512 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  16,  1898. 
achieving  a  measure  of  success  instead  of  pressing  on  to  perfec¬ 
tion?”  how  many  could  honestly  affirm  that  they  were  never 
transgressors  ? 
The  road  to  perfection  is  rough  and  stony,  hard  to  travel,  and 
wearisome  to  the  feet ;  hut  the  fact  remains  that  there  is  a  road,  and 
the  diligent  surmount  the  difficulties  and  reap  the  reward.  We  have 
often  spoken  of  the  value  of  milk  as  an  essential  article  of  diet;  but, 
like  all  other  valuable  products,  it  is  most  open  to  adulteration,  and 
diluted  adulteration  is  a  punishable  offence,  and  as  such  can  he  dealt 
with  by  the  law. 
But  for  all  that,  it  is  quite  possible,  and  more  than  probable,  that 
a  milk  customer  (unless  he  always  has  milk  from  the  same  cow) 
might  find  on  analysis  that  the  feeding  qualities  of  his  pint  varied 
with  every  day  in  the  weefe — some  days  he  would  get  full  value  for 
his  2d.,  other  days  very  much  less — and  this  not  because  the  purveyor 
was  a  cheat,  hut  simply  because  the  milk  from  different  cows  will  be 
found  to  vary  in  value  most  matetially.  Milk  does  not  “flow’’ 
in  this  land  as  plentifully  as  it  did  in  Canaan  of  old,  and  the 
dairy  farmer  has  much  anxious  study  to  compile  a  dietary  form 
for  his  cows  which  will  enable  him  to  meet  the  demands  of  his 
customers. 
A  cow  in  full  milk  is  a  very  “  tickle  ”  animal ;  so  many  little 
things  will  throw  her  out  of  gear — a  chill,  a  change  of  food,  or  a 
temporary  ailment.  As  to  a  chill  in  this  climate,  how  is  such  a  check 
to  be  avoided  ?  and  also,  how  difficult  it  is  all  the  year  round  to 
provide  a  sufficiency  of  succulent  food  that  will  not  taint  the  milk  ! 
Who  can  guard  against  midsummer  days  cold  as  Christmas,  or 
burning  droughts  that  destroy  everything  green  ?  It  is  indeed  a 
science,  the  proper  feeding  of  a  dairy  herd — the  feeding  that  will 
make  them  produce  the  utmost  extent  of  milk. 
Then  comes  the  quality  of  the  milk.  We  all  know  the  difference 
between  the  thin  blueish  gallons  of  a  sturdy  old  Dutch  vendor,  and 
the  rich  thick  pints  produced  by  a  little  Jersey,  and  we  know  which 
we  like  best.  It  is  quite  possible  to  get  good  rich  milk  from  almost 
any  cow  that  walks,  provided  she  is  fed  on  fat-producing  food.  It  is 
merely  reducing  the  feeding  art  to  a  system.  You  cannot  subtract 
3  from  0 ;  you  must  treat  the  cow  as  a  machine,  and  by  feeding  her 
well  and  suitably  she  will  take  care  that  you  see  your  outlay  again. 
On  those  farms  where  only  few  cows  are  kept,  just  to  supply  the 
house  with  butter  and  milk,  it  is  advisable  that  quality  rather  than 
quantity  be  aimed  at.  It  is  so  possible  to  feed  milk  cows  that  they 
are  much  readier  for  the  butcher  than  for  the  milk  pail — i.e,  the  good 
rich  food  turns  into  body  fat  rather  than  into  butter  fat. 
Some  interesting  experiments  were  conducted  in  Germany  last 
years — experiments  made  with  a  view  to  testing  the  qualities  various 
foods  produced  in  the  milk.  Cows  fed  on  hay  alone  produced 
richer  (butter  fat)  milk  than  those  which,  in  addition  to  the  hay> 
received  rations  of  carbohydrates,  such  as  starch.  The  starchy 
matter  probably  went  to  make  body  fat.  When,  in  addition  to  hay, 
oily  food  was  given  there  was  an  immediate  rise  in  the  quantity  of 
butter  fat  found  in  the  milk.  Sesame  oil,  linseed  oil,  and  tallow 
stearine  were  made  into  emulsions  the  increase  was  as  follows : — 
Linseed,  5’24  per  cent,  of  fat  ;  tallow  stearine,  4‘24  to  5 '5  per  cent. 
The  oily  matter  must  be  given  in  an  easily  digested  form,  or  the 
end  desired  is  defeated.  We  all  know  how  difficult  it  is  for  some 
human  stomachs  to  assimilate  oily  matter,  and  how  soon  the  digestive 
organs  are  put  out  of  tune,  and  it  is  just  the  same  with  the  cow.  An 
impaired  digestion  means  loss  of  appetite,  and  loss  of  appetite  means 
loss  of  milk-producing  power.  Palm  and  Cocoa-nut  cake  fat  are  also 
most  useful  as  butter  formers,  and,  of  course,  good  linseed  cakes — that 
is,  cake  out  of  which  not  all  the  oil  has  been  pressed.  Our  oil 
pressers  have  become  so  clever  that  with  modern  machinery  they 
leave  us  now  a  very  dry  cake.  Then,  again,  it  is  possible  to  use 
too  much  cake,  and  the  result  would  be  a  soft  oily  butter.  Good 
nitrogenous  and  oily  foods  are  necessary  for  the  production  of  butter 
fat  in  milk. 
Subjoined  are  some  rations  given  to  cows  at  the  Midland  Dairy 
Institute,  with  the  view  of  testing  the  influence  of  food  on  the 
production  of  butter  fat  lin  the  milk.  There  were  five  cows  in  each 
lot : — 
Lot  A. — Roots,  50  lbs. ;  chaff,  10  lbs. ;  hay,  6  lbs. ;  bran,  lbs.  ; 
beanmeal,  3  lbs.  ;  oat  and  wheatmeal,  2  lbs.,  with  2^  linseed  cake  with 
6'83  per  cent.  oil. 
Lot  B.  —  Same  as  A,  with  4 J  lbs.  linseed  cake  of  1 6'83  per  cent,  oil.1 
Lot  C. — Same  as  A,  with  4^  lbs.  linseed  of  6‘83  per  cent. 
Lot  B  produced  most  butter,  but  of  low  quality — f.e.,  soft  and  oily^ 
while'  that  of  Lot  C  was  the  best,  the  quantity  being  but  very  little 
below  that  of  Lot  B — 0’89  as  against  0*91.  The  cows  of  Lot  B  were 
in  much  better  condition  at  the  end  of  the  tests  than  those  of  the  other 
two  lots. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  EARM. 
Warmth,  real  warmth  at  last!  We  have  had  three  or  four  days  of 
electricity  with  very  heavy  showers,  and  some  of  the  land  is  in  a  state  of 
puddle,  but  the  temperature  is  now  most  satisfactory  both  night  and  day,, 
and  what  we  most  fear  is  a  period  of  burning  sun  heat,  for  the  young 
Barley  and  Oats  have  become  so  accustomed  to  a  liberal  supply  of  liquid,, 
and  their  roots  are  consequently  so  near  the  surface,  that  too  sudden  a 
change  might  be  for  the  worse  rather  than  the  better. 
Wheals  are  growing  fast,  and  there  will  be  a  heavy  crop  of  long 
straw ;  this  is  now  assured,  but  it  is  too  soon  to  forecast  the  yield  of 
grain.  Barley  and  Oats  are  improving,  but,  so  far,  under  average,  greatly 
so,  in  fact ;  forcing,  stove-like  weather,  is  required  for  these  crops. 
We  have  been  hard  at  work  hoeing,  but  the  weather  has  not  been 
favourable,  and  many  weeds  have  again  got  a  roothold  ;  this  means  more 
expense,  as  the  extra  hoeing  hands  have  to  be  kept  on  longer,  but  as 
regards  Mangold  and  Potatoes  much  can  be  done  with  the  skerry. 
Potatoes  have  grown  so  fast  since  our  last  that  we  have  had  to  hurry  up 
with  the  top-dressings,  and  earthing  ploughs  are  busy  at  work  ;  this^ 
crop  is  very  backward,  but  is  distinctly  promising.  Small  tubers,  the  size 
of  horse  beans,  have  heen  observed  by  the  men.  Sheep  are  doing  very 
well,  lambs  particularly  so.  So  far  there  has  been  no  trouble  with  the 
fly,  hut  with  greater  warmth  the  maggots  are  sure  to  put  in  an  appear¬ 
ance.  Tobacco  powder  we  have  found  to  be  the  best  preventive  of  a 
second  attack  by  these  pests. 
Milk  cows  have  a  good  pasture,  and  are  yielding  good  supplies  of 
milk.  Butter  at  8d.  per  lb.,  however,  leaves  no  margin  for  profit,  and  we 
are  rearing  as  many  calves  as  possible,  but  good  well-bred  ones  are  not 
easy  to  meet  with. 
Hay  crops  are  very  good,  and  another  week  will  see  haymakers  at 
work.  Clovers  were  grazed  rather  late  before  being  laid  in  for  hay,  but 
the  wet  season  has  been  very  favourable  to  them,  and  they  are  promising, 
though  they  will  not  be  ready  to  cut  much  before  July. 
Rook  Pie. — Adverting  to  our  note  on  page  492,  last  week,  our 
agricultural  correspondent  writes  ; — “  All  we  can  say  is  that  the  man 
referred  must  have  had  a  bad  digestion  or  an  indifferent  cook.  A  well 
made  pie  will  consist  of  rooks’  breasts  alone,  which  have  been  previously 
steeped  twenty-four  hours  in  milk  and  water.  The  rooks  should  be 
skinned,  not  plucked.  Please  note  our  address,  and  we  will  gladly  take 
all  surplus  rooks — for  ourselves,  not  for  our  dog.”  The  case  alluded  to 
was  not  one  of  “  digestion,”  but  of  dog  versus  man's  judgment  in  eating 
rook.  The  man  thought  the  dog  knew  the  better,  and  followed  his- 
example  in  refusing  to  taste  the  young  “craws.”  We  still  wonder  if  the 
farmer’s  dog  is  of  the  same  opinion  as  his  master,  who  seems  ready  to 
“take  all  surplus  rooks.”  The  italics  are  ou.'s,  but  it  is  a  “large  order.  "' 
The  hints  for  making  a  rook  pie  are  all  the  same  useful. 
METEOROLOaiCAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32'  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  <)"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
1898. 
June. 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
Sea  Level 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot 
Shade  Tern 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
inchs 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
inchs 
Sunday  . . . . 
6 
29-856 
62-2 
56-0 
Calm. 
53-8 
75-4 
47-8 
113-8 
45-3 
— 
Monday  . . . . 
6 
29-818 
68-9 
61-8 
S. 
54-9 
69-4 
49-3 
102-0 
45-9 
0-128 
Tuesday  . . . . 
7 
30-033 
61-7 
54-6- 
N.W. 
55-2 
74-4 
52-2 
119-6 
48-8 
— 
W  ednesday 
8 
30-079 
65-0 
57-1 
Calm. 
57-0 
69-8 
50-4 
93-2 
47-2 
0-020 
Thursday  . 
9 
30-118 
62-2 
56-1 
N. 
57-0 
71-9 
56-3 
119-6 
63-9 
0-076 
Friday . 
10 
30-065 
66-2 
55-0 
N. 
57-6 
63-9 
54-1 
103-1 
54-5 
0-052 
Saturday . . . 
11 
30-140 
63-8 
58-0 
N. 
56-6 
75-4 
49-9 
118-3 
46-4 
— 
30-016 
62-9 
56-9 
56-0 
71-5 
51-4 
109-9 
48-9 
0-276 
REMARKS. 
6th. — 'Warmer  ;  occasional  spots  of  rain  in  morning,  and  bright  sun  in  afternoon. 
6th. — Sunny  early  ;  rain  from  9.30  to  11  A.M.,  and  showery  till  noon  ;  gleams  of 
sun  in  afcernoon,  and  fine  night. 
7th.— Bright  sun  almost  uhroughout,  but  occasional  cloud  at  midday. 
8th.— Overcast  day,  with  a  shower  at  1  p.m. 
9th. — Overcast  morning,  with  spots  of  rain  ;  fair  afternoon. 
10th. — Rainy  in  the  small  hours,  and  almost  continuous  rain  from  7  A.M.  to 
1  P.M.  ;  fair  afternoon  and  sunny  after  6  p.m. 
11th.— Almost  cloudless  throughout. 
Temperature  rather  above  the  average,  rainfall  still  below  it. —G.  J.  Symons. 
