of grain 
be suddenly commenced, fatal diarrhea 
will often supervene. All extra feeding, 
therefore, must be begun very gradually; 
and it does not appear in any case to pro¬ 
duce proportionate results. Roots, such as 
ruta-bagas, Irish potatoes and the like, 
make a substitute for grain or serve as ex¬ 
tra feed for grown sheep. The ruta-baga is 
preferable to the potato in its equivalents 
of nutriment. No root, however, is as good 
