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

Front matter

A

TREATISE

ON

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' Library, might well be considered as worth the price of this volume, the Publishers have desired to render the work more acceptable and usefol, by the addition of brief Introductory Sketches, descriptive of various Races of Cattle, as well as of Dairy Management, and of some of the Diseases to which Cou-s and Calves are particularly liable.

Most of these additions have been derived from Chambers's Information 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. Remarks have been added by the Editor of the Farmers' Library, 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 effected in cattle by the potent influence of domestication, the most marked improvement has been in the capacity of the 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. Guenon ?

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 been found equal, in yield of milk and butter, to any to be traced in the Herd-Book ? — Instance the Cream-pot Breed, built up by Col. Jacques, of Charlestown, Mass. whose calves are bespoken at $100 ; the celebrated middle-sized Oak's Cow, of Danvers, that gave, onftvidence sat iefactory to the Mass. Ag. Society, 484 pounds of butter from the 5th of April to the 25th of Sep tember ; and, more recently, the wonderful Prize Cow, Kaatskill, property of Mr. DonalsoN; of Blithewood, New- York, which received the prize of the New- York State Agricultural Society^ at Poughkeepsie, in 1844, on satisfactory evidence that she " yielded, when kept on grass only, 38^ 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 22| pounds per week."

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

PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.

now that this discovery has been made, and proclaimed, on the ground of repeated trials and testimony, to all appearance conclusive, what is there in the theory that lactiferous secretions should produce and show themselves in external marks and cutaneous exudations, any more wonderful, or out of the way, than that other secretions and faculties are known to produce not only marked differences 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 sexes, 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 the Psalmist, "I will eat the flesh oi bulls, and drink the blood of goats."

The famous Tuscany Ox, so celebrated for strength, activity, and endurance, and which Commodore Jones, in one of his letters addressed from the Mediterranean to Mr. Skinner, says will travel — miles a day, with heavy loads of ship timber, is, all over, of uniform light grey color; but leave him unabridged of his full sexual proportions, and the effect is sure to be exhibited in the black color and great enlargement of the neck, and curly fm-ehead. 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, ajid 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 growth and curl of the hair, constituting the " escutcheons," and the scurf or dandruf thrown out on the skin, as described in this book— anymore remarkable or strange in the one case than the other? But— "all things are strange" — until they are found out !

New-York, Marah, 1846.

REMARKS.

AND

OBSERVATIONS ON THE COW

THE DAIRY :

INTRODUCTORY TO GUENON'S TREATISE

ON MILCH COWS.

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

Next 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 Ruminantia, in the class Mammalia ; these terms implying that the animals runimate or chew 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 differmg from each other. , • n

The Wild Breed, from being untamable, can only be kept within walls or good fences; consequently, very few of thein 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 numerous. The Ox, in one or other of its genera, and for the sake ot 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, nil

The domesticated species of Oxen is, in all its varieties, materially altered from its wild parentage. Influenced by climate, peculiar feeding, and training m a state of subjection, its bony structure is diminished in bulk and power, its ferocity tamed, and its tractabilitv 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 ot 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. la this maaner, 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-yieldmg powers are not equal in the ditlerent varieties or breeds of Cows, borne breeds, from the influence of circumstances <Tive a large quantity of milk, but of a thin or poor quality, while others vield less^milk but a good or rich quality. Whether, then, the cow-keeper wish quayitily or quality, is the question for him to solve in making a selection of stock In 4neral, near large towns, where the demand for milk is considerable, the obiect of dairymen is to keep Cows which will give a large quantity of milk, no matter of what sort. Private families m the country are usually more regardful of the quality of the article; they wish a little milk which is good, some fine cream and perhaps, also, some sweet butter and cheese; and on that account are more careful m 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 would do best ; while f^r cream oJy tx 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.

nf Tl^f ^'?k^'tj°^ uf "i^ ^^^"^t"" ^'fff ent districts, from the small hardy varieties of the north Highlands, to the bulky and handsome breeds of the southern parts of ±.ngland. It has been customary to classify iW whole according to the com- F-rn^ri'T ^T^ ""i the homs-as the Long-Homed, Short-Horned, Muldle-Horned Crumpled-Horned, and Hornless or Polled breeds. Besides these, there are manv intermixed breeds The Middle-Horned Cows, which are found in the norTh o^f Devon, the east of Sussex, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire, in En-land are among the most valuable and beautiful varieties of the animal J.l« ; ,f ""fu ^^- ^^^ ^''.eed, there are certain conformations which are indispensa- W f ?7'"^' ^^^"••^ble Ox or Cow. If there is one part of the fram^e the form of which, more than of any other, renders the animal valuable, it is the

or .nffi • f K, ™f !• ^"^ r^"^ ^""""-^ ^""'^^^ h^^" to beat and the lungs to plav or sufficient blood for the purposes of nutriment and strength will no? be cS lated ; nor will it thoroughly undergo that vital change which is essential to the proper discharge of every function. We look, therefbre, first of all, "o the w de

Inittl T^ '^'"' '^' ^f" ""^ ^"°^^- ^^ "^"^t h^^^ both : the p ropon on 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 Ihet^s \ for he will be hghter m the forehand, and more active; but the c^rL e' mus[ have vvidth as well as depth. And not only about the heart and lungs! but ove '

well^s t'h'^;^' ''t' T'' ^' ^'^^. ^"\^ ^'''Sth and roundness ; th? ko^pe/ll \ well as the deep barrel is essential ; there must be room for the capacious

C"''.'V'?r,'°V^\r''"^^^ from which the blood is to be provided^ The beas should also be ribbed home ; there should be little space between the ribs and he hips. This seems to be indispensable in the Ox, as it regards a "-ood the iefh'^nf 'T" ":i'^ " P/opensity to fatten : but a largeness and droopLrg of the belly notwithstanding that the symmetry of the animal is not improved are considered a^dvantageous in the Cow, because" room is thus left for th e Sdd er and f these qualities are accompanied by swelling milk veins, her value in the da^rv HTlt^r'"''''^- ^^'' .>-oundness and'depth of the barrel Jiowever are SfnK^I ^"t°"l^",P/°P°'^"°'^ ^^^°""d behmd the point of the elbow i^ore \ than between the^shoulders and legs ; or low down between the le's, Xe'rThan

of'Z coarT:r .ansTMr^ ' '" ^^ ^^7^"^!^ ^•^^°'^' ^^' ^^e coniparatTve hSk oi tne coarser parts of the animal, are thus dimin shed, which is alwavs a verv <

great consideration. The loins should be wide. Of this there can be' o doubt

for they are the pnme parts ; they should seem to extend far alon- the back -and

although the belly should not hang down, the flanks should be r1>und and d^ep

Of the hips It is superfluous to say that, without being rag-ed, thev should be )

large ; round rather than wide and presenting, when him died, plenty of muscle

and fat. The thighs should be full and long, close together when viewed from \

behind, and the farther down they continue cbse the better! The ligTmay T

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

casionally vary ia 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. Lastly, 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, the Old Yorkshire Stock, a cross between the Teeswater and Holderness breed ; the Long-Horned or Lancashire breed ; the Short-Horned or Dutch breed ; the Middle-Horiied breeds of 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 differing 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 white in any part, and a yellow, not dark skin showing 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 purpose exclusively, milk and cheese, he preferred a large infusion of Short-Horn blood.

Herefordshire Cow. — The Hereford breed of cattle is larger than that of North Devon. It is broad across the hind quarters, narrow at the sirloin ; 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 England as respects the production of milk, and, when too old for that purpose, it fattens to a greater weight than the North Devons. The Herefords have maintained a long and animated contest for superiority with the Short-Horns in England, and 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 Galloway 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 fine 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 Dun, also a hornless breed, is supposed to be a variety of the Galloway, from their general resemblance.

The Ayrshire breed, wJiich 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 county from which it derives its name. In modern times, the

Ayrshire BulL

breed has been improved by judicious selection, coupling, and general treatment. The common characteristics of this excellent variety of Cows are thus described by Mr. Aiton in his " Survey of Ayrshire:" — " Head small, rather long and narrow at the muzzle ; eye small, smart, and lively ; horns small, crooked, and set at considerable distances from each other ; neck long, rather slender, tapering toward the head, with no loose skin below ; shoulders thin ; fore quarters light ; hind quarters large ; back straight, broad behind, the joints rather loose and open ; carcass deep ; legs small, short, with firm joints ; udder capacious, stretching forward ; 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 feeding, 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 Baltimore, 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 thought, among the best specimens that have been brought to this «ountry. — John Ridgely, Esq. of Hampton got this lot, and may, perhaps, nave some oi" their

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

descendants now. Dr. Hoffman more recently made an importation 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 failed 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 which an account may 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 the 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 hear wet weather. But they have the neat form of the Short-Horn only on a miniature scale when compared to them. Mr. Stevenson, our late Minister to London, who passed all his leisure 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 yield 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 hnest Cows that will 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 on long voyages.

Regarding the milking qualities of this breed, Mr. Dickson, an emment cattledealer, who has had the most extensive experience throughout the whole country, says — " It has been frequently asserted that the Short-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- Horned kind. Had the flesh been neglected as much as the milk by the eminent breeders, and the property of giving milk as much 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, th* power of secreting milk will be increased with the power of 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 flesh, fat, and milk, at the same time ; 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 before the the time of calving. 1 know a Scotch breeder who had a Short-Horned Cow which gave fifteen quarts a day during the flush of the grass in summer, and never went dry for two seasons. A cross between a Galloway Cow and a Short-Horned Bull in Berwickshire yielded twenty pints [twenty "pints" here probably mean Scoic^ pints, equal to English quarts] a day during the best of the season, and she had to be milked five times 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 which 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 without 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 in the work of M. Guenon, here in hand transferred from the Farmers' Library.

In proof of our suggestion, that with the aid and close observance of the directions given in that work, a mz/^-race of the greatest excellence may be established on the basis of our country stock, we need only mention first the success of Col. JACQtJES in the formation of his ''cream-pot" breed. His calves of that blood are bespoken at |100— also the case of the Cow called " the Oaks Cow," 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 kine-olo^y had been made, she would have been found to display the " escutcheons," in full relief, and lastly to show, that for milking purposes, we need not go abroad, unless, as we go for foreign voters, for increase of numbers. We may refer to Mr. Donaldson's famous Cow, Kaatskill, of which a fine portrait is given in the Cultivator, with the following account:—" ' Kaatskill' received the first prize of the New-York State Agricultural Society as the best Dairy Cow 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 Cow, but can say that satisfactory evidence was given that she had yielded, when kept on grass only, thirty-eight and a half quarts of milk per day, and that from the milk given by her in two days, six and a half pounds of butter were made, being at the rate of twenty-two and three-fourths pounds per week. Her appearance fully corresponds with the account of her produce. It is proper to state, that while her milk was measured for the purpose of accurately ascertaining the quantity, she was milked four times every twenty-four hours." Kaatskill is represented as a " native," which we suppose means what is commonly called "country breed."

The Improved Kerry is an Irish breed, of rather diminutive size, hardy, and which can subsist on scanty pasture. This renders them exceedingly well adapted for hilly pastures, and for cottagers who may not have the 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 when let alone ; but, if the least irritated, no fence can contain them. The Irish Cows have improved very much of late years, in consequence of crossing ; and they are now, in 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 being a handsome animal, nor is it held in very general estimation either for milkino- or feeding. °

THE COW AND THE DAIRY.

Highland Breeds. — The cattle of the Highlands of Scotland are 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 proceed southward, till, by annual stages, they reach the neighborhood of London, when 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, with 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.

We once knew an honest dairy-woman maintain that the milk of one Alderney Cow would color the butter from the milk of seven common Cows, mixed with hers. The Alderney Bull is vicious and intractable, but nothing can equal the beautiful color and richness of the milk and cream from the Alderney Cow. Noblemen in England, some of them rich enough to give a guinea for a tea-spoonful of cream for their coffee, keep an Alderney in their magnificent parks, especially for the means of improving that delicious beverage — especially when made oi old Mocha — such as was offered, and by her own fair hands administered to her friends by a lady of this City on New- Year's day, in lieu of hebetating eggnog, and other inebriating liquors or liqueurs.