448 
FE® 2 © 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
.nfest every community. A cheerful, sociable 
home is the best safeguard. 
In presenting the yesterday and to-day of 
dairying, the Rev. L. B. Loomis reviewed 
the progress of dairying from the days of 
David to the present time, with many pertin¬ 
ent hits. “The wife and daughter of yester¬ 
day were the cheese-makers, dividing their 
time between the spinning wheel anil cheese 
tub; between the cradle and the milking stool. 
The fittest survived, aud 1 believe in as 1 large 
numbers as now to over come the skatiug rinks 
and progressive euchre,” We want improved 
breeds of cows that 'will not swallow frogs 
when they drink water, that abhor tallow 
from Texas steers, that are Jews in their ab¬ 
horrence of swine fat, that will not give down 
to dirty milkers, and that will kick over every 
pail of milk into which dirt has fallen. 
Prof. H, P. Armsby gave some experience 
in feeding for the purpose of ascertaining the 
effects of feed on the composition of milk. 
Rich feeding generally increases the flow of 
milk, but is more marked in its effects in pro¬ 
ducing better quality. It increases the pro¬ 
portion of solids to fluids, by reducing the per 
cent, of water. But the relative proportion 
of fat to caseine is rarely changed perceptibly. 
In a very few instances there has been n slight 
increase In the proportion of fats. In one in¬ 
stance, and on one cow only, palm-nut meal 
had this effect. 
Prof. Henry E. Alvord in a talk on churn¬ 
ing emphasized the importance of paying more 
attention to temperature. Different seasons, 
different cows, different feed, different condi¬ 
tions, etc., require different temperatures, 
which range all the way from 60 to 70 degrees. 
Mr. C. R. Beech argued that a good cow 
should return her owner $50 to $00 per annum, 
gross receipts. Less than this would not af¬ 
ford any net profit. 
Prof. L. B. Arnold considered the question 
of dairying aud the state of the art. He 
emphasized the importance of sweet rennet, 
drawing the whey sweet, holding the curd 
warm in the vat or sink until the cheesing 
process is well developed, and curing in a 
room the temperature of which can be per¬ 
fect^- controlled. 
W. D. Hoard went for the “general-pur¬ 
pose” cow. aud wanted to know what a cow is 
for. He concluded that she is either for the 
produotion'of milk or for the rearing of calves 
for beef. It is impossible to combine success¬ 
fully the two functions, and it is foolish and 
wasteful economy to hold for years a beef 
carcass that does not give a paying yield of 
milk and makes very poor beef at last. The 
special dairy cow gives enough more product, 
than the general-purpose cow, to buy the latter 
outright every year. 
Prof. W. A. Henry related a little experi¬ 
ment in growing and feefling corn. He got 
4,490 pounds of corn-stalks and 4,941 pounds 
of com from an acre. By exchanging corn 
meal for bran, pound for pound, so as to make 
the relative proportion 25 pounds of corn meal 
to 35 pounds of "bran,he found he had grain feed 
enough to make 324 pounds of butter, but 
only corn-stalks enough to feed with the grain 
for the production of 115 pounds of butter. 
The lack of the balance of coarse feed for the 
production of tho 324 pounds of butter bad to 
come from an outside source, there being only 
about one-thinl enough corn-stalks on the 
acre. In another experiment, it took 71 
pounds of mixed hay (one part of clover to 
two part* of Timothy), 26 of corn meal anil 
36 of wheat, bran to produce 100 pounds of 
milk, and 1,348 pounds of mixed hay. 500 of 
com meal and 700 of wheat bran to produce 
100 pounds of butter. Substituting corn-stalks 
for the hay, it took 195 pounds of corn-stalks, 
25 of com meal and 35 of wheat bran to pro¬ 
duce 100 pounds of milk, and 3,880 pounds of 
corn-stalks, 514 of com meal and 719 of wheat 
bran to produce 100 pounds of butter. On 
clover hay, it took 60 pounds of clover hay, 
26 of com meal and 37 of wheat bran to pro¬ 
duce 100 pounds of milk, and 1,177 pounds of 
clover, 513 pounds of coru meal aud 718 
pounds of wheat bran to produce 100 pounds 
of butter. One of the cows was a full-blooded 
Jersey, the other a half-blood, aud the third a 
native. 
John G-ould highly commended the silo. 
There are 17 in his neighborhood in Ohio, and 
they are growing more popular every year. 
The corn is grown in rows four feet apart, 
drilled in at the rate of one bushel to the acre, 
which makes the stalks stand three to four 
inches apart in the row. At first the field is 
harrowed with a smoothing harrow, and this 
is repeated until the com is large enough to 
hill. This keeps down all the weeds, the 
ground being well prepared to begin with. 
Then a horse cultivator is run between the 
rows, with the teeth set so as to throw r the dirt 
up against the rows. The com Is cut just as 
it is fit to roast, aud run through a feed-cutter, 
which reduces it to half-inch lengths. It is 
slowly filled into the silo, which is divided into 
three compartments, and the cutting is done 
into a single compartment each day. This 
gives the cut stalks time to settle and heat. 
Two or three days after the last cutting, 
closely-fitting planks are put on the top of the 
stalks and covered with two or three inches 
of clay. The work is then complete until 
time to feed, when the entire covering to a 
compartment is removed, and each foddering 
is a layer taken from the entire surface. When 
fed in con junction with some nitrogenous food, 
the milk product is said to be superior. The 
silage is known as “sweet 1 ” because the amount 
of acidity is so slight. 
J. A. Smith spoke highly of the success of 
the Farmers’ Institutes which are held through¬ 
out Wisconsin during the Winter. He esti¬ 
mated the feeding value of three tons of silage 
as equal to that of one ton of hay. Twenty- 
five tons of silage per acre is an average yield. 
There are 1,800 pounds of solids in a ton of 
hay, and only 900 pounds of solids in three tons 
of silage, but the latter has the advantage of 
being in a more available form for digestion 
anil assimilation, which gives the solids double 
value as compared with dry hay. 
Hiram Smith believes in rich thinking, rich 
soil and rich feeding. He has a grade Jersey 
herd, has put in a silo, and expects to keep 100 
cows on 200 acres. 20 of which are woodland. 
He now' has 64 cows; he formerly had only 40. 
He thinks that the milk of 40 or more can be 
more profitably worked up on the' farm. He 
formerly got only $45 a year from each cow, 
but now he gets $65. 
Mr. A. J. Decker thinks Wisconsin cheese 
can be improved by the employment of a 
State Superintendent of cheese factories, and 
the employment of more women as boss cheese- 
makers, as he finds they are more cleanly and 
thorough. The factory should be large enough 
to employ a woman cheese-maker and a man 
to work under her directions, and to do the 
rougher and to heavier work. 
Mr. J. M. Thomas urged the importance of 
attending to all the details, no matter how 
good the general plans may l)e. No business, 
however well planned, will run itself. There 
must be constant attention from first to last. 
The surplus food above the maintenance ration 
is what the cow converts into milk. “c.” 
Remedy for Leaking Teats.—I f a Hat 
India-rubber ring is put high up around the 
udder of a cow that drops her milk, just after 
milking, and kept there for a week, or longer, 
if necessary, it is a “sure cure.” I have 
found it to be so a number of times. H. R. 
Jlotr.o' from the |turarjs W.3T.II. £ atm 
LAMB RAISING AND FEEDING LAMBS. 
SUCCULENT FOOD 
is extremely necessary if the best results are 
desired in feeding any class of sheep. It is 
doubly so in the feeding of lambs. Though 
not very well known to sheep feeders, it is a 
fact that when fed on a diet of corn and dry 
forage, it is never safe to continue the feeding 
of a sheep over 90 days; but with bran and oil 
meal mixed wdth the corn, the time may be 
safely extended 30 days. I f to this diet 1 >e added 
a moderate daily, or even a semi-weekly al¬ 
lowance of succulent food of some sort, the 
time can be indefinitely extended and the 
sheep will remain in perfect health. 
As before stated, in fattening but little is 
added to mature sheep in muscle (lean meat) 
and nothing in bones, the gain beiug almost 
entirely an increase of fat, and as it does not 
pay to carry this beyond a certain extent, 
they may be so highly fed as to reach this point 
in from 90 to 120 days, so that this may be 
done fa illy well without green food. It is en¬ 
tirely different iu the feeding of lambs; their 
gain is more than one half hone, muscle and 
wool, and with the proper food them growth 
may be continued, with very little diminu¬ 
tion in the ratio of increase, during the whole 
Winter. If put into the barns in November, 
they may be profitably fed uutil May, making a 
period of from 165 to 180 days, so that in 
lamb feeding succulent food m U9( be provided. 
Aside from its cooling and laxative effects 
upon the system, green food stimulates tho 
stomach aud digestive organs to more thor¬ 
oughly act upon the solid foods, and to take 
up and assimilate a much larger proportion, 
of their nutritive matter, in this way causing 
greater gaiu for the same amount of food con¬ 
sumed. The win >le carcass will be made to con¬ 
tain a much larger proportion of moisture; 
this not only adds to the weight of the carcass, 
but gives increased value to the animal, aud 
greater satisfaction to the consumer, in its 
juiciness, so that while older sheep will do 
much better when supplied with succulent 
food,and its use will pay even with them, it is 
absolutely indispensable iu feeding lambs. 
SILAGE OR ROOTS, 
which shall we use? We must admit right 
here that we have had no personal experience 
with the silo,and can therefore speak of.silage 
only from second-hand knowledge. We have 
ktto.wu many people to use silage in feeding 
older sheep; some recommend it highly, while 
others as strongly condemned its use. We 
know of but one person who bus ever used 
silage for lamb feeding, and he abandoned it 
on the ground that roots were better. And 
then, we do not see how it js much cheaper 
than roots. The estimates for growing and 
putting it into the silo vim all along from $1,25 
to $2,25 per ton, and for $1.67 per ton, or five 
cents per bushel at the very outside, we can 
put mangels into the cellar; and we know just 
what we can do wdth them. 
Our experience has been very extensive and 
of long duration in the use of the various 
kinds of roots, all of which are excellent in 
their season, as are also potatoes, and apples 
so long as they Can be kept sound. We com¬ 
mence feeding roots as soon as the lambs go 
into the pens, and continue until they go to 
market. 
WHAT KIND OF ROOTS 
are cheapest to grow and will produce the 
best results in feeding is a question to be de¬ 
termined only by long experience, and de¬ 
pends considerably upon the soil. We have 
had good success with both English or flat 
turnips aud swedes, with carrot*, sugar beets 
and several varieties of mangels. We now 
largely depend upon English or flat turnips 
for feeding in the Fall and earty Winter, aud 
on mangels for late feeding; though wo some¬ 
times feed largely of swedes. We have so 
many inquiries ms to the value of the different 
roots, the best soils on which to raise them, 
the best manure and manner of growing aud 
harvesting each, and how to store and feed 
them, that we will, by aud by, take these up 
and treat of each separately. 
WHAT GRAIN WITH STRAW 
and poor bay will make a complete food? 
Our good friend R, S. Davis, of Vermont, 
says he lias 40 grade Cotswold ewes in lamb, 
with only straw and a poor quality of hay for 
forage on which to winter them, aud he 
wishes to know what grain he should feed to 
keep them in good condition. Straw and 
meadow hay, and if the latter is in poor con¬ 
dition more markedly so. are very deficient 
in the albuminoids or nitrogenous elements, 
and as these are very essential iu the food of a 
sheep (and especially of one bearing a lamb), 
for the growth of wool and also of the feetus, 
we should select such grains as have a surplus 
of these elements. The best of all foods to 
mix with them, then, is cotton-seed meal (this is 
only theoretical, as we have had no experience 
with it), new-process or linseed meal, old-pro¬ 
cess oil meal, peas, beans; then bran and malt- 
sprouts mixed; then oats and barley. If oil- 
meal is used, one-half its weight may be ad¬ 
ded in corn or barley, or wheat middlings. 
The same may tie done to advantage if peas or 
beans are used. 
It would b© a grand thing if the ewes could 
have two feeds of mangels or turnips, or sugar 
beets or potatoes every week. Corn alone is 
about as deficient in nlbumiuoids as is the for¬ 
age named. Bran is a capital ingredient to 
he included in the ration of breeding animals, 
as it contains so large a percentage of phos- 
pnate of lime, a thing very essential from 
which to grow the bones of the off-spring. 
We had, January 27th, 252 young lambs,and 
they were still making it lively for the shop- 
herds. We shall run somewhat over 300 this 
year. - 
January 27th we shipped the first six to 
market. They weighed, dressed, 35 pounds 
each, and sold for a very satisfactory price. 
The demand seems now fairly open, and 
takes them as fast as we can force them into 
condition as to size and fatness. Up to Feb. 
13th, 64 had been marketed, and we are now 
sending 18 each week. 
in this market for the past five years, for the 
best and the poorest butter. 
1881 
Jan. 
Feb. 
March. 
April. 
May. 
24 
June. 
84 
34 
31 
35 
23 
19 
18 
IS 
13 
15 
10 
1882 
48 
43 
48 
44 
81 
25 
15 
18 
14 
12 
12 
15 
1883 
44 
38 
42 
33 
31 
20 
16 
14 
14 
14 
12 
11 
1884 
36 
40 
36 
38 
31 
20 
13 
12 
12 
10 
12 
8 
1885 
31 
36 
36 
29 
27 
19 
18 
18 
12 
10 
9 
8 
It seems bard to pet and fondle the little 
fellows uutil yon really come to love them,and 
then be obliged to take their lives. This is the 
only disagreeable feature in the whole busi¬ 
ness, But such is life I Tho stronger are al¬ 
ways feeding at. the expense of the weaker. 
farm UoyUs, 
MARKET THOUGHTS. 
So much has been said about the price of 
butter and the extent to which the use of 
oleomargarine has cut into the business, that 
it may be interesting to compare prices. In 
the New York market February 1, the best 
butter was quoted at. 35 cents aud tho poorest, 
at 11 cent*. This was, of course, the whole¬ 
sale price. Ten cents at least should be 
added for tho retail price. That a fair com¬ 
parison can be made, we give the prices quoted 
These figures show that the best grades of 
butter have held their own in price fairly 
well; but that the poorest grades have surely 
fallen away in value. The highest, prices 
were reached in 1882, while the lowest were 
those of last year. The prices thus far this 
year are below those of last year, and it must 
be confessed that there seems little chance 
for improvement. Prices generally begin to 
drop about the middle of March, It must be 
remembered that eit.y people are buying more 
and more butter directly from the producers. 
The thorough advertising which oleomargar¬ 
ine hns received lias frightened people and led 
them to be more careful in the selection of 
butter. .Several families can club together 
and buy a quantity of butter directly from 
the dairy, and divide. This trade is growing 
in importance and bids fair to cut still further 
into the regular butter busiuess. 
Oleomargarine is quoted at six cents per 
pound, wholesale. Though thousands of 
pounds are handled each week, we have never 
seen it retailed under its proper name. It is 
next to impossible for an ordinary person to 
tell it. from genuine butter. We have seen very 
intelligent people eat it with satisfaction, sup¬ 
posing that they were eating first-class butter. 
In many cheap restaurants and boarding 
houses consumers probably know what they 
are eating; but it seems evident that the great 
bulk of oleomargarine is sold and eaten as 
butter. The fact that the imitation is so per¬ 
fect has led thousands of business men, who 
take their lunch in the city, to give up the use 
of butter when away from home. This action 
has injured the wholesale trade in two ways— 
it lias actually decreased the demand for but¬ 
ter, and it has hastened the establishment of 
"dairies” or restaurants which are run in con¬ 
nection with a farm a short distance from the 
city, where the best of milk and butter can be 
secured. It appears evident that the in¬ 
creased business in oleomargarine will still 
further injure the wholesale butter trade. 
Tho result will be that city families will organ¬ 
ize aud buy butter directly from the country, 
or creameries will be established with retail 
agencies in the city. 
The efforts to regulate the sale of oleomar¬ 
garine in this market have not met with suc¬ 
cess; one section of the law has Ijeeu declared 
unconstitutional. Plenty of arrests for offen¬ 
ses covered by other sections have been made, 
but owing' to the- slow process of law in this 
district and the influence against such prose¬ 
cutions, little progress can be made. It seems 
likely that imitatiou butter has secured a 
permanent hold on the market* as at. present, 
conducted, and that the most successful meth¬ 
ods of fighting it lie in organization among 
farmers and consumers. The most practical 
method appears to be the establishment of 
more creameries with retail branches in the 
cities where good butter can be sold at fair 
prices. 
■ -— 
CROP NOTES. 
The best of my thoroughly tested potatoes 
is Clark’s No. 1. The best new early is the 
Diamond Seedling, a new sort from Niagara 
County, N. Y., in shape and flavor like the 
Snowflake, but uot quite as white-fleshed. If 
it does as well hereafter as it did the past sea¬ 
son. it will be A No. L White Elephants all 
rotten. St. Patrick one of my liest. 
The R ural 59 kinds of corn nearl y all rijiened, 
but I did uot consider any desirable. 
All grapes were late in ripening the past 
Autumn. Inna ripuied but about half the 
crop. Jefferson proved a great and early 
bearer of enormous clusters, about a week 
later than Concord: quality excellent. Ver- 
gennes was considerably earlier, and resem¬ 
bles Salem in wood and fruit. How foolish 
some self-sufficient persons are in ridiculing 
tho Concord grape. The odor of the rose is 
Offensive to some, and that of Limburger 
cheese agreeable to othere. Of 200 persons 
eating grapes every day iu a house near here, 
more than two-thirds prefer Concord to Del- 
ewure. Tho tendercst grape in iny collection 
is the Hartford. It does not fully ripen its 
wood. Worden deserved a good word; so do 
Brighton and Lady, Eumelan aud Agawam. 
Schuyler Co., N. Y. h. 
CROWS IN THE corn-field. 
The way to avoid damage from crows is to 
hang a dead crow up iu the field. One killed 
now, if the entrails are removed and the cav¬ 
ity is filled with salt, and salt is also placed iu 
the crop and down the throat, and the carcass 
