THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
row-leaved and seemingly feeble, so that it 
was deemed well to give them a careful 
mulching late in the Fall which perhaps as¬ 
sisted iu carrying them safely through the 
Winter. Our engraviugs. 1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, 
Fig 112, are faithful portraits showing the 
variations in the heads of the different plants. 
The plant which bore the first head in the 
engraving (l) was short and feeble,while many 
of the florets and several entire spikelets 
were sterile. The plant which bore the third 
head (3) was also feeble in growth aud also 
partly sterile. The others, but especially Nos. 
2 and 5, were remarkably vigorous, with 
strong stems and many heads. A peculiarity 
of the plant No. 5, was that the culms and 
heads continued green until after our latest 
wheats had matured, and it became necessary 
to cut them or run the risk of their destruc¬ 
tion by blackbirds aud sparrows. Nos. 4 and 
6 ripened with the earliest wheats. No. 7 
shows a section of the straw of the strongest 
plants. 
Rejecting all inferior heads, enough grain 
was saved from the best to plant a plot of 
about one-thirtieth of an acre, that is, single 
kernels in the intersections of ten-inch squares. 
As shown in the engraving, all the culms (or 
straw's) for an inch or so beneath the heads 
were covered with a hairy pubescence which 
always exists in rye culms, but never, so far 
as the writer is aware, iu those of wheat. 
Final 1}'. to conclude this account, and re¬ 
cord it up to the present time, we have to 
Speak of our success in producing hybrids 
which by parentage are three-quarters rye, 
illustrations of which are shown at 8 and 9, 
Fig. 113, The first cross was effected by using 
rye pollen upon a head of those of our first 
hybrids which resembled wheat more than 
rye. A single plant was the outcome, which 
bore 22 heads, No. A showing it when first cut, 
No. & when thoroughly dry. These 22 heads 
bore but three kernels,which were planted last 
September. Ail sprouted, and two of the 
plants are still alive. Another cross was 
effected the past Summer, again using rye 
pollen, but this time upon a head of one of 
the hybrids most resembling rye. Seventeen 
kernels formed (also by parentage three- 
fourths rye),wbieu were planted in Septem- 
ber. Most of them sprouted, made a feeble 
growth during the Fall, aud are now passing 
through the most trying Winter upon fall grain 
ever known iu this part of the country. Two 
weeks ago when the frost was out of the 
water-laden soil, the thermometer suddenly 
sank to several degrees below zero. Then 
came a warm spell aud another equally vio¬ 
lent alternation occurred. For the past three 
days the wind has blown a gale, while even 
the surface soil scarcely thaws at. midday. 
As to the prospective value of these hybrids, 
why speculate? It is better not to indulge 
the fancy which—especially the originator’s 
fancy—is liable to cut up the cruellest pranks. 
We have given their history. Those of our 
readers who are interested in the matter may 
now follow their future developments, know¬ 
ing all there is to be known about them. 
in * f* i 
v 
Pitirij i)\m 
ration}. 
“TESTS OF DAIRY COWS.” 
E. A. POWELL. 
A tardy but powerful refutation; no one 
cow a fair representative of 10,000; condi¬ 
tions of a fair test; misrepresentations in 
the Canadian report; a “lanky, leggy," un- 
ucelimated heifer , not a fair representa¬ 
tive of the Holstein-Friesian breed; com¬ 
parison of her performances with those of 
other two-year-olds; an "■unregistered" 
overgrown, •Jersey (?) “pet" cow not a fair 
representative of the Jersey breed; com¬ 
parison of her performances with those of 
three-year-old Ho Isle in- Fri e mans; the hit¬ 
ler's superiority for cheese; conclusions. 
My attention has been several times called 
to an article written by Valaney E. Fuller, of 
Ontario, Canada, under the above heading, 
which appeared in the Rural New-Yorker 
of Oct. 17th last. This article purported to 
show the comparative merits of the Jerseys, 
the Ayrsbires aud the Ilolsteins for the dairy. 
The tables contained therein are said to have 
been complied from the “Advance Reports” 
of Prof. Wm. Brown, of the Out. Exp. Farm. 
1 do not wonder Mr. Fuller, one of the leading 
Jersey breeders of the country, should seize 
upon this report and take steps to publish it 
iu every agricultural paper throughout the 
country. It was a golden opportunity for the 
Jersey breeders, provided they could convince 
the dairymen of the country that the tests 
were impartial aud that the cows,selected for 
the trial fairly represented the various breeds 
—that each cow was an average of the breed 
to which she l>elonged. I wish, however, even 
at this late date, to correct some erroneous im¬ 
pressions that may have been created iu the 
minds of those not familiar with the actual 
facts. I do uot wish to question Prof. Brown’s 
good intentions or the accuracy of all his cal¬ 
culations. but either through lack of knowl¬ 
edge of the Holstein-Friesiau breed, or from 
some other cause, he started on a false basis, 
by taking as a representative of this 1 treed a 
heifer of the very poorest class, inferior in 
size, in appearance, and in quality of milk for 
both butter and cheese. 
A single moment’s reflection will convince 
any intelligent breeder that, no one cow fair¬ 
ly represents any breed numbering tens of 
thousands of cows any more than a handful 
of sand can represent a sea-shore, aud espec¬ 
ially when that one is a poor insignificant 
heifer. As well might Prof. Brown, from 
the analysis of a handful of soil from some 
solitary sandhill, write a treatise on the agri¬ 
cultural possibilities of the Dominion. Had 
he given the various dairy breeds a fair, 
impartial trial, by having a competent com¬ 
mittee, interested equally iu all breeds, select, 
at least half a dozen good representative 
cows of each, have them given the same care 
and kind of food for a year previous to, as 
well as during the time of trial (for it is now 
an admitted fact, proven by actual experi¬ 
ment. that previous condition and food have 
almost as much to do with the product of the 
cow as her present, ration), he would have 
done a work of incalculable value to the 
whole dairy world. As it is, his report is mis¬ 
leading, conveying au erroneous impression, 
and is a great damage to the dairy interests, 
not of the Dominion only,but of the whole coun¬ 
try. Any misleading tests are decidedly 
worse than none. 
I wish here to say that Prof. Brown doubt¬ 
less was prompted by the best of motives, a 
desire to give the people of the Dominion an 
equivalent for their outlay in maintaining 
an experimental station; hut he was too hasty 
aud made his report without the proper ma¬ 
terial to make it from. Let us review some 
of the statements therein. 
The Holstein is given in the report as “Yer- 
apina,” three years old, weight 895 pounds, 
dropped first calf in January, 1885. Prof. 
Brown describes her as “lanky and leggy.” 
Nothing is said of her breeding. No herd- 
book number or date of importation is given, 
but by reference to the H. H. B., I find the 
heifer to be “Verasina,” 104-50, Vol. 9, bora 
March 15th, 1883, imported May, 1884, and 
she must therefore have come out of quaran¬ 
tine the August before she dropped her calf iu 
January. This record and the name are con¬ 
firmed by Prof. Brown in reply J,o a letter 
from me asking him for the dates of birth and 
importation, with herd-book number of heifer. 
It will thus be seen that this representative 
Holstein-Friesian was only one year old past 
—a yearling—only 22 months old when she 
dropped her calf, ami that she commenced 
her record at 22% months, instead of beiug 
three years old, as stated in no less than six 
different places in Prof. Brown’s report, and 
confirmed by Mr. Fuller’s letter. 8he drop¬ 
ped her calf iu January, before being accli¬ 
mated and before she became accustomed to 
the severe Winters of Ontario or to the feed 
and water in use there. All importers know 
full well the bad effect of such changes, uot 
oulv in quant ity but iu quality of milk. Mauy 
good cow's are almost worthless the first sea¬ 
son after importation. “Verasina” may, 
therefore, yet prove to he a good cow. 
Why this heifer’s name should have been 
misspelled, why her II. H. B. No., the date of 
importation aud the fact that she was uot ac¬ 
climated, were all witheld iu the report, aud, 
above all, w r hy she should be called a three- 
year-old cow when iu fact she was but 22 '■; 
months, why a “leggy and lank” little unac¬ 
climated heifer should be selected by such au 
institution as the Experimental Farm of On¬ 
tario to represent the Holstein-Friesian breed 
in such an important trial, uig matters be¬ 
yond my comprehension. 
We will compare this heifer with the aver¬ 
age of some of the largest herds of the same 
breed in the country, in order to see if she is a 
fair representative, in doing so, I will be 
pardoned for referring to a herd iu which I 
am interested. I am comr*elled to do this, as 
I have the necessary' data at hand from only 
this herd and that of Messi's. Yeomans & Sons. 
For the present milking year, now nearly 
closed, the Lakeside herd had in milk for live 
months (the length of time which the report 
in question covers), in all, 57 head of two 
year-old heifers. Their records were care¬ 
fully kept by weighing each milking. The 
entire lot averaged, for live months, 5,575 
pounds. For the previous year there were, iu 
all, in the same herd, of the same age, 
milked through the season 20 head. The 
entire lot averaged, for five months, a little 
over 5,350 pounds, and for the year 10,810 
pounds, although a few did uot complete the 
year. Fifteen of the number averaged 12,- 
3071, pounds. In 1882, Messrs. Yeomans & 
Sons reported 14 heifers two years old (their 
entire herd of that age) which averaged for 
the year 11,118 pounds three ounces. I have 
not their exact records for five months, but 
they must have averaged fully ns much as 
the Lakeside herd for this season (5,575 
pounds) and probably more if a largo major¬ 
ity of t hem dropped their calves in the Spring 
and thus had the benefit of fresh feed. Here 
we had 97 two-year-olds, all recorded Holsteiu- 
Friesians, embracing the milking cows for 
two consecutive years in the Lakeside herd, 
aud the entire number for one year in the 
Yeomans herd, which nearly all dropped 
their calves at from 22 to 28 months of age, 
and the entire lot averaged for five months 
5,515 pounds, 
‘ ‘ Verasina”gavefor the same time, according 
to Prof. Brown’s report, 3,239 pounds, show¬ 
ing a balance of 2,280 pounds for five months 
in favor of each of the 97 bead. * “Verasina” 
weighed, at 25% months, 895 pounds. At the 
same age all the heifers at Lakeside referred 
to above, averaged over 1,050 pounds, and 
those in the Yeomans herd, I judge, were 
fully as heavy, showing this representative 
cow to be 155 pounds under weight, even as a 
two-year-old, instead of three years, as stated 
in the report. 
In butter I cannot give a comparison with 
the whole herds, as only part, have been 
tested. Iu the Lakeside herd 17 two-year-olds 
averaged for a week 10 pounds eight ounces. 
Messrs. Yeomans, in their report on butter 
tests, give nine two-year-olds which average 
12 pounds 13% ounces per w eek, so that 20 
heifers averaged It pounds seven ounces. 
“Verasina” made in 151 days 108 pounds, 
showing an average of five pounds per week, 
or considerably less than half the average of 
the 20. Of course, “Verasina” here had the 
disadvantage of the longer trial, but it is 
probably safe to conclude that if the test of 
the 20 head had been continued for the same 
time, they w'ould, on au average, have nearly, 
if not fully, doubled hex' record. 
This will be enough to show' the character 
of this “representative” Holstein-Friesian as 
compared with some of the entire large herds 
of the same breed. It shows her to lie 155 
pounds uuder weight, her milk for five 
months to have been 2,280 pounds below the 
average, and her butter about one-half below. 
parison as the data at command will admit. 
In the Lakeside hex'd 13 heifers three years 
old have boon tested, and they averaged 13 
pounds six ounces per week. Messi's. Yeo¬ 
mans & Sons, in their recent butter repoi'ts, 
mention four three-year-olds each of which 
averaged 17 potinds six ounces per week. It 
will thus be seen that 17 three-year-olds 
averaged, for a week, 14 pounds five ounces. 
In oil the butter tests in both the Yeomans 
and Lakeside herds, the butter was worked 
dry aud weighed before salting. 
This Jersey made an average, for the five 
mouths, of a little over \ 1 pounds per week, a 
diffei’ence of two pounds 12 ounces pel- week 
in favor of the spotted cows. This I will 
frankly say is hardly fail' foi’ the Jersey on 
account of her longer test, but it will convey 
a good idea of the merits of each, and will 
satisfy auyone that these 17 Holstein-Friesiaus 
far excel her for butter. 
I will make a few comparisons by taking, as 
a basis, the number of pounds of milk for a 
pound of butter, and as the following tests 
w r ere made when the cows were in full flow 
aud fresh, I think the fairness of the 
comparison will be conceded, for I believe 
it is an admitted fact that as the time 
after calving lengthens and the flow dimin¬ 
ishes, the milk becomes richer, taking a less 
amount for a pound of butter. 
The following table will show the result of 
the tests of seven hoifei's in the Lakeside herd 
—four three-year-olds aud three two-years. It 
gives the amount of bxxtter made by each in a 
week’s test, the avei'age weight of milk re¬ 
quired for h pound of butter, the amount of 
milk given by each for five xxionths, aud ou 
this basis the amoxxnt of butter each would 
have made in that time; 
Name. 
1 
Herd 
Book 
No. I 
Age 
at Butter 
Time per 
of Week. 
Test. 
jib. or.. 
- i 
1 
v-* r 
c 5s 1 
t. ca i 
; 
I— *- c 
Lbs. Milk 
Given In 
5 Months. 
Lbs. Butter 
In 5 Months, 
at same 
Rate. 
Noth. Belle.. 
187(1 
8 |16.7 
22.84 1 
7191 
_ 321 
N. Countess. 
2*184 
3 115.15 
20.89 
5724 
* 274 
N. Jewel_ 
2642 
;; i5.:i U 
86.31 
6©e7 
253 
Alex. Queen 
6988 
8 15.4 
81.93 
«j08 
274 
B. Fletcher.. 
11891 
2 16.9 
18.11 
6634 
:>Ki 
Soldene. 
2896 
2 113 
24.98 
7068 
283 
A. .Sarah 2il. 
7142 
2 12.1 a 
24.41 
6301 
253 
Seven, equal-,..... 2029 
Seven, equal-,..... 2029 
Average for five mouths... 289 
Jersey for tlvc months. 248 
Balance In favor of Holstolns. 41 
Let us now turn our attention to t he Jersey. 
Prof. Brown in his report describes her as 
follows: “Beauty o’the Mill may be described 
as a Jersey that pokes her nose into every¬ 
body’s pocket—an uneducated pet% With 
such a disposition we have had much pleasure 
iu handling this cow. Cream-colored, even, 
roomy, a fine skin, but with little milk mirror 
and medium udder.” Three years old, weight 
May 1st, 835 pouuds, which shows that she 
was above the average of her breed in size, 
and the Professor’s description shows that she 
was of just the type aud disposition to insure 
the largest l'esults. The repoi't shows just 
what we could expect from such uu auimal 
viz.: that her combined milk, butter and 
cheese product for the five months is far 
above the average of her breed. In fact, it 
is far above that of any entire herd of Jerseys of 
a dozen heifers of the same age we have ever 
seen published. It should be borne iu miud 
that this heifer was fully acclimated, accus¬ 
tomed to severe Wintei's aud the feed of 
Canada. A few more singular fuets regain¬ 
ing her ai-e worthy of note. She is given in 
the l'eport as a Jersey three years old; but the 
date of birth aud herd-book number are not 
given. To get more definite informal iou regard¬ 
ing this cow', 1 went to the office of Mr. Hand, 
the Secretary of the A. J. C. C., and to my 
surpi'iso learned that uo such cow was on re¬ 
cord. I then wrote to Prof. Brown, who 
kindly replied that she was dropped in 1882 
aud was sot recoi’ded. I w as uot a little sur¬ 
prised that an unregistered animul should be 
taken as a representative Jersey, especially 
by such a breeder as Valaney E. Fuller. The 
question naturally arises: Is she a grade 
aud does this fact aecouut for her large (low 
of milk and the fact that her milk is much su¬ 
perior for cheese to that of any registered 
Jei-sey of which we have yet seen an account? 
In order that a fair estimate of the two 
breeds, the Jersey aud Holstein-Friesian, 
for the daii-y may be found, we will compare 
the product of this heifer with that of entire 
herds of the same age. In the Lakeside herd 
of Holstein-Friesiaus, this last season, 24 
three-year-olds, the entire number in milk for 
the time, gave, by actual weight in five 
mouths, au average of 6,114 pouuds for each 
cow, while this Jersey gave 2,944 pounds,|leav- 
ing a balance of milk in favor of the black- 
and-white cows of 8170 pounds per cow iu live 
months, or, iu other words, the Uolsteiu- 
Friesians each gave 220 pounds more than 
double the amount given by the Jersey. 
Our tests for butter do uot comprise the 
whole hei'ds, but I will make as fair a COin- 
I have droptiod th fractions. 
The “funny” pi rt of this whole affair, the 
one which make all dairymen smile, is the 
claim that the Jei-sey leads all other breeds 
for cheese. This is the first instance, on record 
that has come to my knowledge,Where.such a 
claim lias ever been made. One of the proin- 
iueut Jei-sey bi'eeders of the country recently 
remarked to a lai-ge gathering of dairymen 
that “the superiority of the Holsteius for 
cheese was conceded by everybody excepting 
Valaney E, Fuller.” Nearly all former tests 
have shown the Jersey milk while superior 
for butter to be inferior for cheese. It should 
be borne iu mind that to obtain tin* results for 
cheese which are apparent iu the repoi't aud 
in Mr. Fuller’s letter, the same “lunky and 
leggy” little uuacclimated 22% months heifer 
had to be pitted against older native competi 
tors. 
I cannot give results iu cheese production 
from personal experience, for T have no tests, 
but will take Prof. Brown’s own figures, as 
used by Mr. Fuller, aud concede, for the time 
being, that the Holstein-Friesian heifer would 
represent the breed iu quality of milk for 
cheese (a statement that no intelligent breeder 
will believe to be a fact), and what is the re¬ 
sult? It shows that it required 8.95 pouuds of 
the heifer's milk for a pound of cheese. The 
24 three-year-oltIs referred to above averaged, 
for the first five months li,114 pounds of milk, 
and hence would have made 681 pounds of 
cheese, while the Jersey of the same age made 
456 pounds, leaving, iu favor of the Holstein- 
Friesian u balance of ?28 pounds per cow or, 
in other words, they excelled hex 1 for cheese 
by just 50 per cent. The fact that Holland is 
the greatest cheese country of the world, 
making more cheese not only in proportion 
to the area of the country but in proportion 
to the number of cows, should be satisfactory 
proof of the superiority of her cows for that 
purpose. 
A comparative test made by J. E. Grant, 
the owner of several large cheese factories iu 
Illinois (who did uot own any Holstein- 
Friesian cattle), with the milk from a herd of 
50 pure-breil Holstein-Friesian cows, iu com¬ 
parison with the milk of the other herds, 
brought to his factory, showed that the Hol- 
stoiu-Friosian made 0% per cent, more cheese 
from the same amount of milk. He declares 
the test to have beeu a fair one, the condi¬ 
tions being similar iu all respects. What are 
the conclusions to be drawn from the ubove 
facts? 
1st. The Holstein-Friesian gave over 107 
per cent, more milk. 
