1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
339 
need more, say 12 cows, and have them calve one 
each month. Even then, he would sometimes find 
himself short of milk with a lot of dry cows, and 
again flush with a lot of fresh ones, for I doubt 
whether any man can plan to have his cows come in, 
and really do so with any uniformity. Twelve good 
cows ought to be able to supply a 100 quart route, 
with fair uniformity. c. m winslow. 
Vermont 
The Cow and the Care Considered. 
A similar question would be, “How large is a piece 
of chalk ?” The answer to the above all hinges on 
what kind of a dairyman is to handle the 
cows, and what sort of cows they are to 
be. Cows giving 3,000 pounds of milk, 
covering a period of six or seven months, 
would be one thing, and cows giving 
6,000 pounds and milking 10 months would 
be quite another matter to take into the 
calculation. In talking with a man who 
buys the milk of 3,000 cows for the city 
milk trade, the information was gleaned 
that, with this number, he was enabled to 
get a pretty constant supply for the year 
of six quarts—12 pounds—to the cow. 
This would be only 2,200 quarts a year 
for a cow, or a trifle over 4,400 pounds. 
Figured on this basis—and I think that 
the average cow supplying city milk is no 
better than this—this man would need 
four, eight and sixteen cows respectively 
for the different amounts named. 
Then they would require careful over¬ 
sight, for 10 quarts at the stables does not 
“ dip” out 10 quarts at the consumer’s 
door, unless the dip is below standard 
capacity, or the milk cart driven in close 
proximity to some well. A milkman should 
not keep such cows. A cow is not fairly 
profitable even that does not give 6 000 
pounds or better of milk in a year, and this would 
represent 3,000 quarts, and it would not cost a 
cent more to keep this cow. While I have a dairy 
which could be depended upon to supply the average 
3,000 quarts, there is no disguising the fact that some 
of them give nearly twice as much as do others, and 
for a fact, do not eat a cent’s worth more feed, neither 
can they be economized in food, as any curtailment 
in food is followed by a shrinkage of milk even more 
marked than that which would be observed in a 
greater milker. Given the food, and the good cow, the 
other element which is to be considered is the care of 
the cow, asking of her to protect herself as little as 
possible, the owner supplying her needs in way of 
comfort and warmth, and from sudden changes in the 
weather and storms, all of which have not a little to 
do with a generous and constant flow of milk. A man 
who is making milk for the city was in my barn a few 
days ago, on a raw, misty day, far more disagreeable 
than zero weather ; noticing the cows 
drinking from the manger buckets, 
he remarked, “ Backets will go into 
my barn. I have to turn my cows 
out to drink, and I know that a cow 
will not drink enough at once of cold 
water to keep her in the best milk 
flow for 24 hours.” I should say, 
have only good cows, of the 6,000- 
pound class, have them come in at as 
regular intervals as possible, feed 
cheaply and abundantly, and try to 
have the food go to milk to sell, 
rather than to be used to warm barn¬ 
yards and chilled cows standing in 
drenching, cold rains, john gould. 
Ohio. 
Twelve Good Jerseys Will Do It. 
My cows are purebred Jerseys, and 
I think that, for an all-the-year- 
around dairy, they will give about as 
much milk as other breeds with the 
exception of Holsteins. It would, 
probably, be well to add a few of 
the latter breed to thin the milk down 
to a “standard” article. To furnish 
100 quarts of milk per day, I would 
start the first of January with eight new milch 
cows. I would give these all they could eat of 
both grain and fodder, and they ought to give 100 
quarts per day for two months. March 1, I would 
add two more fresh cows, which ought to keep up the 
quantity until grass comes in May, when all the cows 
ought to gain enough to keep along until July 1. By 
this time, the January cows will, probably, be giving 
about eight quarts each, or 64 quarts ; the two March 
cows, 10 quarts, or 20 in all, so we will have to add 
two more fresh cows to keep up the quantity for the 
next two months, also two more September 1, and 
two November 1. November 1, the eight January 
cows ought to go dry, and I would sell four of them 
and retain the other four to be fresh again in Janu¬ 
ary, after which I think that the 12 cows ought to 
give 100 quarts of milk the year ’round if they came 
fresh every 12 months. Of course, as fast as the cow 
fails from any cause, she must be replaced. 
I would have more of the cows become fresh Janu¬ 
ary 1 than at any other time, because I think that 
they will then give more milk in a year than when 
fresh at any other time, for the green feed in the 
spring keeps them along for a loDger time before 
they shrink seriously in their flow of milk. Probably 
the July and September cows will give the least milk 
in a year of any of the herd, for I have never been 
able to keep these from shrinking badly when cold 
weather sets in, although they are well cared for. 
Probably many will say that 12 good cows ought to 
give more than 100 quarts of milk per day ; but we 
must remember that we cannot have the whole herd 
become fresh at the most favorable time, but that we 
must have the 100 quarts through thick and thin, 
and this is where the cow that gives a moderate 
quantity and gives it persistently will count. For a 
50- quart trade, this estimate could be divided by two ; 
but for a 25-quart trade, I would buy two good cows, 
and sell the poor one and replace it whenever necessary 
Chemung County. N. Y. j. grant morse. 
SOMETHING ABOUT KALE. 
Considered as literary material, the kale suggests 
scenes of Scottish life. From the standpoint of the 
Vermont farmers, kale is the most obnoxious weed in 
existence ; from a horticultural point of view, kale is 
interesting as representing most closely the specific 
type from which all our cabbages, cauliflowers, 
Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc., have been evolved. 
First of all, the name, “kale,” ought to be disposed of 
in its use for certain weeds. These weeds which pass 
under the name of “ kale”, are really mustards, 
belonging chiefly to three different species. Two of 
these species might properly be called charlock and 
Black mustard, respectively. The third one is not so 
easy to name, but it might be called charlock, too, 
or English charlock, if a distinction were desirable. 
The cultivated varieties of kale are quite another 
thing. As already stated, they represent more or 
less the original type of the cabbage plant. There 
are many varieties in cultivation which differ widely 
among themselves. The most evident distinction 
appears between the curly and the smooth-leaved 
sorts ; the latter especially, are very rank growers. 
Even here, in our short Vermont summer, we have 
grown plants in the open garden row without special 
attention, to the height of a man’s head. It is a 
venerable story that, on the Island of Jersey, they 
grow these varieties as much as eight feet high. We 
have grown several of the smooth-leaved 
kales, and have found great luxuriance 
of vegetation to be a common character¬ 
istic of them. The Branching kale is pecu¬ 
liar among them for the laige mass of 
subdividing shoots which make up its 
large head. It is particularly interesting 
as suggesting the possible course of evo¬ 
lution toward the broccolis and cauli¬ 
flowers. 
The curly varieties of kale are extremely 
pretty, either considered as single plants 
or taken in masses in the field. In fact, 
they are recommended in foreign garden¬ 
ing works as suitable for ornamental 
beds. For this kind of planting, white¬ 
leaved varieties are grown which would, 
certainly, give a striking effect. The capa¬ 
bility of cold resistance, possessed in an 
eminent degree by these plants, makes it 
possible to keep up such ornamental beds 
long after cannas and geraniums have suc¬ 
cumbed. Indeed, they are said to be able 
to stand through the winter with little or 
no protection ; but we are not yet ready 
to give exact information on this point. 
Last fall, when the frost struck our 
grounds, we took out a large bed of castor 
beans and cannas, replacing them with several varie¬ 
ties of kale from the garden. The tall, smooth varie¬ 
ties, five feet high at the center, gradually rounded 
down to the curly sorts, and the border was laid with 
the Dwarf Curled The effect was altogether hand¬ 
some, see Fig. 147. 
Kale is best for cooking after frost strikes it ; then 
it makes excellent greens. By covering it in the field, 
or by storing in pits or in the cellar, it may be had all 
winter and spring. We like it best when it is cooked 
like spinach and chopped fine with a great deal of 
butter, and served on toast. f. a. waugh. 
Vermont Experiment Station. 
GROWING SWEET POTATOES IN OHIO. 
A few years ago, very few sweet potatoes were 
raised in this vicinity. Since the price of other pota¬ 
toes has depreciated so much, more time and thought 
are being devoted to the growing of 
sweet potatoes. The sweets sell for 
a larger price, aie more easily raised, 
and will make a larger yield to the 
acre, than Irish potatoes, if the proper 
methods are pursued. Ground that 
will raise a good crop of wheat or corn 
will invariably raise good sweet po¬ 
tatoes. Ground intended for sweets 
should be cultivated with some hoed 
crop the previous season, kept free 
from weeds, and the potatoes will be 
much easier raised. After the hoed 
crop is removed in the fall, the ground 
should receive a coat of well-rotted 
manure, and it will be an ideal place 
for sweet potatoes the next season. 
Sweet potatoes require a long sea¬ 
son for their growth, therefore as 
soon as danger of frost is past, they 
should be set out. Do not plow the 
ground over four inches deep ; if 
plowed deeper, there is too much loose 
soil, and the potatoes will grow long 
and slim. On the other hand, they 
will grow downward until they strike 
the solid bottom, and will then grow 
thicker and shorter, making a potato 
that will sell better than a long potato will. In mak¬ 
ing the ridges, make but slight elevations ; these can 
very easily be made by placing the shovels on the 
double cultivator to throw the earth to the middle. 
This will almost complete a ridge ; if it be not com¬ 
plete in all places, it will take but a short time to give 
it a few finishing touches with the hoe. Make the 
ridges three feet apart from center to center. If one 
wish to raise only enough for home consumption, he 
can best buy his plants; but if raising them for mar¬ 
ket, by all means make a hotbed and raise the plants. 
In setting the plants, it is best to choose a cloudy 
KALE U.SED AS A BEDDING PLANT. Fig. 147. 
