80 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[November 7 . 
one correspondent—“What kind of cow do you recom¬ 
mend ? ” To which we reply—a Jersey cow if you livo 
in the south of England, or a North Wales if you live 
I in the northern districts ; hut, let us add, that a North 
Wales cow will thrive well in our southern counties. 
These cows are helow the ordinary size of the animal; 
and we know from many years’ experience, that there is 
no reason for excepting the cow from the universal rule— 
size and food must keep pace. There is a prejudice 
j that the Jersey (usually called the Alderney) cow re- 
| quires better, that is, more nutritious food than any 
j other cow ; but this is a mere delusion, for, although 
| the North Wales and other hardy breeds may endure 
j cold and hard-living without suffering in health better 
than the Jersey, yet all are alike in one result—the 
better fed the fuller the pail. 
Whatever kind of cow you may resolve to keep, buy a 
good one of that kind, for it costs no more to keep the 
best than it does to fodder the worst, and the few extra 
pounds paid to purchase her will be repaid from the 
dairy the first year. Now, there are some points of uni¬ 
versal applicability, and to be attended to when you are 
about to purchase your moolly. 1. Parentage —whether 
the parent on each side were of a stock distinguished 
for good dairy qualities. 2. Head small, fine, tapering 
to the muzzle ; eyes full and lively ; horns smooth ; and 
ears small. 8. Bach straight from the shoulder to the 
tail. 4. Chest deep—rather deeper than the belly. 
5. Hide thin, moderately loose, and covered with glossy 
smooth hair. 0. Barrel, or body, well ribbed up to the 
back-bone, and exhibiting a slightly flattened circular 
outline. 7. Tail long and fine. 8. Fore-legs straight, 
short, fine, and tapering from a full fleshy thigh to a 
small hoof. 9. Hind-legs short, hips broad, thighs 
fleshy, tapering like the fore-legs, and not to cross each 
other when walking. 10. Udder large, but not flabby, 
well up behind, with four large equally distant teats, 
and milk veins large and prominent. 
Providing nutritious food is the next consideration, 
and upon this point we shall quote an authority, im¬ 
plicitly to be relied upon. 
Colonel Le Couteur says :— 
“ The Jersey farmer treats his cow with gentleness and 
care ; it might be more correct to say that his wife does so. 
On good farms she is usually housed at night after the end 
of October to the end of February, if heavy rain, hail, or 
snow prevail. It is deemed to he healthful to give a cow a 
short run daily through the -winter, excepting in stormy 
weather. At this season, which is usually several degrees 
warmer than in the mildest part of Devonshire, she is fed 
with a certain portion of straw, from 10 lbs. to 20 lbs. of hay, 
with about 10 lbs. to 20 lbs. of parsnips, white carrots, 
turnips, or mangold-wurzel.* The small portion of grass 
which she may pick up in the winter, with the above quantity 
of food, enable her to produce a rich and well-coloured sample 
of butter till within six weeks of parturition. 
“ Some of the early meadows produce rich grass in March; 
but the general Hxrsli of grass, which comes on generally late 
in April, is the period when the Jersey farmer looks forwards 
with anxiety. 
“The cow is then tethered to the ground by means of a 
halter five or six feet long, this is appended by a ring and 
* A good rule is that a cow to heep her in high health and production, 
requires four per cent, of her weight in food daily. Thus, if she weighs 
1000 lbs., her daily allowance is 40 lbs.— Ed. C. G'. 
swivel to a chain, which encircles her horns, closed by a ring 
and bar; the other end of the halter is fastened to a chain 
6 or 8 feet long, which is connected by a swivel and ring to a 
stout iron stake a foot long; this is driven into the ground 
by a wooden mallet. The cow having this circular range of 
12 feet or more, is compelled to eat it clean. She is usually 
moved thrice a day, and milked morning and evening; on 
many farms at mid-day also. 
“Under this system, the writer has owned four cows that 
produced eight-and-forty pounds Jersey, or above 51 lbs. im¬ 
perial weight, of rich yellow butter per week, in the month 
of May and part of June.” 
Now, to the correctness of these directions we can add 
our own testimony, and that of many practical farmers. 
Let us also add as of first importance —the cow should 
have unlimited access to clean spring water. 
As to the mode of supplying the food, we shall quote 
the practise of a party who obtained the largest returns 
ever given by a single cow. 
Mr. Cramp was the keeper of the House of Correction 
at Lewes, and the average profit from his cow was more 
than T40 annually. He says:—■ 
“ Summer season, fed on clover, rye-grass, lucern, and 
carrots, three or four times a day; and at noon-time about 
four gallons of grains, and two of bran, mixed together; 
always observing to give her no more food than she eats up 
clean. Winter season, fed with hay, bran, and grains, mixed 
ns before stated, feeding her often, viz .five or six times a dag, 
as I see proper, giving her food when milking ; keeping the 
manger clean when she is fed with grains ; not to let it get 
sour; wash her udder at milking times with cold water, 
winter and summer. Never tie her up; lays in or out as she 
likes; particularly careful to milk her regularly and clean. 
Milch cows are often spoiled for want of patience at the latter 
end of milking them. 
“ One man would attend ten cows through the year (with 
the exception of an assistant at milking times). Feeding 
milch cows as above stated, they will at all times be in good 
condition fit for the butcher, if an accident should happen. 
There will be no ground trampled and food spoiled by cattle 
running over a vast tract of land. I think cattle may be 
fattened by the same mode of feeding, with much advantage ; 
one-fourth part of the land would feed them, a great quantity 
of manure made, and the beast fatten much sooner. Cattle 
so fed have nothing to do but fill themselves and lie down to 
rest. No labouring for their food. I fattened the two cows 
I had before this, and made them very good meat in about 
seven weeks (I found it to answer, although I bought the 
food at a dear rate), giving them a little ground barley or 
oats mixed with the grains and bran. I think cows would 
nearly double (in the course of the season) their quantity of 
milk and butter, by following the above plan. 
“ It is unnecessary for a cow to go dry long before she 
calves. The thing will tell for itself. "When her milk 
changes brackish, she should thenbe dried off; that may be, 
in three, four, or five weeks before she calves. Milch cows 
seldom go dry before, unless it is from neglect, poverty, sick¬ 
ness, or bad milking. Let the milk stand two days in sum¬ 
mer, and three days in winter, before it is skimmed. 
“ If grains cannot be had, there is no land but will pro¬ 
duce potatoes, and they are an excellent substitute for 
grains, pounded in a trough, or ground in a common apple- 
mill, and then mixed with bran. Bran also would be a good 
substitute for grains, wetting it to the same state as grains, 
and then mix a little ground oats or malt-dust to separate it. 
Milch cows may be fed with turnips and cabbages, provided 
proper attention be paid in doing it. One meal a day of 
turnips or cabbages will not affect the milk, provided care be 
taken not to give them any rotten or withered leaves. One 
rotten turnip or pabbage would do more injury to milk and 
butter than a cartload of sweet sound food. I have often 
given cabbage to my cow without any ill effects whatever. 
I have sown rye, and tares, which I find to answer; they will 
come rather sooner than lucem, if sown the first week in 
September. One gallon of rye is sufficient to mix with a 
bushel of tares.- If the rye be sown too thick, it will over- 
