A treatise on milk cows, whereby the quality and quantity of milk which any cow will give may be accurately determined by observing natural marks or external indication alone; the length of time she will continue to give milk, &c.

Front matter

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Preface

BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.

Although that portion of the matter, here offered to American farmers, ■which was translated for and originally published in the Farmers' Librart, might well be coneidered as worth the price of tliis volume, the Publishers have desired to render the work more acceptable and a.«eful, by the addition of brief Introductory Sketches, descriptive of various Races of Cattle, as well ae of Dairy Management, and of some of the Diseases to which Cotos and Calves are particularly liable.

Most of these additions have been derived from Chambers's Infor.iiation for the People , selected for the reason that, while they are deemed by the American Editor to be, generally, judicious and profound, the style is so plain and practical that " he who runs may read" and understand them. H-emarks have been added by the Editor of the Far.mehs' Lihrary, where it was supposed they might be needed to adapt the work more perfectly to the use of American readers.

It has been truly observed that the most remarkable of all the changes and meliorations eflfectcd in cattle by the potent influence of domestication, the most marked improvement has been in the capacity of ike Cow for giving milk. How much may not that capacity be enhanced now, by close attention to the milk-bearing signs or " escutcheons" so minutely described by M. Guenox ?

By selecting for breeding stock, from generation to generation, such only as display these infallible indications, and condemning to the knife all that are devoid of them— supposing the system to be unerring as it has been pronounced by successive Committees appointed to investigate it — what is to prevent the establishment of a race as uniform and remarkable for excellence at the pail as the Devon Ox is for the yoke, or the courser of high-bred eastern extraction for the turf? and that, too, without recurrence to importation — seeing that, among our " country cows," individuals have bc«li found equal, in yield of miJk and butter, to any to be traced in the Herd-Book ? — In.stance the Cream-pot Breed, built up by Col. Jacques, of Charlestown, Mass. who.-se calves arc bespoken at $100; the celebrated middle-sized Oak's Cow, of Danvcrs, that gave, on evidence satisfactory to the Mass. Ag. Society, 484 pounds of butter from the 5th of April to the 2.">th of September, and, more recently, the wonderful Prize Cow, Kaatskill, property of Mr. Do.n'ai.son, of Blitliewood. New- York, which received the prize of the New- York State Agricultural Society, at Poui-'hkeepsie, in 1844, on satisfactory evidence that she "yielded, when kept on grass only, 38j quarts of milk per day, and that, from the milk given by her in two days, 6 J pounds of butter were made — being at the rate of 22J pounds per week."

When such cases turn up by chance, why, we repeat, may not a Breed of deep milkers be «- tablished and reiied npon as confidently as it is known that " like produces like" ? After all,

PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.

now that this discovery has hecn made, and proclaimed, on die gi-ound of repeated trials and testimony, to all appearance conclusive, what is there in the theory that lactiferous secretions sliould produce and show themselves in external marks and cutaneous exudations, any more wonderfu) tu- out of the way, than that other secretions and faculties are known to produce not only marked diiferences in form and color, but even perceptible, and, for the most part, offensive effluvia ?

Observe the effect, in these respects, not only in the external differences of color and shape, which mark the different se.re.s-, but the no less striking effects produced by early emasculation of the horse, the bull, the hog, and the goat ! Hence, it is only " if I were hungry," says die Psalmi.-^t. " I will eat the flesh of bulls, and drink the blood o( goats."

The famous Tuscany Ox, so celebrated for strength, activity, and endurance, and which Commodore Jones, in one of his letters addressed from the Meditei-ranean to Mr. Skinner, says will travel 22 miles a day, with heavy loads of ship timber, is, all over, of uiiifoiin light grey color; but leave him unabridged of his full sexual proportions, and the effect is sure to be exlubited in the black color and great enlargement of the neclc, and curl y forehead. Is it, then, we repeat, extraordinary or incredible that the milky secretions of the Cow should produce, in the region where that process is carried on, and where her characteristic excellence lies, effects not more visible or striking than are produced on the size, color and growth of the hair, on the shoulders, neck and head of the bull ? Are the external signs — the difference in the gro"wth and curl of tlie hair, con- .stimting the " escutcheons," and the scurf or dandi-uf thrown out on the ddn, as described in this book — any more remarkable or strange in tne one case than the other ? But — " all things are strange" — until they are found out I

REMARKS

AND

OBSERVATIONS ON THE COW

THE DAIRY :

INTRODUCTORY TO GUENON'S TREATISE

ON MILCH COWS.

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

Ni-.xT to the horse, the COW is justly valued as the most useful animal which man has been able to domesticate and retain permanently in his service. The Ox tribe, of which it is the female, belongs to the order Ru/ninant.ia, in the class Iflammniia ; these terms implying that the animals runimate or chcAV their food a second time, and have mamma; or teats with which they suckle their young. — In the Ox tribe there are different genera and species, all more or less diifering from each other.

The Wild Breed, from being untamable, can only be kept within walls or good fences; consequently, very few of them are now to be met with, except in the parks of some English gentlemen, who keep them for ornament and as a curiosity. Their color is invariably of a creamy white ; muzzle black ; the whole of the inside of the ear, and about one-third of the outside from the tip downward, red ; horn white, with black tips very fine, and bent upward ; some of the Bulls have a thin upright mane, about four or five inches long. The weight of the Oxen is from 450 to 550 lbs. and the Cows from 280 to 450 lbs. The beef is finely marbled and of excellent flavor.

Of the Domesticated Ox, the varieties from the effect of cultivation are now very namerous. The Ox, in one or other of its genera, and for the sake of its labor as a beast of draught, its flesh, or the milk of its female, has been domesticated and carefully reared from the earliest times — in some countries having been raised to the rank of a divinity, or, at least, held as an object of extreme veneration.

The domesticated species of Oxen is, in all its varieties, materially altered from its wild parentage. Influenced by climate, peculiar feeding, and training in a stale of subjection, its bony structure is diminished in bulk and power, its ferocity tamed, and its tractability greatly improved. Our observations will refer chiefly to the Cow, on which very great changes have been effected by domestication : the most remarkable of these alterations has been in the capacity for giving milk. In a wild state, the udder is small, and shrinks into an insignificant compass when the duty of suckling is over; but when domesticated for the sake ol its milk, and that liquid is drawn copiously from it by artificial means, the lacteal or milk-secreting vessels enlarge, and the udder expands, so as to become a prominent feature in the animal. lu this manner, by constant exercise, the economy of the cultivated species of Cows has been permanently altered, and rendered suitable to the demands which are constantly made on it. Yet it is important to remark that those milk-yielding powers are not equal in the different varieties or breeds of Cows. Some breeds, from the influence of circumstances, give a large quantity of milk, but of a thin or poor quality, while others yield less milk, but of a good or rich quality. Whether, then, the cow-keeper wish quantity or quality, is the question for him to solve in making a selection of stock. In general, near large towns, where the demand for milk is considerable, the object of dairymen is to keep Cows which will give a large quantity of milk, no matter of what sort. Private families in the country are usually more regardful of the quality of the article ; they wish a little milk which is good, some fine cream, and jierhaps, also, some sweet butter and cheese ; and on that account are more careful in the choice of their Cows. For those who go for mere quantity, and yet have some honest scruples left about resorting to the pump, the old fashioned, large framed, big boned Holderness Avould do best ; while for cream only, for family use, no breed can compare, in color and richness of milk, with the ewenecked, deer-looking, ragged-boned Alderney. This breed may be seen at Roswell House, residence of Mr. Colt, Paterson, New-Jersey. The following is a list of breeds which may aid the selection of Cows in these different respects :

BREEDS OF CATTLE.

The breeds of cattle vary in different districts, from the small hardy varieties of the north Highlands, to the bulky and handsome breeds of the southern parts of England. It has been customary to classify the whole according to the comparative length of the horns — as the Long-Horned, Short-Horned, Middle-Horned, Crumpled-Horned, and Hornless or Polled breeds. Besides these, there are many intermixed breeds. The Middle-Horned Cows, Avhich are found in the north of Devon, the east of Sussex, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire, in England, are among the most valuable and beautiful varieties of the animal.

Whatever be the breed, there are certain conformations which are indispensable to the thriving, valuable Ox or Cow. If there is one part of the frame, the form of which, more than of any other, renders the animal valuable, it is the chest. There must be room enough for the heart to beat and the lungs to play, or sufficient blood for the purposes of nutriment and strength will not be circulated ; nor will it thoroughly undergo that vital change which is essential to the proper discharge of every function. We look, therefore, first of all, to the wide and deep girth about the heart and lungs. We must have both: the proportion in which the one or the other may preponderate will depend on the service we require from the animal ; we can excuse a slight degree of flatness of the sides, for he will be lighter in the forehand, and more active; but the grazier must have width as well as depth. And not only about the heart and lungs, but over the whole of the ribs, must we have both length and roundness ; the hooped as well as the deep barrel is essential ; there must be room for the capacious paunch — room for the materials from which the blood is to be provided. The beast should also be ribbed home ; there should be little space between the ribs and the hips. This seems to be indispensable in the Ox, as it regards a good healthy constitution and a propensity to fatten ; but a largeness and drooping of the belly, notwithstanding that the symmetry of the animal is not improved, are considered advantageous in the Cow, because room is thus left for the udder : and if these qualities are accompanied by swelling milk veins, her value in the dairy is generally increased. This roundness and depth of the barrel, however, are most advantageous in proportion as found behind the ponit of the elbow, more than between the shoulders and legs ; or low down between the legs, rather than upward toward the withers ; for the heaviness before, and the comparative bulk of the coarser parts of the animal, are thus diminished, which is always a very great consideration. The loins should be wide. Of this there can be no doubt, for they are the prime parts ; they should seem to extend far along the back : and although the bcliy should not hang down, the flanks should be round and deep. Of the hips, it is superfluous to say that, without being ragged, they should be large ; lound rather than wide, and presenting, when handled, plenty of muscle and fat. The thighs should be full and long, close together when viewed from behind-, and the farther down they continue close the better. The legs may oc-

THE cow AND THE DAIRY.

casionally vary in length according to the destination of the animal ; but shortness is a good general rule, for there is an almost inseparable connection between length of leg and lightness of carcass, and shortness of leg and propensity to fatten. The bones of the legs (and they are taken as a sample of the bony structure of the frame generally) should be small, but not too small — small enough for the well-known accompaniment, a propensity to fatten — small enough to please the consumer ; but not so small as to indicate delicacy of constitution and liability to disease. I-astly, the hide — the most important thing of all — should be thin, but not so thin as to indicate that the animal can endure no hardship ; movable, mellow, but not too loose, and particularly well covered with fine and soft hair.

Of the various breeds and cross-breeds of Cows now in use, there are a few which enjoy the best reputation. We may name, for example, ^he Old Yorks/iire Stock, a cross between the Teeswater and Holderness breed ; the Long-Horned or Lancashire breed ; the Short-Horned or Dutch breed ; the Middle-Horned breeds uf Devonshire., Sussex, and Hereford ; the Ayrshire breed ; the Alderney breed, &c. Some of these merit particular attention. We should first point to the

Devonshire Cow. — The Devonshire is a handsome breed of cattle, well set upon their legs, straight along the back, small muzzle, generally red in color, and, both as Oxen and Cows, they feed well at an early age. The Cow is much smaller than the Bull, but roomy for breeding, and is distinguished for her clear, round eye, and general loveliness and neatness of features. Fed on the fine pastures of North Devon, the Cow yields a rich quality of milk, and in reasonable

Devonshire Cow.

abundance. The North Devon breed prevails in some parts of Somersetshire, and has been introduced into other quarters of the country, but is not considered suitable in situations greatly ditlering from its native county as respects climate and herbage.

Incomparably the best herd of Devons in this, if not in any country, is the large one of George Patterson, Esq. near Sykesville, Md. Its excellence has been established and maintained by frequent importations of the best Bulls to be had in England, without limit as to cost, and by invariably good keep: The signs of genuineness and of excellence in the Devon are the absence, as near as possible, of while in any part, and a yellow, not dark skin shoAvinjr itself around the eye and muzzle. The winner of successive prizes for best cheeses at the American Institute lately observed that he considered the Devon decidedly the best breed of cattle for the general purposes of New-England ; while for his purpoi^e exclusively, milk and cheese, he preferred a large infusion of Short-Horn blood.

Hi:refordshire Cow. — The Hereford breed of cattle is larger than that of North Devon. It is broad across the hind quarters, narrow at the sirlom ; neck and head well proportioned ; horns of a medium size, turned up at the points ; color deep red, but with face and some other parts generally white ; and countenance cheerful and sagacious. This Cow is reckoned among the best in Enghvid as r«»9pects the production of milk, and, when too old for that purpose, it fattens to a greater weight than the North Devons. The Hcrefords have maintained a long and animated contest for superiority with the Short-Horns in England, nnd the Editor thinks (but mind, he can't be made to enter into a contest about it) it

Hereford Cow.

is rather gaining ground on its great rival. Has the latter any links yet to let out ?

The Gai4-oavay breed of cattle is well known for various valuable qualities, and easily distinguished by the want of horns. It is broad across the back, with a very slight curve between the head and quarters, broad at the loins, the whole body having a tine round appearance. The head is of a moderate size, with large rough ears, chest deep, legs short, and clean in the neck. The prevailing color is black, those of this color being thought the most hardy, although this varies. This breed is highly esteemed, as there is no other kind which arrives at maturity so soon, and their flesh is of the finest quality. The milk is very fine, but is not obtained in very large quantities. Great numbers of this breed are sent annually to Smithfield market : and it is remarkable that they are generally in as good condition after the journey as before. The Suffolk i)un, also a hornless breed, is supposed to be a variety of the Galloway, from their general resemblance.

The Aykshire breed, which is considered the most valuable in Scotland, is of the small sized and middle horned race; its origin is unknown, as it has been long settled in the counlv fri ni which it derives its name. In modern times, the

Ayrshire BulL

Dreed has been improved by judicious selection, coupling, and general treatment. 'J'he common characteristics of this excellent variety of Cows are thus described by Mr. Alton in his " Survey of Ayrshire :" — " Head small, rather long and narrow at tiic muzzle ; eye small, smart, and lively ; horns small, crooked, and set at considerable distances from each other; neck long, rather slender, tapering to^vard the head, with no loose skin below ; shoulders thin ; fore quarters light-; hiiid quarters large ; back straight, broad behind, the joints rather loose and open ; carcass deep ; legs small, short, with firm joints ; udder capacious, stretching forv.-ard ; the milk veins large and prominent ; teats short, all pointing outward." The Ayrshire Cow is very docile, feeds well, is easily managed, and, as a dairy Cow, is equal to any other. It is inferior, however, for feedins;, to the Devon, Sussex, and Hereford breeds. There have been several importations of Ayrshires — one some dozen years ago by A. J. Davie, of N. C. These we saw in Baltiniore, as we have several other specimens there, and elsewhere. These were selected by Mr. D. in Scotland, and from their appearance, were, as we have iliought, among the best specimens that have beea brousrhi to thi.s country. — John Ridgely, Esq. of Hampton got this lot, and may, perhaps, have some of the J." /

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

descendants now. Dr. Hoffman more recently made an miportation of choice individuals of this breed to Baltimore. Mr. Randall, of New-Bedford, Mass., has, perhaps, the largest herd of Ayrshires in this country. Several were imported into Massachusetts some years since, and our impression had been that they fail- ( ed to establish themselves in the estimation of Yankee Farmers, yet the Massachusetts Agricultural Society lately invested a large portion of their funds in an importation of Ayrshires and North Devons, of wkich an account mav be seen in the Farmers'Library AND Journal of Agriculture, November No. page 257 of the Journal. The specimens we have seen of Ayrshires appeared to be on ihc model, and with a good deal of the coat of the Short-Horn ; the hair perhaps shorter, and in that, enabling them the better to bear tref weather. But they have llic neat form of the Short-Horn only on a miniature scale when compared to them. Mr. Stevenson, our late Minister to London, Avho passed ail his Icis^ure time among the noblemen and gentlemen Farmers in the best agricultural districts of England and Scotland, has some superior specimens of Ayrshires.

Ayrshire Cow.

Many of the Ayrshire Dairy Cows, when properly fed, will yieJd from six to eight gallons per day during a part of the summer. The quantity varies much during the year, from one and a half to six gallons or more ; and the highest average of the milk yielded by this breed is one thousand gallons per annum. It is only some of the finest Cows that v/ill yield such a quantity as this, and from five hundred to seven hundred and fifty gallons may be calculated as the most general yearly produce. Every two and one-third gallons of milk will afford one pound of butter, of sixteen ounces to the pound, or eight gallons will give three pounds. About twenty-six gallons of milk will give a stone of cheese, fourteen pounds to the stone, and a good milch Cow will thus yield thirty-six stones annually, which, at 10s. per stone, is £18 per annum for this article alone.

The Short-Horned or Dutch breed is considered of great value, both for milking and feeding. There are many varieties of it, known by the names of the counties where they have been raised. The best of these varieties are large in the carcass, well proportioned, broad across the loins, chine full, legs short, head small but handsome, neck deep, but in keeping with the size of the body, color generally red and white mixed, or what is called flecked, hide thin. The flesh of this breed is thick, close-grained, retaining the juices well ; and from this circumstance is in request for victualing ships going onion? voyages.

Regarding the milking qualities of this breed, Mr. Dickson, an eminent cattledealer, who has had the most extensive experience throughout the whole country, says — " It has been frequently asserted that the Shorl-Horned Cows are bad milkers : indeed, that no sort of cattle are so deficient in milk. But this deficiency of milk does not proceed from the circumstance of the Cows being of the Short- Hcrncd kind. Had the flesh been neglected as much as the milk by the eminent bn.'eders, and the property of giving milk as rnucli cherished as the development of flesh, the Short-Horned Cows would have been deep milkers. Indeed, it is not to be doubted that, where the general secreting powers of the animal system have been increased, the power of secreting milk will be increased with the power ol secreting fat : all that seems requisite is to encourage the power of that secretion which is most wanted for the time. It would be to desire an impossibility to desire the full development of fiesh, fat, and milk, at the sanre lime; but there is no absurdity in desiring a large secretion of flesh and fat at one time, and a large secretion of milk at another, from the same Cow. Accordingly, this is the very character which has been acquired by Short-Horned Cows. They will yield from six to sixteen quarts a day throughout the season : and they are such constant milkers, that they seldom remain dry above six weeks or two months bclbre the the time of calving. 1 know a Scotch breeder who had a Short-Horned Cow which gave fil'tecn quarts a day during the flush of the grass in sunnner, and never went dry for tAvo seasons. A cross between a Galloway Cow and a Short-Horned Bull in Berwickshire yielded twenty pints [twenty ^' pints" here probably mean Scotch pints, equal to English quarts] a day during the best of the season, and she had to be milked five limes a day to keep her easy." We have thus considered it our duty to give the opinion of Mr. Dickson regarding the value of the Short- Horned breed of Cows as a dairy stock, seeing that the demand for Short-Horned Bulls has of late years been great in many of the counties of both England and Scotland. It seems, however, a well-confirmed opinion that the breed Avhich of all others appears to be gaining ground, throughout the United Kingdom, for abundant produce on ordinary pasture, is the Ayrshire kyloe, which is described as witlioui a parallel under a similar soil, climate, and relative circumstances, either for the dairy, or feeding for the shambles. But the ever, variable circumstances in climate, soil, shelter, and the quality and quantity of the pasturage, as well as the winter feeding and general treatment, will always have an effect upon the stock.

Mr. George Law, of Baltimore, has an imported Irish Short-Horn Cow, Sophy, sent to this country by Mr. Murdoch, (now of N. C. near Asheville, a gentleman farmer of superior judgment and various intelligence.) which gave last summer, when well fed and in full milk, 38 quarts, or one bushel of milk, a day. Her " escutcheons" or signs correspond with those laid down m "the work of M. Guenon, here in hand transferred from the Farmers' Library.

In proof of our suggestion, that Avith the aid and close observance of the directions given in that work, a ?«//A-race of the greatest exceilence may be established on the basis of our country stock, we need only mention first the success of Col. Jacques in the formation of his '■'■ cream- jioi'"' breed. His calves of th.it blood are bespoken at $100 — also the case of the Cow called " the Oaks Coiv,^* which was of what is called the Country breed, and rather under size, it is not to be doubted, that if this great discovery in hine-olo^y had been made, she would have been i'ound to display the " es^cutclieons," in full relief, and lastly to show, that for milking purposes, Ave need not go abroad, unless, as Ave go for foreign voters, for increase of numbers. We may refer to Mr. Donaldson's famous Coav, Kaatskill, of Avhich a fine portrait is given in the Ciiltivator, AA-^ith the folloAving account: — '• ' Kaatskill' received the first prize of the NeAA'-York State Agricultural Society as the best Dairy Coav exhibited at Poughkeepsie, in 1844. We are unable to refer to the original statement furnished the Society by Mr. Donaldson in regard to the produce of this Coav, but can say that satisfactory evidence was given that she had yielded, Avhen kept on grass only, thirty-eight and a half quarts of milk per day, and thai from the milk given by her in tAvo days, six and a half pounds of butter Avere made, being at the rate of tAventA^-two and three-fourths pounds per Aveek. Her appearance fully corresponds Aviih the account of her produce. It is proper to slate, that Avhile her milk Avas measured for the purpose of a:curate4y ascertaining the quantity, she Avas milked four times every tAventy-four hours." Kaatskill is represented as a "native," Avhich Ave suppose means Avhat is commonly called "country breed."

The Improved Kerry is an Irish breed, of rather diminutive size, hardy, and Avhich can subsist on scanty pasture. This renders them exceedingly Avell adapted for hilly pastures, and for cottagers Avho may not have ihe best food to offer their stock. Their milk and butter are rich in quality, and for their size they are good milkers. They are quiet enough Avhen let alone ; bu-t, if the least irritated, ] no fence can contain them. The Irish Coavs have improved very much of late , years, in consequence of crossing ; and they are noAV, ia many respects, thought • equal to the breeds of either England or Scotland.

The Long- Horned or Lancashire is distinguished by the length of its horns, the thickness of its hide, and the large size of its hoofs. It is far from bekig a handsome animal, nor is it held in very general estimation either for milking or leeding.

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

Highland Breeds. — The cattle of the Highlands of Scotland arc of small bulk and very hardy- The most esteemed are those belonging to the Western Highlands and Isles, called the Argyleshire breed, and frequently kyloes. It is thought that this breed might be much improved by judicious crossing, as was seen in the case of the Ayrshire kyloe, formerly mentioned. This breed is rather handsome in appearance ; the horns are long and upright, head large, neck short and deep, legs of a good length, and the beef is in general estimation. The cattle of the Highlands and Isles are bred on an extensive scale of farming for the purpose of sending to the southern markets. Small in size at first, they increase in bulk as they are transferred to a more genial climate and richer pasturage as they pr.oceed southward, till, by annual stages, they reach the neighborhood of London, Avhen they are large and heavy. The breeds may, therefore, be considered more an object of culture for the shambles than the dairy.

The Alderney breed of cattle is awkwardly shaped, wilh short, bent horns, and light red, dun, or fawn-colored skins. The appetite of the Cow is voracious, and it yields little milk, but that is of an exceedingly rich quality, and the animal is on that account preferred by families who do not regard the expense of keep.