214 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
^Marcli  5,  1903. 
per  cow  last  year  was  a  little  over  GOOgals.  Dr.  Watney 
considers  that  a  cow’s  digestive  organs  have  a  good  deal  to 
do  with  her  milk  production.  If  she  cannot  assimilate 
larg«-  quantities  of  good  food,  neither  can  she  give  a  large 
supply  of  milk.  A  good  milker  must  be  well  fed,  or  she 
Avill  not  have  material  to  build  up  the  waste  that  is  con¬ 
stantly  going  on  in  her  system,  i.e.,  the  Avear  and  tear  of 
daily  life  and  the  production  of  much  rich  milk.  Dr. 
Watney  points  out  another  fact  ;  that  Avhereas  in  the  past 
2-|-lb  of  butter  Avas  the  maximum  that  a  cow'  would  produce 
irer  diem  Avhen  tested  at  a  butter  competition,  noAV  it  is 
not  unusual  to  find  a  coav  capable  of  producing  3lb.  Thus 
is  the  breed  being  “  graded  up.”  He  also  remarks  that  it 
has  been  found  by  the  experience  of  years  that  the  best 
butter  coAVS  have  the  greatest  vitality ;  i.e.,  continue  to 
gain  prizes  Avhen  quite  aa'cII  stricken  in  years,  and  he  notes 
the  fact  of  first  a  coav  that  gave  3,500lb  in  seven  consecu¬ 
tive  years  ;  second,  of  gold  medalled  cows  Avho  have  had 
lAA'elve  to  fourteen  calves  ;  and  that,  third,  cows  have  won 
prizes  in  public  butter  tests  for  six  successive  years,  and 
that  one  gained  a  second  prize  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
There  is  a  breed  of  cattle  AA'hich  bids  fair  to  become  very 
fashionable,  and  this  from,  or  because  of,  no  foolish  freak, 
but  simply  by  reason  of  its  utility.  We  refer  to  the  “  Lin¬ 
colnshire  Keds  ” ;  shall  Ave  say  an  improvement  on  the 
Shorthorn?  Not  exactly  that,  although  they  are  in  a 
measure  evolved  out  of  the  Shorthorns.  As  the  name 
implies,  they  are  all  bred  to  one  colour,  whereas  among 
Shorthorns  Avill  be  found  divers  hues.  A  very  handsome 
colour  it  is,  and  very  distinguishable.  But  colour  is  not 
the  main  point.  There  is  a  big,  sturdy  frame,  capable  of 
being  covered  quickly  Avith  excellent  beef,  and  capable, 
also,  of  becoming  the  machine  by  which  is  produced  large 
quantities  of  milk.  They  may  be  termed  an  all  round  good 
farmer’s  breed. 
Well-known  as  this  breed  has  been  for  many  years  in 
the  county  qf  Lincoln,  Avhere  at  least  ninety-seven  per 
cent,  of  the  cattle  bred  are  of  this  family,  they  are  noAv 
becoming  disseminated  pretty  nearly  throughout  the  entire 
kingdom,  and  are  also  to  be  found  in  those  European 
countries  where  attention  is  paid  to  the  milk  and  butter 
industry.  Among  breeders  of  good  stock,  be  it  Avhat  it 
may,  there  are  usually  some  names  that  stand  pre-eminent. 
Someone  must  be  first,  and  often  the  first  is  a  A'ery  long 
Avay  ahead  of  all  the  rest.  Perhaps  among  Lincoln  Red 
breeders  there  is  no  man  aa'Iio  has  done  more  to  prove  what 
these  cattle  are  capable  of  than  Mr.  John  Evens,  Burton, 
Lincoln.  He  is  a  member  of  the  B.  D.  Fanners,  and  has 
therefore  giAmn  his  attention  more  to  milk  making  than 
beef  producing.  As  a  good  gardener  pnmes  out  all  Aveakly 
growth,  so  Mr.  Evens  ruthlessly  discards  all  coavs  Avhich 
fall  below  the  milking  standard  which  he  has  set  up.  That 
standard  is  GOOgals  per  annum.  A  good'  many  of  us  are 
content  Avdth  a  much  less  quantity.  About  430gals  is  the 
output  of  the  average  coaav  But  Mr.  Evens  is  by  no  means 
content  Avith  GOO  gallons. 
In  the  three  years  ending  1893  the  aAmrage  yield  of  milk 
per  COAV  was  751gals  ;  the  next  three  years  saw  a  rise  of 
sixty,  making  an  average  of  Sllgals,  and  in  the  next  four 
years  the  figures  rose  to  SGlgals.  Mention  is  made  of  one 
COAV  AA"ho,  after  her  third  calf,  gaA-e  l.G22gals  in  one  year  ; 
of  another  Avith  a  yield  of  LlOOgals ;  tAvo  more  Avhich 
exceeded  1, GOOgals,  and  so  forth.  We  think  these  figures 
speak  for  themselves.  The  question  AAnll  arise,  Hoav  is  this 
done  1  and  there  is  the  old  ansAver,  Look  after  the  principle 
of  selection.  Strange  as  it  may  appear.  Mi'.  EA'ens  con¬ 
siders  the  influence  of  the  sire  is  A'ery  much  under-rated. 
Be  the  bull  ever  so  good,  he  Avill  not  get  milkers  unless  he 
is  of  a  good  milking  strain  himself.  Short-necked,  mas¬ 
culine-headed  COAVS  Avith  poor  udders  may  produce  hand¬ 
some  bulls,  but  those  bulls  Avill  not  beget  stock  AA'ith  great 
milking  capabilities.  Mr.  Evens,  Ave  hear,  Avill  never  pur¬ 
chase  or  use  a  bull  AAothout  previously  seeing  his  dam. 
Like  begets  like.  It  is  this  attention  to  all  details  Avhich 
makes  the  scheme  come  out  complete. 
Mr.  Evens  prefers  his  heifers  to  calve  the  first  time 
Avhen  about  three  years  old,  and  he  often  suckles  calves  on 
these  heifers  tAvo  at  a  time.  It  has  been  said  that  this 
practice  makes  good  cables  at  the  expense  of  the  coav  ; 
but  evidently  here  not  only  does  it  make  good  calves,  but 
the  COAVS  come  AA'ell  to  the  milk  pail  after.  What  Ave  suspect 
's  this  :  that  not  only  are  these  coavs  of  the  best  possible 
milking  type,  but  also  that  they  are  fed  and  done  for  in  the 
l)est  poss:ble  Avay.  A  good  deal  depends  on  this.  A  coav 
giA'ing  l,000gals  per  annum  is  a  valuable  asset,  and  should 
be  treated  Avith  proper  consideration.  Dr.  Watney  con¬ 
siders  that  there  are  many  coavs  Avhich  are  underfed.  There 
may  be  quantity,  but  it  is  sadly  lacking  in  quality. 
Warmth,  too,  is  a  great  factor  in  the  successful  production 
of  milk,  though  it  is  just  possible  this  may  be  overdone, 
and  the  result  Avill  be  a  debilitated  constitution  and  one 
liable  to  attacks  of  tuberculosis.  It  has  taken,  Ave  learn, 
fifteen  years  for  the  evolvement  of  Mr.  Evens’  herd,  and 
Ave  think  the  time  and  money  have  been  Avell  spent.  We 
should  like  to  add  a  Avord  as  to  shoAA'yard  successes,  but 
such  Avould  be  almost  superfluous,  for  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Watney’s  Jerseys  and  Mr.  Evens’  Reds,  is  not  their  name 
AAU’it  large  in  the  lists  of  fame  ? 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Tlii.s  week  has  been  very  stormy,  and  except  one  wet  night  we 
have  had  little  rain  and  no  frost.  Wheat  has  made  excellent 
progress,  and  Avill  soon  be  forwarder  than  the  average  condition 
for  the  season.  Young  seeds,  too,  have  grown  Avell,  and  sheep 
pastures  present  a.  most  promising  aspect.  It  is  grand  for  young 
lambs,  for  with  such  supplies  of  suitable  food  the  ewes  are  milk¬ 
ing  Avell,  and  fat  lamb  should  be  plentiful  at  Easter,  Avhich  is  a 
long  way  off  yet.  A  nice  breadth  of  Oats  has  been  put  in,  and 
more  Barley  than  usual  at  this  date.  Farmers  evidently  mean 
to  have  their  Potatoes  planted  at  once,  for  several  Avaggonloads 
of  manure  (artificial)  haA'e  gone  by,  and  another  boat  load  is  at 
the  Avharf.  The  manure  comes  by  Avater  ;  Ave  hope  there  will  be 
a  trade  by  Avater  for  the  Potatoes.  An  American  demand  Avould 
be  A'ery  useful  just  noAv,  for  the  home  trade  is  A'ery  slow,  and  Ave 
haA'e  miles  of  pies  left  untouched.  It  is  the  same  Avith  Swedes. 
Hundreds  of  acres  may  be  begged  now  on  condition  they  are 
eaten  on  the  land.  A  farmer  offered  some  on  these  terms  to  a 
dealer  this  week,  and  offered  to  find  all  fencing,  &c.,  and  a  man 
to  cut  the  roots.  The  dealer  Avould  not  go  on  unless  the  farmer 
Avould  provide  his  sheeiJ  Avith  ^Ib  of  cake'  per  day  per  head.  A 
pretty  state  of  thing  forsooth !  But  this  result  has  been  in  sight 
since  Michaelmas.  Truly  there  is  fluctuation  in  the  value  of 
roots,  and  never  more  so  than  during  the  last  year  or  tAvo.  Sheep 
are  quoted  at  7^d  per  lb  at  some  markets;  our  butcher  says  he 
Avill  giA'e  9d  for  nice  Aveights.  Something  requires  explanation 
here. 
An  illustration  how  farmers  are  obliged  to  progress  by  force 
of  circumstances  aaus  given  us  the  other  day  by  the  sight  of  a 
double  furroAV  ridging  iilough.  It  Avas  making  fair  Avoi'k,  although 
the  furroAvs  Avere  not  A'ery  deep.  Three  horses  Avere  working  it, 
so  if  the  result  Avas  satisfactory  there  Avas  a  distinct  saving  of 
a  horse  and  man.  These  ploughs  are  also  made  to  turn  three 
furroAvs,  but  surely  tAvo  are  enough  to  be  going  on  Avith.  They  are 
made  by  a  firm  in  South  Lincolnshire.  In  connection  Avith  the 
plethora  of  Turnips  farmers  are  beginning  to  prepare  them  for 
burying.  One  not  far  from  here  is  employing  men  to  cut  them 
in  pieces  Avith  a  stamper  made  like  tAvo  light  spades  cro.ssed. 
When  they  haA'e  thus  been  sliced  up  thej'  are  easier  to  bury,  and 
they  Avill  not  groAV.  We  are  now  Avell  started  Avith  the  main 
lambing,  and  everything  is  going  as  Avell  as  possible.  Eavcs  are 
A'ery  healthy,  there  are  plenty  of  lambs  and  food.  A  really  good 
crop  of  lambs  is  urgently  needed,  for  the  national  flocks  are  Ioav 
in  numbers.  As  grass  time  approaches  .store  cattle,  are  becoming 
unapproachable  as  to  price,  and  graziers  Avill  require  fat  banking 
accounts  AvhereAvith  to  stock  their  pastures. 
The  Ivel  Motor  Plough. 
In  a  recent  issue,  our  contemporary  “The  North  British 
Agriculturist  ”  gives  a  photograph  representing  the  Ivel  Motor 
plough  at  Avork.  The  Ivel  agricultural  motor,  brouglit  out  by 
Mr.  Dan  Albons,  of  the  Ivel  Motor  Works,  Biggleswade,  Bed¬ 
fordshire,  has  been,  designed  and  made  chiefly  for  farm  Avork. 
In  addition  to  being  a  portable  petrol  motor,  it  is  con.structed 
to  draAv  binders,  ploughs,  grubbers,  Ac.,  and  almost  any  agri¬ 
cultural  machine  ;  AA'hile  it  can  be  equally  successfully  used  for 
chaffing,  pulping,  pumping,  Ac.  As  a  matter  of  course,  it  can 
be  used  with  equal  success  for  the  drawing  of  Avaggons  on  the 
public  road,  after  the  style  of  the  traction  engine.  The  petrol 
motor  is  8-horse  poAver  double  cylinder.  It  is  A'ery  simple  in 
construction,  and  any  intelligent  Avorkman  can,  after  a  feAv 
lessons.  driA'e  it  Avith  perfect  accuracA'.  The  motor  Aveighs  only 
17cAvt  71b,  and,  as  this  Aveight  is  di.stributed  OAmr  three  Avide 
Avheels,  the  machine  makes  hardly  any  impression  upon  land 
which  is  soft  Avith  rain.  For  travelling  on  the  high  road,  detach¬ 
able  rubber  pads  are  easily  put  on,  and  these  lessen  vibration  and 
restrict  the  noise.  The  cost  for  liquid  fiAel  is  very  small,  and 
comes  out  at  immensely  less  than  the  cost  or  Horse  labour. 
During  the  past  harvest  the  Ivel  motor  has  been  regularly  at 
Avork  in  the  harvest  fields  on  seA'eral  farms  in  England,  and 
since  then  it  has  been  harnessed  to  the  plough  and  is  doing 
excellent  Avork.  In  all  jirobability  the  time  is  not  far  off  Avhen 
the  motor  Avill  be  as  much  in  evidence  on  the  field  as  it  is  on  the 
road  at  present. 
