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DAIRYING FOR PROPIT or tb« POOR row --BY- -,-^' •ROCKVIU.e, ONT., CAN* •'l QNADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE cz^-f^^ (", L- C > ^ ^-^z ^ m Hi p I 1 1 z ,3 OL i W I ^« I— I ■0 V J! u ;:: 2 2 S S -=; "0 E i ►^^ "^ o >^ (/} a: u bt a;: a Oil >, s i -^ I z D (f) t w u ;:: •M ^ fi - 4) ^ o (f) X > V & i; c i a;: a., U tN -Ol, U B 03 DAIRYING FOR PROFIT; OR, The Poor Man's Cow. BY MRS. E. M. JONES. JUDGE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS -AT — WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, CHICAGO, 1895. *>» » MONTREAL. JOHN LOVELL £f SON, 1894. Sfttercd according to Act of Parliament of Canada, ia the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-three, by Mrs. E. M. Joxes, in the office of the Miaister of Agriculture. ©•pyright, 1893, by Librarian of Congresa, Washington, D.C. one thousand a the office of 1, D.C. PREFACE. To the farmers' wives of America this little book is dcdicated-to, i^y sisters in toil, the tired and over-tasked women, who are wcari«;.tteir lives away in work which has little hope and less profit, and tewlttK the cares of the dairy form the 'Mast straw" which breaks etehr already aching backs. Por many years I have been wceiving letters from these itc»«m.. ters, in every State in the Union, in every Province of Canarfj, a«£ their burden is always the same. " We are so tired, cannot you help us ? You are a womaa likt ,,^ but your cattle have won a great reputation, your dairy hsM Iwea. ^ success, and your butter sells at a fine price. How did you de a»'* Replymg to all these letters has grown into a task beyond ai^jMe person's time and strength; and to give all the information asked fi» I would have to write a little book to each one. Therefore, 1 have resolved thart I «Jt7/ write the little book lad Saw. It printed, and sold at so low a price as to be within the reach The old Bovvl and Ladle ••••••••.... 44 CHAPTER Xn. Ease and Comfort in Churning — ^" Big little things** ia the Dairy— The Man who follows his Grandmother .«.t •• 47 CHAPTER XIII. An answer to Mr. Doherty.^Praclical Experience. ...... •*<■••••..•• 60 CHAPTER XIV. Oq the Care of Dairy UtenBiIs *• ••••••#••••• 56 CHAPTER XV. HowIKeepmy Catl*^ • 58 CHAPTER XVL Farm Accounta->Odds and Ends—Some Mistakes.. •*•••••• •••••»••• 68 CHAPTER XVII. Winter Dairying and Co-operative Dairying fi^ ( ! 44 in the Dairy— 47 60 56 58 ..••...,..• 62 64 INTRODUCTION. In the winter of 1891-1892, I was requested by Mr. Hugh Graham of Montreal, Publisher of the Family Herald and Weekly Star, to write some articles on Dairy Matters for his paper. To fully appreciate the compliment paid me, one would need to know the enormous and rapidly increasing circulation of this great paper. \s a result, I received so many kindly letters about njy Dairy Articles, and so many requests for further iroformation, that it led to my collecting the letters with some others I had written, and adding- to them all I thought necessary to cover the ground. I earnestly hope the little book will be found readable, and still more do I hope that it will be useful. I oflPer this work with a keen sense of its crudeness and its many faults, but I hope the public will extend to it the same kindly welcoma they have heretofore accorded all my efforts. ELIZA M.JONES. Brockville, Ont., Can., May 9, 1892. ■^■J,lX" -! . - J ' S. S!h! i III CHAPTER L ON CHOOSING A COW. ^ In no branch of farming ia there such deplorable waste and short- sightcdnoss as in dairying„such a large amount of labor for so small a result, and that result, too, of a very indifferent quahty. ^ Farmers of to day ;.re barely existing who oughttobe in comfortable circumstances; while those are barely comfortable wlio ought to be rich, and tins with only the same facilities as they now enjoy. The cause of this trouble is, midnly, misapplied labor,* going the wrong way to work, toiling over things that don't pay. Tlie object in writing this book is to offer to hard-working, practical farmers some suggestions by which they may increase their incomes, multiply their comforts, and better their position; to present to them facts and %ures that will bear the closest scrutiny, and to give them a brief sketch of a life spent in dairying j a life marked by many mistakes and occasional failures, but also crowned with success beyond my ex- pectations, and cheered by such kindly appreciation and such compli- mentary notices as are far beyond my deserts. Some may ask why I wish to record my failures. In reply, I would quote to them an old Scotch story:— An auld wife remarked that she " didna think the Scriptures were aye a safe guide, for David washeldup as an exawmple to us a', when he was a siufu' mon." "Hoots, woman," said her neit'bor, "David wasna pit there as an exawmple at a' ; he was just meant for a lighl-house, to warn us aff the rocks." And 80, if the record of my failures and mistakes will only serve the same puroose, I shall not have written in vain, and I may be of as much practical use as those who quote only their successes and bury their failures out of sight, making no sign to others to " warn them aff the rocks." Now, I don't mean to divide my lecture into as many «« heads and particulars " as one old Scotch minister used to do in Glasgow, for I RBI i ! i 10 iuTariably went to sleep under iheni, acd I am afraid my readers might do the same. But some divisions of the subject are necessary, and they are chiefly three: — 1. The choice of a 2;ood cow 2. The keeping and feeding of her, to the best advantage j 3. The most profitable way of caring for and marketing her product. On the choice of your dairy cow, whether you breed her or buy her, depends the whole success of your dairy. You wouldn't wish to use the old-fashioned wooden plough of our forefathers, nor to go back to the flail, for " it's ill working with poor tools." And the poorest tool on the face of the earth is a poor cow. It is not only that she is no profit, it is worse than that — she runs you in debt. Still worse is the case if the poor cow be one of a herd, and for this reaBOu : If a person keeps but one cow ho very soon knows if she bo good or bad, but if he keeps a good many, the worthless cow is not so readily detected. She ni;iy be a smooth-looking animal, and m.iy even give a fair flow of milk, and yet she may not only fall short of paying for her k^iep, but be eating up all the profit made by her neighbor, and 80 the farmer has not a cent of gain on the pair. And the useless cow is not only deteriorating as years go by, but is perpetuating her worthless kind, to the loss of her owner and to the detri- ment of all the country around. The form and features of a good dairy cow have been so often de- scribed that only a brief mention is needed here, but some points are so essential that they can hardly be too strongly impressed. A good cow must be long, level, and loose-jointed, with a capacious body, ehort, fine legs, long, light neck, clean cut and intelligent head, thin withers, deep flank, thin, flat thighs, and rich, soft, mellow skin, showing a deep orange color under any white markings, and inside of ear. As viewed from the side, she must present a perfect wedge shape, exceedingly deep behind Rud very light in front, and, as viewed from behind, she must show ample room to carry a large, full udder with ease and without chafing. No cow can do this that is of a beefy conforma- tion and that has not a good *'arch." The udder itself must be soft and silky, free from warts and from oy readers might they are chiefly antage ; iing her product, d her or buy her, dii't wish to use or to go back to )or cow. n that — 6)10 runs herd, and for this I knows if ehc bo less cow is not so aal, and ni:iy even II short f paying her neighbor, and ars go by, but is r undtothedetri- been so often de- orne points are so d. with u capacious intelligent head, soft; mellow skin, dngs, and inside |ect wedge shape, as viewed from In udder with ease li beefy eonforuia- li warts and from 11 long, coarse hair. It must extend w)eZZ forward and reach well up behind, having nothing of a globular shape. It must be square, level beneath, and not too deeply quartered, with teats of good size, evenly placed, very far apart both ways, and of uniform size. The udder must be very large and handsome when full, and when empty must be looso and soft, the rear part lying in folds — in fact, as the saying goes, it should almost " milk out to nothing." Such an udder is capable of great distension without discomfort to the animal, and adds wonderfully, not only to the appearance, but to the intrinsic value of the dairy cow. Tlie milk veins should be exceeJingly large and crooked, and the milk yielded easily and evenly all round. Avoid .1 cow very hard and tough to milk. She is a continual nuisance. Still worse is the one that leaks her milk. Avoid a very thick-skinned cow, whoso hide is inclined to stick to her ribs, or, on the other hand, one whoso hide is too thin and paper- like, indicating delicacy of constitution. In an animal that "handles well " there is a peculiar soft, loose, vel- vety touch, that is quickly learnt by experience, and without which no animal can be really thrifty. If, with all these good qualities, you get a cow that is young-,, healthy, with a soft, silky coat of hn ' r, and one with a gentle, placid tem- per, you may be assured that you have made the first step on the road to success, even if she has cost you a little more than your neighbor has paid for an indifferent cow. Taking tho common cattle of the country as a basis, if you pay $30 for a cow that runs you $10 in debt by the end of the year, and that gives you a calf no better than she is herself, it is a poo: speculation. But if, on the other hand, you pay $50 for a cow that shows you $30 profit at the year's end, as such a cow should do, that is a pleasure to look at and a s.itisfaction to own, and that gives you a calf still better than herself, you have made the best and safest investment in a farmer's power. In putting money at interest, you would think yourself very lucky to get $5 a year on $50. From one cow you should get $30 a year on $50, and not only have the cow herself in good order, but a valuable calf besides. And as you spend no more time in milking and feeding the good cow than the poor one, it is easy to see on which side your bread is buttered. 12 1 CHAPTER II. ON PEEDINQ AND CARING FOR THE COW. Having bought your cow, the next thing is, wnat to do with her. On no account make any sudden change from her previous food, but let such things be done gradually. If it be summer, turn the now cow into a fair pasture where there is water ; treat gently and milk rogulirly, and she will soon be contented and happy in her new home. If it be ■winter, put her in a warm, comfortable stable, with plenty of clean dry straw for bedding, water her and feed her a warm bran mash and plenty of good hay. Then make up your mind what to feed your cow, and gradually work np to that quantity. For a fresh calved cow, giving 16 to 20 quarts of milk a day, I have found nothing better than the following treatment : — At half-past 5 a.m. the stall is cleaned out, and cow cleaned off, rubbing the udder with a laru;e, coarse but soft cloth. If necessary to wash the udder, do it with tepid water, and be careful to dry it thoroughly or it will soon get rough and sore. Give the cow a large armful of hay, and then milk her as quickly and as quietly as you can, taking every drop you can possibly get from her. Of the manner of milking and the care of the milk we will speak hereafter. The next thing is to feed your cow. I will here give the ration we use as a basis, but it is varied accord- ing to circumstances and prices of feed. 1 also give prices in our local- ity, and these will bo found to average much the same everywhere, and to maintain the same value, in proportion to the prices of dairy products : — cts. 5 Ibn. ground oats at $20 per ton 5 4 lliH. bran at $12.50 per ton 2^ 2 lbs. cornmeal at $25 per ton 2^ 2 \hf>. pea meal ai $25 per ton 2^ 16 lbs. hay at $10 per ton 8 Cost of feed per day 20^ ,v. x> do with her, revious food, but turn the new cow dmilk rogulirly, home. If it be plenty of clean m bran mash and d gradually work lilk a day, I have cow cleaned off, If necessary to dry it thoroughly e armful of hay, an, taking every of milking and is varied accord- rices in our local- ame everywhere, e prices of dairy cts. 5 2i ^ ^ 8 20J 13 Some of the hay is run through a cutter, and mixed with the grain which has all been thoroughly mixed together. This is then divided into three feeds, and given at morning, noon and night. The mixture is put in a large stable bucket, with a very little salt, and enough boil- ing water is poured on to wet it all through. It is then covered with an old bag, or rug, and left to steep for an hour. Then add enough water (either cold or tepid, as required) to make a nice, large, warm, comfortable mash, rather thin, and see how greedily the cow will eat it, and how contented she will look afterwards. Now, the cow should be thoroughly cleaned with a card and a good brush, and not one speck of dirt or any stain left on her. Some people boast that they keep the cow's udder clean, and perhaps they do, but all the rest of the animal is left in a filthy condition. This dirt dries into tho hair, and then the act of milking shakes it down, like dust, into the pail, rendering the milk unfit for human food. You may now, with a clear conscience, leave your cow to rest and digest her food, and if you have shaken up her bed and removed every- thing that is wet or soiled, you cannot help feeling pretty well satisfied, as you take a parting look at her ; especially is this the case if it be mid winter. You think of other unfortunate cattle, out in the barn-yard, or even in the field, knee deep in snow o' mud, with a bitter wind whistling around their gaunt frames. You see them dc70uring pa'.t of the manure pile, or trying to drink from a frozen puddle, and a filthy one at that. You see the rough, shaggy coat, the arched back, the withered up udder and the general look of wretchedness, and you cannot help wish- ing that death would end the sufferings of the poor brute. Then, with such a satisfied pleasure, you think of your own cow. After a comfortable night's re^-t in a warm and dry but airy stable, she has had her good hot breakfast and her feed of hay. Her large, beautiful udder has made it a pleasure to milk her, and the fine pail of rich milk has testified to a good cow and a generous owner. As day advances, and the sun shines into your barn through large windows, you see your cow lying down, chewing her cud, her bedding abundant, dry and clean, her coat spotless, smooth and soft, her nose moist, her large, gentle eyes full and bright, and her whole looks full of placid content. Il' rfliiwMiluaiiaaaMMt 14 And you have tlie comfort of feeling that it is not a costly pleasure to see her so, for that your cow not only pays you back every cent you lay out on her, but is putting a good profit into your pocket in hard cash every week of her life. I have often thought that over every cow's stall should be written three lines : ** A good man ia merciful to his beast." " Cleanliness ia next to Godliness." " IT PAYS, IT PAYS, IT PAYS." And write the last line in capital letters, for on it hang all the law and the doctrines in tlie farmer's mind. At noon your cow gets as much water as she likes to drink, and in very cold weather, if the chill be taken off it, and a handful of bran stirred in, it will be so much more money in your pocket. Then she gets her mash and a small feed of hay. In the evening she gets watered and fed, and is milked ; any dirt on her skin is removed, the stall cleaned out, fresh bedding added, and, with a good ^wA of sweet hay before her, she is left for the night, and her owner may go to bed and sleep the sleep of the just. M ^ I i tly pleasure [•y cent you ct in hard over every a.11 the kw :ink, and in ful of bran Then she ets v/atered d, the stall ' sweet hay ' go to bed U CHAPTER III. ONB tear's yield OP A GRADE JBR8ET. In my last chapter I gave a generous feed ration for a cow in flush of milk, said ration costing 20A^ cents per day. " Over 20 cents a day to feed a cow," I hear some hard-fisted farmer exclain» ; " that ends the business. Only rich people can go in for tom-foolery like that, we poor farmers can't afford it," Neighbor farmers and friends, ^,ou can afford it, as I will prove to you. The money is not spent, sunk out of sight; it is only invested, put out at interest, and it speedily comes back to you, doubled. This book is not written for rich people, who can afford to overfeed, or to underfeed, a cow, and never ask or care whether their fancy farm pays. It is written for people who, like you and me, have got to make it pay, or else give it up. It is the poor man who can't afford to keep a poor cow. And it is the poor man, above all others, who can't afford to be slip- shod in this matter, but wli has got to know exactly just what every cow on his place consumes, and what it costs. Also, just what every cow produces and what it sells for. Then the profit or loss is at once apparent. The profits can be steadily increased to their utmost limit, and th« losses promptly and effectually stopped, showing a satisfactory balance sheet at the end of the year. But in order to do this an account must be kept. You don't want a gilt-edged note-book, nor an intricate system of bookkeeping, nor much extra labor, after a long hard day's work. But you do want to know what you are doing, and how you stand. What on earth is the good of slaving and toiling, from daylight to dark, if you don't make anything by it ? And how can you stoc a leak if you don't know where it is ? 16 1 Of course every farmer will tell you that he has a *' sorl of" idea, he '* kinder keeps the run of it ;" but that won't do. It reviinds me of a story I read not long ago : A newly married couple started housekeeping, and the husband urged the wife to keep an account. She gladly consented, and he gave her a iiitle book, telling her to put down on one side what cash she received, and on the opposite page to enter what she spent. Long afterwards he asked her how the book balanced, and she promptly replied that " it balanced exactly." Somcwhnt surprised, as the little wife was neither experienced nor accurate in money matters, he asked to see the book. On one side, under the correct date, appeared this entry : " Rec'd. from Larry— $500." On the opposite side was simply one entry, in good bi^ letters, « Spent it all I " Now, wo can't afford to balance our books in that way. On one side we must enter every cent received from our cows, in any way, and must also put down, as closely as w* can estimate it, all milk, cream and butter consumed in the family, and put it at market prices. On the other side appears every bit of feed eonsumed, whether pur* chased or raised on the plaoe. And, just here, let me caution you against one error. Yoit will often hear a farmer say, when accused of keeping a poor cow that doesn't pay for her keep, " Oh well, she don't cost me much to keep ; '-.e grow all the stuff ourselves." My friends, that is one of the biggest mistakes we make. It is not the question, ** What did it cost us to grow this load of haj ? " but '■ WTiat cash price can 1 get for this hay in the marJcet f '* And whatever is its market value (less the cost of drawing it there), that is the value of the hay you are feeding to your cow, that is what it costs to keep her. Now, figure on that basis, and see if she pays. Sometimes she does, and sometimes she does not, but it is mostly not. What are the reasons ? Poor cows, poor keep, poor butter. I have endeavored to meet the first difficulty, by showing the impor tance of choosing a really good cow. ^ m i f" idea, he d8 me of a e husband ed, and he what cash at. 1, and she ienoed nor : "Rec'd. >i^ letters, r cows, la late it, all at market lether pur- Yoit will r cow that 1 to keep ; lis load of market f " it there), at is what s she does, the impor 17 And in this book I shall try to prove to you the economy and wisdom of feeding her well, and shall try to prove that it pays. I cannot do better than to givo the actual filatures, taken from my own books. A splendid cow was put in my sfablc, just fresh in milk, the 1st of October. Slie was in grand condition, and had always been well fed and cared for. Consequently she was able to go on to a splendi?*, piece of after-grass, and to take a goodly ration of grain as well. Now, in making out my estimate, I am leaving out fractions as bc'ng easier for me to write and for others to follow me, and yet suflBoiently accurate for all practical purposes. During October I fed my cow besides grass : 6 lbs. ground oats per day 6 cts. 4 lbs. " corn " , 6 cts. 4 lbs. " peas *' Sets. Total. 15 cts. per c^ay. She needed no hay, as the grass was so good. During November, December and January I fed her daily : 7 lbs. ground oats 7 cts. 8 11)3. bran 5 cts. 4 1 bs. ground corn 5 cts. 4 Jtis. ground peas 6 cts. leibs.hay 8 cts. Total 30 cts. a day. Dttring February, March and April, I fed her : 4 lbs. ground oats 4 cts. 2 lbs. « corn 2 J cts. 21bs. " peas 2| cts. 4 lbs. bran 2| cts. 16U)s.hay , 8 cts. Total 19J cts. per day. During May and June she was on grass, requiring no hay, but she had daily : 2 lbs. ground corn 2^ cts. 2 lbs. " peas 2J cte. Total 5 cts. per day. As she was now only three months from calving, all grain was taken from her, but as grass was good, and the cow in splendid order, she gave a good yield of milk and butter (as will be seen in next table) through July and half of August, when she was just dry, and had six weeks' rest, and then calved again. w ■awi 18 III i I It need hardly be said that the butter from this cow was ozoepiion« ally fine. During seven months, from 1st October to end of April, I sold it for 30 conts a pound, and the rest of the time for 25 cents. (This was before I kept registered Jerseys.) Now, we can soon see how my cow and I stood at the end of the year, by referring to the annexed table, giving her monthly yield and cost of her keep : Cost of keep in addition to Pasture. But^ lbs Prim, October $4.50 60 at 30 cts. $18.00 November 9.00 50 " 15.00 December 9.00 40 « 12. OJ January 9.00 40 '* 12.00 • February 6.00 32 " 9.60 March 6.00 32 « 9. CO April 6.00 30 «' '9.00 May 1.50 30 at 26 cts. 7.60 June 1.50 30 " 7.6t July 20 " 5.00 Angiiat 8 «* 2.00 September .. .... $52.50 372 lbs. $107.-i0 Pasture 5.00 67.50 $57.50 Profit $49.70 I considered this a good showing, but I assure you it was not my first attempt at dairying, I had worked up to it by degrees, acquiring experience as I went. And I could have made no such record with a' poor cow, but I will speak of this point in my next chapter. s oxoeptloD- l of April, I or 25 cents. ) end of the 1y yield and 118.00 15.00 12.0 J 12.00 9.60 O.SO ' 9.00 7.60 7.5» 5.00 2.00 $107.20 57.50 .. $49.70 was not my ses, acquiring record with a ter. 19 CHAPTER IV. WHAT 18 THE BEST BUTTER BREED? I think I hear many of my readers ask this question, and I will answer it as honestly as I can. I experimented for years with many different breeds, having no prejudice in any way, either for or against any of them, except in one case. Hailing, as I do, " frae the land o' caikes," or, as I like better to put it, from " the Land o' the Leal," I must confess to a life-long fond- ness for a good Ayrshire cow. Their beauty and docility, their great yield of milk, and their hardy constitutions place them almost the first on the list of dairy cattle, in my opinion. With all my heart, I wish I could write them first, but it would be false to my convictions. They arc a truly magnificent breed, but there is one cow in the world that I think is still better in the dairy, and that is the little Channel Island cow, be slie Jersey, Guernsey, or Alderney. They are all, vir- tually, tlie same breed, raised under the same rules and restrictions, and by reason not only of their marvenous yield of butter, but from the wonderful quality of ihat butter, the Jersey cow stands to-day in the proud position of queen of the dairy. If I didn't keep Jerseys I would keep Ayrshires, but I have got to confess that the Jerseys are ahead, fcrr one situated as I am. I don't mean to detract one bit from the merits of my favorites, the Ayrshires, — no, indeed, "It's not that I love Jemima less, but t love doughnuts more," and now I will give my reasons for it : I faithfully tried Ayrshires, Shorthorns (of good milking strains), native cows, and differtmt grades, and, while attaining good results, I found there was still much to be desired, a good deal in quantity, but more, very much more, in quality. And BO, after many years' labor and testing, I at last got a grade Jersey which is the cow referred to in my last chapter, and every one, 20 I i,hink, will admit that the butter yield is grand, especially in view of the food consumed. But she had a large share of Ayrshire blood in her, besides being halt' Jersey. I plainly state, that for every one who makes butter, I think the Channel Island cattle the most paying, not only on account of quantity, but much more on account of quality, which is, certainly, superlative. But everyone must be their own judge in this matter. Now, as to my preference for Jerseys, I will give a lew reasons, so that the public may know tohy I like them. Some people object, that the Jersey gives so little milk as compared with other cows. This is entirely different from my experience. Not only does a good Jersey give a fine mess of milk, when fresh, but she holds to it tiirough- out the year in a way totally unknown to other breeds, and some Jrrseys never go dry for years. It Is this persistent milking of such rich milk, and this large and continuous yield of butter of most exquisite quality, that renders the Jersey, pc/r excellence, the family cow. Perhaps I can better con- vince my readers by giving a few figures. The grade cow referred to in the previous chapter was not only tested for butter, but every milking was weighed, all through tlni year, and she gave exactly "7, 756 lbs. of milk in eleven months. This sold at the usual average price would bring in $200 a year, less the cost of keeping the cow. Being so pleased virith grades, I resolved to purchase 8ome pure Jerseys, which I did, seventeen years ago, and every succeeding year since then has only confirmed and strengthened my opinion, that the Jersey, for both milk and butter, is the n:ost profitable cow in all the world. A two-year old heifer, well cared for with me, will make more butter than those of same age of any breed I ever knew. For instance, here are some tests in my herd : Orange Delia, 2 years, 9^ lbs. per week ; Miss Daisy Delle, 2 years, 10^ lbs. per week ; Charlotte Hertedy, 2 years, 8^ lbs. per week ; Topsey of Malone, 2 years, 14^ lbs. per week ; Bessie of Malone, 21 months, 10^ lbs. per week; Jetsam's May, first prize 3-year old at Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, also sweepstakes, as best of any age, ly in view of liire blood in , I think the b of quantity, , superlative. w reasons, so as compared T does a good it til rough- some Jtrseys lis large and that renders ,n better con- cas not only igh the year, . This" sold ^s the cost of i 8ome pure ieedini; year ion, that the •w in all the ! more butter Qstance, here elle, 2 years, i. per week ; ' Malone, 21 i 3-year old t of any age, 21 at Montreal, and in my first priz":^ herd at the Montreal Exhibition lapt September, made me, the year before, at only 2 years old, 14 lbs. 5 02. a week, thus pretty well endorsing the judge's opinion; Belle Temple 2nd, 2 years, 14 lbs. a Week ; Charming of St. Lambert, -^ years, 15J lbs. a week; Lilium Excelsium 2nd, 2 yv-irs, lOj^ lb?, a week. These are only a very few of the two-year-old tests I have made, and most of these heifers, after milking for nine months, were still making 1 lb. per day of splendid butter. In older cows a few of the tests are : Eugenie 2nd, 14 lbs. a week ; Imported Mulberry, 14^ lbs, a week ; Brown Mulberry, 14 lbs. a week; Silver Delle, 17.^ lbs. a week; Belle Stenben, 17 lbs. a week; Lilium Excelsium, 17J lbs. a week; Princess Clothilde, 17| lbs. a week; Sibyl's Lass, 14 lbs. a week; Rioter's Queen, 17^ lbs. a week; Lisgar's Ella, 17^ lbs. a week ; Diana of St. Lambert, 16 lbs. a week; Bertha Black (at rate of), 23 lbs. 10 oz. a week; Maggie Rex (at rate of), 21 lbs. 7 oz. a week; Miss Satanella, 20 lbs. 6 oz. a week on second calf only. Now, these are all sworn tests, made either under my direct super- vision, or made entirely by myself, in person, and they are only a very few of tho.se I could report. Is it any wonder, then, that I should prefer the Jersey cow ? I don't say that no other breed will make the same quantity of butter on same quantity of feed. But I do say, that I never could get them to do it, or nearly to do it, and I think I understand the matter pretty well. In conclusion, it has been urged that Jerseys are delicate and soon wear out. I can oflFer no better refutation than to submit the test of my grand old cow, Massena, after she had entered her sixteenth year, and then leave farmers to draw their own conclusions. In her sixteenth year Massena has yielded, in six months only, 541 3| pounds milk, from which has been actually churned 416 lbs. 10 oz. splendid butter. '-1' wnm ml Milk. Buttfr, lbs. lbs. oz. March 6.. 28 March 7.. 30 March 8..30i March 9.-31" March 10.. 31 J March 11.. 30 J March 12.. 30 March 13.. 32^ March 14.. 32 March 15.. 33 March 16.. 33 March 17..H3i March 18.. 34" March 1!)..33^ March 20.. 3.3 J March 21..32-V March 22.. 33" March 23.. 32^ March 24.. 31 J March 25.. 33 J March 26.. 34 March 27... 33 March 28.. 33 Marc 1 1 29.. 33 March 30.. 32 J March31..26i April 1..33" April 2.. 31 April 3.. 30^ April 4.. 32 April 6.. 32 J April 6.. 32^ April 7.. 31 April 8.. 31 April 9.. 31 April 10..29I April 11.. 29 April 12.. 27 J April 13.. 28 April 14.. 29 April 15.. 29 J April 16.. 30 April 17.. 29 April 18.. 29 April 19.. 29 J April 20.. 29 J April 21.. 30 April 22.. 29 April 23.. 28 April 24..23J 3 8 3 9 3 11 4 4 4 9 4 11 5 2 5 2J 5 4 5 2^ 5 5 2J 5 IJ 6 I 5 n 5 5 2 4 11 4 15 4 14 4 15 4 15 4 15 4 12 4 8 22 Milk. Buttbr. lbs. llis. oz. April April April April April April May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May May June June June June June June June June June June June June June 25.. 22 26. .20 27. .22 28.. 26 29..26i 30..26.J 1..26" 2..26i 3..26i 4..25| 5.,28i 6..29J 7..29i 8..30i 9..31i 10.. 30" 11. .30^ 12..30J 13.. 30 J 14..30J 15.. 30* 16.. 30 17..30i 18...30i 19..30| 20.. 30^ 21..29J 22.. 29 J 23.. 30 J 24.. 30 25.. 30 26.. 30 27.. 30 28.. 31 29..30i 30..30| 31.. 30* 1...30" 2. .29 3.. 30 4. .30 5. .30 6. .30 7.. 30 J 8..29J 9.. 30 10., 30 11.. 30 12..29J 13... 30 4 2J 4 3 4 U 4 8 4 7 4 8i 4 9* 4 8J 4 7 4 7 4 6^ 4 8 4 7i 4 8J 4 11 4 H 4 9 4 10 4 8i 4 H 4 7} 4 8J 4 7^ 4 8i 4 8 23 Milk. Botter. lbs. Ibe. oz. June June June June June June June June June June June June June June June June June July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July 14.. 30 15.. 'm 16.. 30" 17. .30 18.. 30 19. .30 20.. 30 21.. 28 J 22.. 30 23..29A 24.. 29 25. .29 26.. 28* 27.. 29 28..29i 29.. 28^ 30.. 29* 1..28* 2.. 291" 3.. 28* 4.. 29" 5..28i 6. .29 7.. 29* 8.. 30" 9.. 30* 10.. 29* 11. .29' 12. .30 14..29J 15..29J 16.. 29 17.. 32 18..28J 19. .29 20.. 29 21.. 29 22. .30 23. .29 24. .28 25..27J 4 n 4 n 4 8i 4 6i 4 7J 4 6J 4 7 4 7 4 6 4 6J 4 8 4 8 4 n 4 7 4 8i 4 6J 4 7J 4 ■ 8 4 7 4 6} Milk. BnTxKR. lbs. lbs. oz. July 26. .28 4 5i July 27. .27 July July 28. 29. .28 .28 4 6J July .30. .28 4 7 July 31. .28 J Aug. 1. .30 4 7 Aug. 2. .29 Aug. 3. .30 4 Qi Aug. 4. .28^. Aug. 5. .29" 4 7 Aug. 6. .28^ Aug. 7. .29 4 6 Aug. 8. .29 Aug. 9. .28^ 4 5J Aug. 10. .28 J Aug. Aug. 11. 12. .28^ .27* 4 n Aug. Aug. 13. 14. .28^ .27 4 H Aug. Aug. 15. 16. .271 .28 4 H Aug. Aug. 17. 18. .28 .28* 4 7 Aug. 19. .28" f Aug. 20. .29 4 6 Aug. 21. • 27 i 4 5i Aug. 22. .28^ Aug. Aug. 23. 24. .27* .28" 4 6 Aug. 25. .28 4 H Aug. 26. .28 Aug. 27. .28 4 5i Aug. 28. .27^ Aug. 29. .28 4 5 Aug. 30. .28 4 Aug. 31. .27* 4 7 Sept. 1. .211 Sept. 2. .29 4 ^ Sept. 3. .28 Sept. 4. .27 J 4 4 Sept. 5. .27J ■"t'l^ ! ^«3i 41G 10 For 6 conseoutive months Massena thus averaged over 29 lbs. of milk a day, and for 6 conseoutive months she has averaged 16 Iba. of butter every week. K any cow but a Jersey will do this, I have never seen it. But this is why I keep Jerseys. 'n,^' 24 The next month her yield was estimated only, as she was away at the Fairs. We took the average yield of August, the month before she went away, and of October, the month after she returned, to arrive at her yield when away. On this basis her whole year's record was as follows: Milk. Butter Iba. lbs. oz^ March 7th to Sept. 6th, inclusive, just 6 mos., the cow actually yielded 6,413J 416 10 Sept. 7th to Oct. 6th, estimated 751 J 61 4} Oct. 7th to Nov. 6th, actual 629 64 8 Nov. 7th to Dec 6th, actual .590J 61 15 Dec. 7th to Jan. 6th, actual 505J 43 IJ Jan. 7th to Fob. 6th, actual .333 21 4J Feb. 7th to 15tli, 9 days, actual 67| 6 5 Total for 11 mos. and 9 days 8,290J 654 J From February 15th her milk was thrown out, till the morning of the 28th, when .she dropped a fine heifer calf sired by her own son, Massena's son, that had such a glorious success at our exhibitions last fall. To return to Massena's test. It was made during her sixteenth year ; she had dropped two mature calves inside of a year. She had traveled over 1,100 miles by rail, within the year, and stood three weeks on Fair grounds. She had been in no way forced, as being far too valuable; for nearly two months before caiving she had no grain whatever. During the nineteen weeks previous to calving she averaged over 9|- lbs. butter a week, and for the whole period, until the last seven weeks (when she w:is only eating thin bran) it took but 11^ lbs. of her milk to make 1 lb. of butter. What cow of her age can beat the record ? e was away at efore she went ) arrive at her .K. Bdtteb lbs. oz. 113J 416 f5U 61 ;29 )90J )05J 67* 54 51 43 21 5 10 4} 8 15 ^ 5 26 1%^ 654 I he morninf» of f her own son, exhibitions last ixtcenth year ; and stood irced, as being \\e had no grain ig she averaged il the last seven ll-Ubs. ofher can beat the CHAPTER V. CHOOSE THE BREED WHICH YOU ARE SURE SUITS TOUR WANTS BEST. IMPROVING OUR DAIRY STANDING. Do not, however, think that I am blind to the merits of any cow but a Jersey. Far from it. "A GOOD COW IS A GOOD COW, ALL THE WORLD OVER.BE SHE WHAT BREED SHE MAY." It is not the object of this book to advertise my Jerseys, I 'lave no need and no wish to do so in this way j it is better done in the proper channel. My sole aim in writing this is to induce people to select and to keep only the very best cattle of their kinds ; to show them (as far as I know myself) how to make more butter and far better butter than ever before, and also how to market it to better advantage, so s to net them more money ; to awaken American farmers to the fact that they are not keeping up with the procession, and to show them that every year thousands of dollars which ought to go into their own pocketa are paid out by England to Irish and Danish dairymen. We don't make hiilf enough batter, in view of the number of cows in this country, and what we do make is not nearly as good as it ought to be. And there is no excuse for this state of affairs. There is more thoroughbred stock in the country than ever before, and at lower prices. The economy and advantages of the silo are now so well understood, that farms can carry at least one-third more stock, and at less expense. Experimental Farms and Travelling Dairies prevail, diffusing soundi practical teaching, and illustrating every step. If, with all these advantages, Americans, cannot put the dairy product of their country on the footing that really belongs to it, they have no one but themselves to blame. 2 1^ 26 However, I want no one to pin their faith to mine. Look about you, make tests and experiments, and then brin^ torn- mon sense to bear on the matter. Only, let me warn you about one thing, carry your experiments far enough to bo perfectly sure of your ground, otherwise you may be greatly misled. " Oae swallow doesn't make a summer," neither does one experiment prove a thing. In fact, the second experiment often contradicts the first. Why is this, you ask ? Because experiments are so largely affected by circumstances, some of which we know nothing about, and others that we know all about but cannot control. A great many experiments, however, will soon determine a point beyond a shadow of doubt. I will now give you this advice : Having carefully determined which is the best breed of cattle /or you, and which will best suit your surroundings and best pay for their keep, then get the very best specimens of that breed that you can pos- aibly procure. Don't waste your money, but don't haggle about the price of a really first-class animal. One dollar saved by purchasing an inferior animal is generally one hundred dollars lost before the year is out. If you can start with a small but choice herd of thoroughbreds you arc fortunate, and are on 1;he high road to success. If you can only buy two, buy a pair, the very best you can get, and your thoroughbreds will gradually increase, while the rest of your herd will be graded up by degrees till your pleasure and your profifc wiil surprise you. If you can only buy one animal, let it be a thoroughbred male, and then you will soon be able to afford a choice femule of the same sort, and will have made a good beginning. 27 ring tonk* meats far . may be xperiment adiots the ces, some all about le a point cattle for y for their u oaa pos* of a reaUy Qerally w.t hbreds you an get, and your herd profit will male, And same sort;) CHAPTEK VI. MILKING AND SKIMMING. — SETTING MILK. — SHALLOW PANS.— CREAMERS. — SEPARATORS. Having got the very best cow possible, and fed her iu the best man- ner, the next step is to make the finest quality of butter, and then to market it in the most advantageous manner. I have ofto'n been asked how I made such good butter, and my answer is, I don't go too much by any given rule. It is not possible to have full control over atmosphere and other sur- roundings, therefore vee must bring judgment and common sense to bear upon the matter. On a bench in the barn should be placed large tin cans, with covers, one of them having a large round tin shaped like a steamer fitted to the top, and then the cover placed on that. Of course the bottom of this Is a wire strainer. Milking is done as quickly and quietly as possible, oaro being taken to do it thoroughly and in a most cleanly marner. Such a thing as wetting the hands or the teats of the cows is never permitted ; it is a filthy habit, and is most unnecessary. Each cow's milk is strained into the can immediately, and covered at Once, and as quickly as one can is filled it is taken to the dairy^ and there strained again. In some places shallow setting is still practised, in which case the pans should be set in a cool dairy, or in a cellar that is used for nothing but milk. Keep this place as pure and sweet as possible ; in hot weather, keep the windows open at night and closed during the day, and have wire screens over them constantly. Now, Bome people will tell you to skim at the end of 24 or 36 hours, or to skim regularly, night and morning. Do nothing of the kind if you want to work to the best advan- tage, but skim exactly when the milk is ft. I know it is a little hard to go to your dairy, prepared to skim the milk and get the pans washed up and out of the way, and find the milk not ready for skimming, but it can^t be helped. Leave it alone, and go back at noon^ when it will probably be ready. Ill ij I ^ 28 The best time to skim shallow pans is when the milk is just beoin- NiNQ to lopper or thicken in the bottom of the pan — has just com- menced to sour. A little experience will soon teach when this is the case. Then, with a spoon, loosen it all round the edge (never, never do this with your finger, as is the disgusting habit of some people), set the pan on the edge of your deep cream can, tip it a little, and the whole thick sheet of cream, guided a little with your spoon, will slip off, quick and clean, taking hardly any milk with it. This is by far the best and quickest way of skimming shallow pans, and time is money in a large dairy. Never skim two milkings at the same time. If one is ready to skim the other is not, or else one is too ripe. In deep setting, things are different. With plenty of ice, the cream Is supposed to be all up in 12 hours in any of the good creamers now in use, and no doubt it generally is. As the milk, by this mctliod, is almost entirely protected from atmospheric influences, and is held at a steady temperature, the process is much more uniform, and it is possible to have regular hours for drawing off the cream, without any feav of mis- take or loss. This is worth knowing. I cannot imagine any one who has a bit of feeling for tho females of his household doing without a creamer, for the labor it saves is truly surprising, and, to put it on no higher grounds, it is generally cheaper to take care of one's wife than it is to hury her. And, besides, it is money in the farmer's own pocket, for more butter and very much better butter can be made from a creamer than from shallow Betting. I confess to a love of the old way — the rows of shining pans in the cool, quiet dairy, the rich hue of the golden cx-eam, and most decidedly to the thick cream that will hardly pour out on my porridge or my strawberries, cream that can be got in no other way than by shallow setting, and I have made just as much and just as good butter from shallow setting, when temperature and everything else was exactly right. But that " when" tells the whole story. It is simply impossi- ble to control these surroundings, and they are not just right more than one-fourth of the time, and, therefore, we wisely take to the creamer, which does all this for us and gives us a uniform product. Still better is the centrifugal machine, or separator, as it is called, which separates 29 JUST BEOIN- has just com- en this is the )ver, never do iople), set the ind the whole slip off, quick r the best and iney in a large re^idy to skim ice, the cream reamers now in his method, is nd is held at a id it is possible my feat of mis- or the females t saves is truly lerally cheaper for more butter amer than from ing pans in the most decidedly porridge or my bhan by shallow ood butter from se was exactly simply impossi- right more than to the creamer, ict. Still better which separates the cream and milk as«oon as milkiug is done, and more thoroughly, all the year round, than can be done in any other way. This mode saves the washing of many tins, and saves all the ice used for deep setting. The only disadvantage seems to be in the hand labor of turning the machine, where no steam power is used, but even this cannot outwaigh the many advantages of the separator. When tljO cream is drawn off you ure again at the mercy of the at»"iosphere, and now you must keep your wits about you, for here is where much trouble creeps in. Stir your can thoroughly down to the bottom, twice a day, or every time fresh cream is added, and keep it as cool as you possibly can (bufc on no account freeze it) till you have sufl&cient for a churning. Now, you must raise it in summer to 60 degrees, in winter to 62 to 65, according to the temperature of the room you churn in. Some people do this by putting the can near the kitchen stove, and then the butter is ruined before it goes into the churn. The side next tlie stove will be ever so much too hot, oily and greasy, while the other side is tc_/Cool, and the cream will absorb every odor of cooking and kitchen, to re-appear in the butter and tell the tale of ignorance or care- lessness. There is but one way to temper cream properly, and that is in a hot water bath. Have a larger can than the cream can, and have ready a long wooden paddle, a common thermometer and a clean towel. Fill the larger can about half full of hot water (but not boiling), then set in the cream can, and instantly begin stirring constantly with the paddle, so none of the cream next the tin will get over-heated. The water must raise as high as the cream does, so all will be equally heated. Have a light wire attached to your thermometer, and lower it to the middle of the cream can occasionally. Hold it there a few moments, then take out and wipe quickly, so as to clear the glass. The moment the cream is of right temperature, lift out the can, stir for a few moments longer, cover with a clean towel, and put where it will remain at exactly the same temperature till fit to churn. Of this fitness or ripeness much has been said or written, while the truth is that only experience can decide. Twenty-four hours has been fixed as the right time, but it is often more and often less. Stir two 30 Or ibrco times a day, and w'ltch closely, and jou will hnrdljfail in bit* ting the rigbt degree of sourness or ripeness. But before you put it into tbo cburn, try it again with tho tbcrmometer to insure its being just right, for nothing is a greater source of vexation and trouble than ehurning at a wrong temperature. If the cream is too hot, tbo butter is spoiled; if too cold, you may churn in vain for bours, and lose your temper und your time. 1 i 1 1 : 6 1 i j '' I n 81 CHAPTER Vn. CHURNING. — 8ALTIN0. BaTing got your cream into the best possible condition for ohurniag, proceed to scald your churn with water that is actually boiling. Then eool it with fresh water, put in your cream, and churn with a steady, regnlar movement, and not too fast. In spite of all our care, it will be found that this business is easier in summer than in winter weather, partly because grass butter comes easier, and partly because of the higher and more uniform tempera- ture. Pifteen to thirty minutes in summer, and thirty to forty-five minntes in winter, will generally bring the butter in fine order. An experienced ear can tell when the butter has come, by the peculiar washing sound in the churn, quite diflFerent from the dull, heavy thud of the thick cream when it is first put in. Our grandmothers could tell fast enough by the look of the dasher as it worked up and down, but the dash churn is now a thing of the past, and we are well rid of it, because it brought the butter in huge lumps — in fact, one of the old- time rules was to " gather the butter " in the churn before it was lifted out. It was then put into a wooden bowl, washed and re-washed, spread out, and rolled up again, and beaten and mashed with a ladle till nine- tenths of the butter was spoiled bsfore it ever went on the table. This is all wrong. I don't mean to say that good butter was never made in the old times, for we all know better, but it was made only by a few, and made under difficulties. It was made by those who fed their eattle so well, those who were so intelligent in their ideas and so cleanly in their habits, and they succeeded in spite of many draw- backs. They used the greatest judgment in creaming and ripening and the greatest care in working the butter. They never slid the ladle over it, leaving a shiny, greasy surface behind and breaking the grain, but thej pressed it carefully, and worked it no more than was absolutely neces- sary. yfKW 32 But they were the exception and not the rule, and good butter was the exception also and not the rule ; while if tho system of to-day be followed, as 8ct forth in our leading papers, and taught in our <:;iiry schools, good butter will bo tho rule, and poor butter the exception. Having irreverently demolished the system of our grandmothers, what are we to do ? I answer, churn till tho butter is in a granular form, till it is only as big as grains of wheat, and then stop ; it is done. Now, you have two objects in view : First, to keep it in that form, to keep all those little ffraius entireli/ apart, till the butter is thoroughly washed, and next, to bring it together after it is properly washed. Now, there is only one thing that will keep the grains from adhering, and that is cold. Have tho coldest water you can get, ice water in Bummer, and a handful or two of salt in it. Having drawn off your buttermilk, pour on enough of this cold brine to well cover the butter and then work the churn very slowly and gently for a minutL', draw off the water, and put on some more, and, if necessary, repeat again, till the water runs off the butter as clear as when it was put on. If properly managed, the butter will have been washed as if it were BO much gravel or so much shot, and will not have adhered at all. but will lie in the churn, looking exactly like yellow wheat, — a bonny .sight, and a profitable one as well. In warm weather you may lift it out in that state, but in very cold weather it is bettor to pour on some more water at 62° to 65°, and let stand a few moments, then drain and takeout on the worker. It will still be i:i grains, but not too hard to gather into a mass whenever you begin to work it. Use only the very best salt, too much stress can hardly be laid upon that, and also doyi't over-salt. It won't keep tho butter a bit better, but especially if the salt be the common poor stuff generally used, the butter will be actually bitter to the taste, and rough and gritty to the tongue. This is the poorest economy, and I think as much butter has been spoiled by this practice as by all other causes put together. Use Ashton salt, or Higgins, or the nearest to those that you can get, and don't grudge the small extra cost, for it will pay you over and over again. If not as fine as it possibly can be made, sift it, and then stir it lightly and evenly into your granular butter, at the rate of half an 83 butter was f to-day be I our ilairy sception. indmothers, a granular stop; it is I that form, i thoroughly vashed. in adlioring, ice vuttT in ,wn off your r the' butter linutc, draw epcat again, t on. IS if it were i at Jill, but )onny hight, in very cold 65°, and let er. It will henever you e laid upon bit better, y used, the ritty to the butter has ther. you can get, rer and over nd then stir e of half sn ounce, three-quarters, or even a whole ounce to the pound, according to tasto. But let mo assure you that too much salt overpowers all the sweet and delicate flavor of your butter, and it is no longer the popular tasto. For packed butter (which, however, I never have to make) I would use an ounce to the pound ; but for fresh or print butter, only half an ouneo to the pound is my rule. I know this will surprise many, but try it and sco how it works. The reputation my butter has got is a sufficient guarantee of its goodness, and lest anyone should think that I supply only a few people of peculiar taste, I may here state that, last year, the output of my dairy was seven thousand pounds. Having thoroughly incorporated the salt, proceed to use the butter worker, but to more than is absolutely necessary to get the butter into a solid lump of even vturo and color throughout. If it is not worked enough it will be - i' y, but this is a thing that very seldom happens. One rarely sees bu.ior hurt by too little working, while it is almost invariably spoiled to much working. Now, if the temperature of your dairy is just right, and can be kept that way, so the butter will neither get soft and oily, nor get hard and crumbly, you may, with advantage, leave it a couple of hours, to let the salt dissolve, and then make it up. But if you are not quite sure of this, finish it while you are about it, for you would lose more than you would gain by letting it stand. Above all things, avoid the practice of some people of letting it stand all night. It is impossible to re-work it then without breaking the grain and greasing the butter. If you print it, use a handsome print, with a good impression on top ; not an elaborate device, which is seldom stamped perfectly, but one as slmplo as possible — a star, an acorn, or a sheaf of wheat. The best print I ever had I got in New York for forty cents, and it had a Scotch thistle on it; so deeply and clearly was the thistle cut in the wood, that the impression was just grand, as though carved in gold, and a hundred of those prints in rows, in an immense flat tin, filled with cold clear water before being packed, was a " sight for sair een " I can tell you. 1 in.iiiji 34 CHAPTER VIII. PKINTINQ. — PREPARING FOR MARKET. flil lilBIIII I have said that I got my print in New York, and so I did, and it only cost me 40 cents, and lasted me fop many years. Its advantages were these : the clear, deep impression it made, Hie •beautiful finish and smoothness of the wood, and above all the straight *ide8. If you want to succeed, look well to these small things. I found the prints I got here were made of poor wood, and soon split; that the impression on top was cut in such a shallow way, and e' roughly, that one could hardly tell what it was meant for ; and also that the sides of print sloped out, towards the bottom, which looks very bad^y. On my New York print, the Scotch thistle on top stood up half an inch and more, and was the handsomest I ever saw ; everyone exclaimed that they had never seen butter so beautifully printed. Besides which, straight sided prints pack better and closer, and don't bruise so much. Better prints can now be had here, but there is still much to be desired in them. Square prints were once much in vogue, and I have used them a great deal, but I confess that I don't xike their appearance so well. The only advantages I can see are these, and they certainly count for a good deal : 1st. — You can pack these bricks of butter in a solid mass, and in -ch smaller space than any other form of print ; 2nd.— A good square print is so constructed that you can turn out exactly the weight required, 1 lb. or J lb. to each print, while with the round mould this is hardly possible. Notwithstanding, I prefer the round one. You have got to please the people's eye, and if you i *e as expert at printing as you should be, you can soon come so close to the weight required as to surprise yourself. And now let me caution you about one thing, he sure and gi^efull weight. Whatever your prints are represented to weigh, see that they do so. 1 ill 35 Bat, on the other hand, you must not rob yourself — this is moro easily done than you would suppose, and these small leaks make ft woeful difference in your balance sheet. Perhaps I can best explain by relating my own actual experience : I was working in my dairy, and I put on the scales a print which weighed half an ounce too much. A friend, who was watching me, said, ** Oh, let it go at that, you won't lose much by i*^." I told her that the year before I had sent out 10,000 prints of butter. Had each one been half an ounce over weight that would mean at the end of the year 5000 ounces, or, in plain figures, a loss of 312J lbs. butter. There is nothing like facts and figures in cases like this, and eternal vigilance is the price of success. Ask any milkman who sells milk out cf cans, what proportion of loss there is in re-measuring, and I think you will be surprised. Now, there must be some loss, but it is our own fault if that loss be excessive. We have no right to defraud ourselves to the extent that my friend suggested to me, for then liberality becomes wastefulness and justice degenerates into folly. Yet, on the other hand, we must give good measure — we must give down-weight, so that the scale will gink promptly, and no mistake about it. Some loss there will certainly be, but if we are careful it will not be very great, and it will be amply covered by the entire satis- faction of our customers and the good price they are willing to pay, in consequence. Now, as to wrapping up each print separately, it is most desirable,— in fact, it is really necessary, if you want to market your product in first-class shape. Unless in exceedingly cold weather, when it may be omitted, but I would not advise this even then. I have not used any of the preparations of paper, though some are excellent and very cheap ; still, I prefer the cheese-cloth, not the un- bleached, woolly stuff, tliat would not do at all, but the pure white cotton ihecse bandage ; it is a yard wide, is free from dressing, and only costs abont 6 cents a yard by the piece. Use this for all purposes about butter. Cut a number of squares, in evenings or odd times, and keep in a clean, dry place, and wrap each print in one, first wetting the tloth in cold water, lay the square on top of your print, and fold the four corners under the bottom. Then the tops of your prints wiM .pwr ^1 1 ■■•'■■" 1, 111 1 ''•Si I; ■ -:i!l 36 present a uniform and pleasing appearance, the yellow butter shining th^'ough the thin white cloth — and, besides, there is no danger of break- ing the impression on top in detaching the corners of the cloth, when they are underneatli. Don't have your squares too big — they cost more, and look untidy, In whatever case you lay your prints, be it basket, or wooden case, or drawer, let it be spotlessly clean and sweet and as new as possible Have a square yard of the white cheese-cloth wrung out of ice water. Lay lialf of i t smoothly in the bottom of basket or box. Arrange your prints neatly on it, each in its own white wrapping. Then fold the other half of your cloth over them, and over all lay a clean towel, fresh out of the folds. And now, do not be angry if I give you one piece of advice : Avoid, as you would poison, the bedroom towel, so often used for this purpose. You may say the towel is clean, and no doubt it is, but the ideas it suggests are not cleanly, and its use is enough to condemn the best basket of buttor that ever went into market. Still worse is the oW piece of whito cotton that has evidently seen years of service, and has then been torn off from something, one doesn't know what, and it is better not to enquire 1 It will pay you over and again to have half a dozen or more large coarse, white linen towels, each marked " dairy " in largo letters, and use them for nothing else. So much for preparing butter in prints. If you can sell the whole lot to one person you suffer less loss than by selling in small lots. If you put it in rolls, there is 1?S3 trouble and less loss, but, as a rule, it brings less money. If you prefer, however, to have it in rolls, whether of 5 lbs., 2 lbs., or 1 lb., Bee that they are all down-weight, and all so exactly alike that you can hardly tell one from tlio other. Lot each one be neatly wrapped in a piece of wet white cheese-cloth, and laid evenly side by side. Have your naaie plainly marked on all boxes, baskets and towels, and if you have strictly followed all my directions you will 1 ardly be able to meet the demand for your butter. Your name will be a suffi- cient guarantee. But don't expect this result all at once ; that is an impossibility. Be patient and persevering, and you will succeed. People who are regularly served with sweet, delicious yellow butter, 37 iter shining or of break- cloth, whea ook untidy, ooden case, as possible f ice water, rrange your ea fold the lean towel, rice: a used for )t it is, but :o condemn all year round, in dainty and spotless packages, will not willingly do without it. They soon get to know that the full weight is always there, that the quality is always superlative, that the appearance is pleasing, and that the exquisite cleanliness is self-evident, and they will gladly pay more than the market price for it. But you must educate them up to this by degrees. I have often heard visitors say : " Is this the famous Jersey butter ? It is very fine, but not so very wonderful after all.** But, soon after, meeting these same people, they invariably exclaim : " You have spoiled us for any other butter I We simply can't, eat it now with any relish." This is emphatically true. Jersey butter steals into one's good graces before one knows it, and when it gets there it stays there. The same is true, to a certain extent, of all really good butter; but once market an inferior lot, and your whole labor is undone, you have got to begin at the very beginning again, and handicapped with a damaged name at that. idently seen one doesn't ' more large letters, and n prints. 3 loss than trouble and p, however, ihey are all ly tell one ece of Wet md towels, lardly be I be a suffi- ibility. Be ow butter. 38 CHAPTER IX. METHOD OP MARKETING PRINT BUTTER IN GILT EDGE DAlBKB/>» BEST BUTTER BOXES FOR SMALL LOTS, NOT PRINTED. Print buttei certainly brings a higher price than any other, and, if money alone be the object, it is well worth while to put it up in that forna. But it often happens that there is not time for this, and the question arises, if I have to put up my butter in bulk, how shall I do it? I have tried little crocks, and they are very nice, but they cost too much, and, besides, they are heavy to handle and liable to break. I have tried neat white tubs lined with tin. These are a pretty package, but the tin soon rusts and corrodes from the salt. And, be- sides, no one who wants a fancy price for fancy butter wants to put it up in as large packages as these. It will, if of best quality, rank as A 1 tub butter, but it wHl bo " tub butter," and this is not what we want. We are now speaking of strictly fresh choice table butter — that which is most appropriately called, in the States, 10 days butter — meanii^, that to be eaten in its prime it should all be consumed within 10 days of the time it is churned. And I will tell you how they manage this in the States. The most delicious print butter is sent into the cities once a week packed in Philadelphia ice tubs. In these the ice docs not touch the butter, but is in a compartment by itself. This butter sells at from fifty cents to a dollar a pound, all through the week. But (and here is the secret) at the end of the week, everif print remaining unsold is returned to the dairy from whence it came; the dealer is credited "ith the amount returned, while a fresh made supply goes forward Ibi- the ensuing week. The returned butter is sold in the neighborhood of the dairy for * fair price, but for nothing like city prices. The wisdom of this policy must be apparent to everyone. These dairymen hold their reputation above everything else, and jealously guard it. Nothing would induce them to allow one print of their butter 39 to go on tho market that was not churned within the week, and thafc was nob strictly up to their usual standard. They would not sell a print of butter that had begun to "go oflf" even if they were offered ten dollars a pound for it, because the ten dollars tn their pocket to-day would be many hundreds of dollars out of it in the future, and they are keenly alive to this fact. As a result, a customer once got is never lost, and even a fall in prices does not affect them. People kriow that the name of such a firm is like the Hall mark on silver, or the stamp on a guinea, that it is a warranty of absolute perfection in that line, and then the public have- got to have these goods, and won't bo satisfii I with any other. If people could only be brought to realize this, and to act upon it, what a revolution it would make in business! "Honesty is the besb policy," is quoted glibly enough, and often by those who don't even know what honesty means; but let me tell you that under that trite old. saying there is a meaning as deep as the sea and as wide as the world, if people would only see it. You will say, " what of the loss involved by butter returned to the dairy and sold at a reduced price ? " There is no loss. In the first place, there is but little returned, so great is the demand. Often, for weeks together, there is none at all returned, as supply has been short. In the second place, even this returned butter is sold at a price that would seem wonderful to many a farmer, and at a price that pays well for its making. Neighbors all round know exactly what it is, and are only too glad to get it. They use it immediately, as they are supposed to do, and are well pleased. The dairies make a good profit on this- returned butter, and what they make on the higher-priced city butter is just so much more clear profit over and above that again. This is a most satisfactory state of things, but it can only be attained by adhering rigidly to the fibbed rules laid down. Once yield to temp- tation for the sake of present gain, and your reputation is gone, and Oan never be regained. A great trouble with us is that we are short-sighted, narrow, greedy and grasping. We are not content to build up a reputation by slow degrees, knowing; if>- i>L ■'lii 40 that people will soon awake to the fact that they can't do without us, and must pay our price. Wo want to charge the price right away, and then convince the people afterwards how superior our good;? are. Now, this is all wrong — it is the cart before the horse. If you want to succeed, convince people first and then charge them afterwards. I will tell you how t put up a great deal of my butter. I get small round boxes, hooped with tin, and paraffined inside. These come in "nests," if desired, are exceedingly neat and attractive, clean, strong enough for all practical purposes, and wonderfully liii;ht to handle. The most desirable sizes hold 3 lbs., 5 lbs., 7 lbs., and 10 lbs. each. They are also in general use in the States. Fill a few of these boxes with sweet, yellow, fragrant butter, and pack with dainty care, not smearing the edges. Lay a round of white ** cheese- cloth " wrung out of cold water on top, sprinkle on a little fine salt, cover tightly, and stencil your name on it, and then see if your work does not do you credit. These little boxes are to be packed in outer cases of any size desired, buteyew these I prefer to have of dressed stuff, neat and tidy. Of course, these boxes are not returned, but you do not expect it, as the cost is trifling. A 10 lb. box costs 10 cents, and an outer case holding six of these boxes (60 lbs.) costs 10 cents more. And I don t know of any other way in which 60 lbs, of fresh table butter can be put up, in faultless and most attractive style, at a cost of 70 cents. 41 CHAPTER X. ON CHURNS. I have often been asked what kind of churn, butterworker, etc., I ase. I use a box churn, made in the Slates. I do not say that it is the lest churn in the world, because I don't think so, but I do say that there is no better. I got it in this way : My liusbaud was visiting one of the greatest Jersey breeders in the States, many years ago, and was so delighted with the butter there that he took note of all the dairy fixtures and got me duplicates, whenever he could. This churn is simply an oblong box (straight sides and ends) with a cover on the top, about a foot fiquare. This cover, when, fitted on, is secured by two buttons. From a stout, oblong frame, on the floor, rise two uprights, or legs, about 2 by 10 and 3 ft. high. These stand cross-ways of the frame, about three feet apart, and on them rests a stout board, 3 feet long and 10 inches wide. These legs, or uprights, are jiinned to this platform, as well as to the frame below, so that they can be pushed to and fro. On the bottom of the churn arc four cleats, along the four edges, so when the churn is liflcd on the platform it just fits down upon it and docs not slide off. By a round wooden roller, reaching acros.? one end of the churn box, it is firmly held by a man, and pushed from him and di'awn towards him at any speed desired. There are wheels with the churn, so that it may be attached to steam or any other power, but, of late years, we work it by hand. Formerly, I tried a power, but either we were nob a success or the power was not. Objecting to have any animal on a tread power, I got a small sweep, but it was made by one of those geniuses found inmost country neighborhoods, who are cheap to begin with but ruinous in the end. And what a time we did have with it, to be sure ! There was no horse on the place that was always at our disposal but the children's pony, and how she did hate and despise that churning 3 42 power I If left to herself, she would walk slower and slower, till at last she would actually stop, and I do believe she Wiis asleep half tiie time, Then, when she was vigorously awakened, she would stirt with a jump^ till the churn Dearly flew through the dairy roof. As a result, it took two people,— ono to mind the pony, and one t« mind the chum. i Wo then tr!ed a large gray mare, that went rather better ; but one day a little boy who waa visiting at our house throw a stono at gray Laoy as the ^as going around, and nearly frightened her to death. She bolted and jumped over a fence, taking part of the power with her, aad as it was pretty well worn out we never got it repaired. We churn 30 lbs. at a time. The foreman can do it alone, and some- times does, but it U a heavy bui:ines.s, and so, as a rule, when all is ready to begin, his assistant comes in and helps at the other end of the churn, till the butter comes, and hardly misses the time. la my churn are no dashers of any kind whatever — simply the box, and nothing more. There is a ventilator at the top, and a place at ono end for drawing off the buttermilk. It is simple, durable, and easily cleaned. I don't see how it could be improved upon. But there are great numbers of capital chums in our American markets, — in fact, the difficulty is to jand a poor one. I have also used, with much satisfaction, the common Swing churn. I think it works easier than any I know. Especially is this truo of a tin churn that has a round body while the ends are conical. This is, in a minute, hooked on to two chains, which hang from the ceiling, and a delicate woman, by having the chains long enough, can sit down in her chair, and work the ohum with the greatest ease and comfort, pushing it from her and then pulling on the string attached to the end. I know this may sound absurd to some who find it difficult to get out of the old rut, but just let them try it and they will be surprised and delighted. At any rate, anything is worth trying that will lighten the labor of the over-tasked wife and mother. I say plainly, and without hesitation, that a heavy churning in an old-fashioned dash chum is not fit work for any woman, be she ever so strong. Of course, I don't allude to the 3 or 4 lbs. of butter sometime) churned for table use by the thrifty housewife, with pride and pleasure. 43 but to extensive dairy work, vrhich is not only far too heavy, but, from the peculiar motion involved, is most injurious to all females. These tin cliurns are easier kept clean and sweet than wooden ones, and are far lighter to lift and carry. For those whose churnings are not too large, I cor Ji;illy recommend Ihem. The new dash churn is also a good one. All those I have seen have revolving dashers, but tliey make capital butter. However, turning the crank is, to me, more laborious than any other way of churning, while some people think it easier. But if an able-bodied man does that part of the work (as he should do) I don't think he will be found particular as to the motion. If all be ready when he comes in, and cream properly tempered, bo he is not kept churning for hours, he will generally be pretty good-natured over it, and soon bring the butter. Barrel churns I don't like quite eo well, because if they do leak, they make a fclop on the floor. And nothing makes such a mess as milk, unless it is quickly and thoroughly cleaned up. In factories oP large dairies where the floor is often of cement, and there is every convenience for flushing it with lots of water, it is all very well, and the barrel churn has the advantage of holding more than any other. But in a dairy like mine, being only one of my house cellars, I prefer my own churn, or one similar to it, because I find it the most con* venieni. A good chum is a good thing, and it is highly important Ic hav^ ond that is easily cleaned. But it doesn't do to pin your faith entirely to the churn, for good and bad butter can be made in the same ont;. But not by the same person. I may now state that I never have made better butter than I did 16 years ago, when I first got my Jersey cows. I had been in the habic of churning, or having churned, enough butter i'or table nse, many years before that, and had learned all I could about the best methods. And when I first got Jerseys I kept an accurate account of every thin<^.^ and have done so ever since. I found that, at the end of 12 months^ I made 2500 lbs. of os fine butter as I ever saw or tasted, and it waa all churned in an old-fashioned dash churn, and worked with a wooden bowl and ladle. I do not recommend this, as it is too laborious, Init I only mention it to show what can bo done, even under adverse circumstances. 44 1 m CHAPTER XI. OV BUTTER-WORKERS, — TIIK OLD BOWIi AND LADLE. As for butter-workers, I am sorry I can't reconimcn J those of Cana- dian mako as I do tho churns. I liavo never seen but ono that, to my mind, ia thoroughly satisfactory, and that is one made ia tha States (sometimes called tho Philadelphia). It is an obloui:; wooden tiay, over which a corrugated roller passes to and fro, being worked by a crank. Mine cost eight dollars, besides duty and freight, and I would not take $100 for it if I could not get another. The tray is made of the best well seasoned white wood, and tho cogs and travellers are of galvanized iron. I never saw anything that, in my opinion, worked butter so thoroughly and easily, and yet preserved the grain so well, and they are so splendidly made as to last for many years. I have only had two in 16 years, and, as I work now >about 7000 lbs. of butter a year, the durability of these articles is apparent. Lest I may be accused of injustice to my own country (although I sincerely hopo not), I may state that I was greatly delighted, soma years ago, to find that a company in a town near us were making this butter-worker. As I was then in want of a new one, I was only too glad to give them tho order, and when the article came home, it looked precisely like the one I had got from Philadelphia years be- fore. But when I came to use it, I soon saw the difference. In spite of everyday use. the seams opened and tho wood warped. Tho castings also were poor, and in a short time the whole thing went ifco jiieccs, and was broken \tp for kindling. It does seem a pity that f^onio firms cannot be found enterprising enough to make a first-class article of this pattern j they would sell by thousands. If I had not a Held, T phould use the common three-cornered ono etandingon three legs, and worked by a roller, one end of which lit^i into a socket in tho angle, while the other is held in the hand, and pressed down upon the butter. But this is more tiresome to me. 45 Somo people have a-^kod mo if I u-rof\inity, together with calls upon every female on the place to wait upon him, and to bring him lots more hot water, and not to stand there giping liko fooU, and he tells them that "churning is woman's work, anyhow." But not one word about his grandmother I Oh no, not to-day. And when, at last, the bitter and unprofitable end is reached, he slams the churn, aud kicks a pail over, and leaving the dairy in a hopeless mesa goes out and kicks the cow, and then goes round that place liko a comet for the rest of the day. 50 CHAPTER Xm. AN ANSWER TO MR. DOHERTT. — PRACTICAL EXPERTENCE. I had got thus far in my labors wlicn I waa very ably criticized by a gentleman who writes : — ** In my previous investigational was led to believe that nn animal of 1000 lbs. weight required 21 lbs. of digestible dry matter per day, consisting of 2.50 albuminoids, 12.50 carbo-hy- drates and 40 fat. Now, Mrs. Jones, during the months of November, December and January, fed her cow 31.35 lbs, of digestible dry matter made up of 3.13 albuminoids, 19.06 car' o-hydratesand .94 fat, which, according to my previous teaching, should be sufficient for a cow weighing 1G35 lbs., or about enough for two medium-sized cows of 800 lbs. each. Without giving us seekers after truth any reason for the Siime, Mrs. Jones, durini:; the months of February, March and April, drops the ration one half to the same cow, and feeds 17.62 lbs. digesti- ble dry matter, composed of 1.61 albuminoids, 9.76 carbo-hydrates and .51 fat, which, with tho exception of .1 9 f\it in excess and a deficiency of .39 in albuminoids, appears to bo a pretty well balanced ration for a cow of 800 lbs. Tho fiict of her cow giving four-fifths as much butter during these last months (although progressing toward time of calving) as during the previous ones, loudsme to suspect that about one-half Oi the food eaten during the earlier months was not assimilated, but thrown off with the other excretions, or else tho cow was an excessively larpe Holstein, weighing at least 1635 lbs. Still, the fact remains unexplained why the change of feed was made in February. I, liko Mrs Jones, believe in generous feeding; at the same time I should like to be rational in my method. I would not consider it reasonable to feel a cow more than .«he would digest and assimilate, nor would I think of cutting down her ration one-half without a sufficient cause." (Signed), J. n. DOHERTT. Kow, my whole aim and object is to elicit ju^t sueh remarks, to invite criticism^ to compare notes with my neighbors, and by our united efforts to find out what we are all striving to learu, viz., what iathe iruth. 61 NCS. ticized by was led to digestible carbo-hy- J^ovcmber, Iry matter a t, which, :r a cow W3 of 800 on for the md April, is. digesti- irates and deficiency tion for a ch butter fcalving) ne-half Oi t thrown c'y larpre xplained ko Mrs ike to be ■el a cow think of r. arka, to Lir united lat is the And we will never arrive at the truth, till we discard all ignorance and prejudi(5e, all conceit and self-sufficiency, and all tiarrow-minded- ness ; till we are ready and willing to learn, open to conviction, and quick to acknowledge our mistakes. And we will never achieve a national success in dairying, or in any- thing else, till we unite in making a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together. To return to our cow. She was not a Holst^ip, but a cross between Jersey and Ayrshire, a remarkably largo animal of her kind, with a wonderful appetite and a great constitution, but sho did not weigh 1000 lbs. Mr. Doherty thinks that at one time T over-fed this cow, thereby incurring loss and waste, while later on she was getting less than he thinks needful of digestible, dry matter, I will try to explain why I disagree with hirt. Is* Mr. Doherty was misled by a misprint which a^ oeared in the paper thtt published the test of th*^ cow referred to in Chap. 3. It gave quantity of hay as only 8 lbs. a d-^ , just half of the cow's previous ration, whercs, had Mr. D. iookt^d at the price as carried out, he would have at once detected tiio misprint, and wrnld have seen that the cow was getti-^g 16 lbs. hay a day, the same as before. It was only her grain ration that was cut down nearly half, and as to that, I would say it is absolutely impoasiblo to lay down any exact ration that will apply equally well to all milk cows, just as it 18 impossible to portion out an exact quantity of food, and have it exactly the right thing for all human beings. What would bj insuffi- cient for one person would satiate another, and vice versa, and it is "uFt the same with animals. Consequently, when we give a ration, we simply give it as a basin, upon which the intelligent farmer works with considerable variation, accordinjjj to circumstances. Take the accounts of many of the first milk and butter dairies, Doth in Europe and America, and read the quantity of food given, in equal measure, to all cows. But what follows? These authorities say : "If any cow then looks for more, give her more, and if any cow has left a portion of her leed, take it at once away from her." No words could show mori^ plairdy the wide variation in the appetite and requirements of dififereut animals of the same species. ■^T 52 These lai'ge establishments, it U safe to assume, are, for the most> part, run in the most economical manner and so as to obtain the very best X'csults, and they feed most liberally. I have one fixed belief which nothing can alter, and that is that so long as the food ia not too rich or concentrated, a milking cow should have all she will eat, except for the 3 months previous to calving. (/ \, even then, it is quite possible that I err in reducing the feed too much, but I am so afraid of milk fever that I prefer to err, if at all, on the pafe side.) Take a lot of cows in pasture. Some are soon satisfiad and lie down, while others continue eating, as though they could never get enough. Wo don't go out to the pasture with a scientific book in one hand, and stop those cows from eating, and tell them they have hud enough —so much digestible matter, so much starch, and so much fat, etc., and that, if they are nob satisfied, they ought to be, and have got to quit. Not at all. We recognize that the cow is the best judge in tlie pas- ture, anil, to a great extent, I think she should be the best judge in tlie stable, too, if we are reasonably careful as to what her ration is com- posed of, 2. Immediate results arc not obtained from any one mode of feeding. Mr. Doherty wonders that my cow continued to make so large a quan- tity of butter upon so much loss food than she had pi-eviously been getting. In answer, I would say, the cow could not have done so had she not been so well fed for mouths before. She was drawing on the reserve she had in store, and which every cow should have. The best authorities, and those who have made the largest yearly tests, claim that we should feed a cow to her highest working capacity for a whole year before expecting a great test, and they prove that the effects of good food are far more lasting than most people aro at all aware of. 3. vV^hen I give the alterations In my rations, I don't wish to be understood as making those changes suddenly — that would be a crazy thing to do. If I say that during 3 months I feed a cow 15 lbs. of grain a diiy, I don't mean that she eats exactly that quantity every day of the 3 months; not fit all. I mean that she averages that quantity, «atiug more thau that at first aud less than that at the last, anC so^ )r the mostr in the very it is that SO' Gow should to calving', he feed too if at all, on 3d and lie never get I one hand, .ad enough it, etc., and to quit, in the pas- idge in the on is com- of feeding. ^Q a quan- Dusly been id she not /he reserve ;est yearly J capacity 3 that the aro at all vish fo l>e je a crazy 15 lbs. of :ivery day quantity, it, txuC so- 53 reducing her feed gradually, avoiding sudden changes as in the case of \his cow. No one is infallible, and few, indeed, can hit the happy medium exactly. But I honestly think that I. fed the cow to good advantage, and that her ;yield proved it. If wo over feed a cow we are soldom left long in the dark about it, for in nio>t cases the animal soon shows it, either by a fit of inditicstion or by getting too fat. Then the care- ful owner will be warned at once and change his ways. My cattle have been extensively exhibited through the province, and I have never yet heard them called to-j fat or over-fed, ' 4. Although, as I say, I used my best judgment iu feeding my cow— although she was as sleek and fino as silk, the very pink of he ilth, not the least too fit, and yielded immensely and no waste iuhcr droppings that I could detect, yet in spite of all this I may be wrong ; there may have been waste, although I did not and still do not think so. Far be it from me to set up as infallible. If I am mistjxken I am heartily glad to have it pointed out, and, as I said previously, it is quite possible that the public may learn far moro from my many failures than they will ever learn from my modest succe>ses. I don't a^k people to follow mo, I ask them to come tolth me. I am eager to ask all that they know, and eager, also, to tell them all that I know, 80 wo may help each other. With every regard for science, I may yot say that there is danger of carrying? it to extrciTies, and that many able articles on dairying are away above the people's heads. Anyway, thoy are above my head, that much I nm sure of. If I want to try a cow, I don't send her milk to bo analyzed ; though, no doubt, that is good. But I set her milk and churn it, juid then I work the butter properly till it is as firm nearly as wax and as sweet as a rose, so that I may claim quality as well as quantity. Give me the scales and weights and good common sense every time. And if it is not too egotistical, let me here say th:it I have never been able to devote niysdf exclusively to dairying; far from it. The c:ire and nursing and teaching of my cliiUlren, tlu sewing, housekeeping and social call--', and all the many duties of a house tpother have claimed my time as well, so I have not been able to make 54 K« il^l exhaustive Bcicntific experiments, but I liavo k<^pt my eyes open and have doue my best. All my mcibodH have been essentially those of the farmers around me — no costly devices, but all for utility and economy. I am not talking down from a height (which farmers hate), I am standing on the same level with them, right side by sido. While I do not habitually work in uiy dairy now, yet I have don* 80 to a great extent, and there is not ono single process from milking and feeding my cow to churning the butter and making it up and washing the pails that T have not often done myself. Why, in one year I churned, worked, printed and shipped to Neir York ten thousand prints of butter all with my own hands ; no one else touched it. I may not be able to analyz i a pail of milk or a bucket of feed, but I o&n make a pound of good butter. I may not be able to feed a cow in the most correct scientific way, but there is one thing that I moat certainly tan do, I can feed her so e.be will pay. 55 open and rs around ate), I am have AoM a uiIikiDg U up and i to NeTT *; no one eed, but I cow in the t certuinlj CHAPTER Xiy. ON THE CARE OP DAIRY UTENSILS. 60 much hns been said and written on the subject of cleanliness in the Dairy, that anything from me may be thought superfluous — ^yet, a very fewwords may not be out of place in reference to fiome of my own mistakes. When I first bad the care of milk pans and pails, I prided myself upon the thorough scaldings I gave them, and thought no one could be cleaner than I was. Imagine nay mortification when my tins soon lost their brightnesp, and did not even look clean I Worse still, a thick yellow coating came over them that I thought I would never get off, especially if there was a dinge or bruise in the pail, making an uneven surface, I was in despair. I knew I spent more time and trouble upon my tins than most people, and yet I was ashamed to have them seen. At last I unburdened my mind to a dear old ludy, and how she did laugh at me, to be sure t " Why, child," she said, "you have cooked the milk on to the sides of your tins by pouring in boiling water, and you will find it harder to get off than the bark off a tree." And it certainly was. But I did get it off at last, and then was most careful to do as my friend told me — only to use lukewarm suds, at first, till all milk and butter were thoroughly removed from pans, pails, churn and but- ter-worker, etc. ; then to rinse in clean warm water, and then to bring on my cherished tea-kettle, and scald all I wanted to, and the more the better. Sinoe then I have had no trouble when doing it myself, but the difficulty is to get hired girls into the right way and to keep tiiem there. I remember one that I had who wanted two dozen more kitchen towels. I thought I had a large enough supply, till I found that she was faithfully washing and drying every pan and pail used in our large dairy, as though they were so many cups and saucers. 56 She was quite surprised when I told her that tins would dry tliem- telvta if sculded with water that was actually builiog. I showed her my method when I had 31) or 40 shallow pans to scald. After they were well cleaned, I turned one upside down on the platform of sink, and scalded the bottom, and then turned it np again, und put about two quarts boiling water in it, and then put another pan insido that, !ind two quarts water in it, and so on, till I had a pile as higli as convenient. As each pan settled down with weiglit of the others above it, the water rose and flowed over the edges of the under ones, so evtry part of ever ij pan got well soaldid, and the whole pile was smoking and steaming. The top ox\q I filled to overflowing, and then, after a few minutrs, I took them all down, und laid them in rows on the benches. Some people just put them in pilos, but I never do this, as they don't dry, but just sweat, and get cold and clammy. I turn tlu! first pan upside down on the bench, taking care to let it project over the end a little, so the air can get inside. Then lean the next pan on it, resting partly on the first pan and partly on the bench, 80 it is on a slant, and then another and another, till all are done, in this way tisey dry at once, and arc thorouglily aired, and as sweet and clean as now tins. Nor do I ever turn a pail or can upside down, so the air cannot enter, or covir a churn or any similar vessel. Aliundnnco o{ scalding hut water and then lots of air and sunshine, will tell the tale in the butter beyond mistake. Of course, wooden things must not be left out in the sun too much till they warp and crack ; a little care will prevnit this. Butter will stick like tar to woodenware that is not properly taken care of, and I know of few things more annoying. There is no remedy but to begin again. Thoroughly wash your print or butter-worker, or whatever it is, being careful to j^ct every particle of grease away. Then thoroughJi/ scald, using plenty of water, and rub tvcll with salt. Next, plunge into cold water and leave to soak for a while, and you will find all go well. If you have a print not in frequent use, it is a good plan to wish and scald it every few days, just as though you were going to use it. This will keep the wood from cracking and leave the print in nice order. The churn and everything in and about the Dairy should ho cleansed at once after they are used. 67 It is nearly impossible to get thinga sweet and clean if they are left for hours, or perhaps all uight, with sour cream or buttermillc or melting butter on them, to be absorbed by the wood, so it will never ftcem the same again. The floor sluuld be often and well washed, for milk, so sweet and wholesome when fresh, soon becomes one of the foulest thinga in crea- tion, 80 quickly does it decompose. I once went to a picnic when I was young, and took a stone jar of milk just drawn from the cow, corking the jar tightly. We were delayed in reaching the ishinii, and did not have tea till eight o'clock, but, on uncorking my jar of milk the odor was so strong that I threw it all away. Fortunately, some one else had brought milk, so mine was not missed, but it taught me a lesson. To many of my readers this is only the old, old story, but there arc always beginners who are glad of such hints. I know that iu my young days I would have been pleased indeed 'm have had instruction from some one who really knew how — who had actuaVi/ done the work themselves. But nearly everything I know has been learnt by hard experiencfj and often by repeated and discouraging failures. There are no truer words than those written by Marion Ilarland, in her Cookery Book. She says the most important thing is " to loara how not to do it." And in no place is that more true than in the Dairy. i ii;: 1 M 68 CHAPTER XV. HOW I KEEP MY CATTLE. I keep them under such difficulties as I hope few people have tO contend with. "We own our house, with a few acres of land, just barely outside the limits of a very large and thriving town. Our own land is poor enough, but that around us is still worse, heing sometimes underlaid with rock for whole acres together, and aU of it badly run down. Not wishing to part with our home, we had just to do the best we could, and have rented two small farms, in rear of us, of 45 and 65 acres respectively. Not only have wc to go nearly half a mile to get to these farms, but we have also to cross the railway track to do so, and what with poor land and poor fences, or rather no fences at all, it is upiiill work. The walk is too far for both the cows and the men who drive them, nor is it possible for me to bo out there as much as I ought. Were the land under my own eye, things would do better, but with conflicting duties and heavy household cares, I have just get to get along as best I can. The cattle barns, however, are on our own place, just adjoining the horse stable, so that everything about them is iinder my own f^upervision. Wc have a very large barn or stable, capable of holding 30 milking cows, and having two roomy loose boxes. The cows stand facing each other, and have a 6-foot alley between their heads, this alley being of cement. Each cow has a stall to herself, so there is no crowding or fighting. In rear of each row of cows is the gutter, and behind that again ^ board walk about 3 feet wide. Just in the middle of the stable a broad cement passage runs across, intersecting the rows of cows, so there are, really, four rows of stalls. There arc large doors at the end of this cross alley, where the cows 69 ilkii cawa come in and turn to right or loft, as tlie caso may be, each cow know- ing her own place. After trying many fastenings, and finding most of them good, but needing a deal of bedding, and then not keeping the cows clean with- out more labor than I could afford, 1 adopted one of the new stan- chions which are not stationary, but give great liberty. These I put in last fall, and the longer I have them the more I like them. I have never seen anything that gives as much freedom and comfort to the animals consistent with cleanliness, and have pleasure in cordially recommending them. In the cross alley is the bench for setting the milk pails on. To me it Las always eeemed a disgusting practice to set the milk pails on the floor behind the cows, and I have never allowed it. Beside the bench is a high but small desk, the lid of which lifts up, and here the foreman can write and keep his papers. Under the desk is a small cupboard where many useful things are kept, a jar of linseed oil, a bottle of castoroil, one of laudanum, one of aromatic ammonia, one of turpentine, and one of carbolic oil. Some ginger and some cpsom salts complete the list of siraplo remedies kept on hand, and with them and that blessed " ounce o^ prevention " that means eo much, the herd is kept in splendid health. In one end of this barn are the root bouse and tbo silo. Above the root house is the feed room, reached by a short flight of steps, and furnished with great bins; and back of this is the engine room, with a good steam engine. At one time we kept the engine running all winter to cut and steam feed, pulp roots, grind oats, etc., but for many reasons I discontinued this, and wo now use the engine only in fall to cut the corn for the silo. Another bai n is used for the bulls, of which we keep three, each in a large, loose Lox. There is also a place for two yearling bulls (when we have them), and all the south side of the building is divided into little calf pens. I find this a much better arrangement for the little creatures than being in the cow burn, as it is more easily kept at an even tempera- ture. In the large barn when the doors are opaned and thirty cows let out, to drink or exercise, the temperature falls t^o much as to chill young calves, besides which the cows are quieter and more content when the little ones arc entirely away from them. w 60 Id a third and smaller buro there is room for 6 or 7 eows or heifers besides two more loose boxes. Everything is of the ver^/ plainest description. I have nothing that the poorest farmer cannot have, unless it be the steam eQgin:^, aad many of them have got that. Also, the gas that lights the largo barn and engine room. We make this ourselves to light the house, and as a matter of safety aad oon« vcnience had it put in the barn. These buildings form throe sides of a yard, that has a good well io the centre and a long water trough. Adjoining the yard arc two or three paddocks, where calves can bo kept, also cows that arc near calving. lu winter the stalls are cleaned out at 5 a.m., and cows bru.shed off, And each one receives a feed of ensilage with the proper quantity of meal and bran mixed with it, according to the milk they aro giv- ing. They aro tlicn milked, each gets an armful of hay, and the hands go to breakfast. Next, all animals aro well carded and cleaned all manure wheeled out of the stable, and culf pens and loose boxes thoroughly doaued out. Towards noon cattle are let out to water. If it be mild and 6ne they remain out from one to three hours, according to the weather, but never till they gcti chilled. On returning to the stable each animal finds a feed of sliced roots in the box with a handful of meal or bran sprinkled on. At four o'clock they are all offered water in pails, then they receive their second feed of ensilage and n)eal. At five p.m. milking begins, after which each cow receives a liberal feed of hay and fresh bedding, and is then left for the night. In sumui' •■ cows are milked at same time in morning, and cleaned. Each Blinking animal receives a quart of bran and of ground oats, as tb' t>aslure happens to be good or poor. V ass IS very poor, all receive a good allowance of green fodder, ne, green oats, peas, or corn fodder. They are then driven , returning before five o'clock, when Uiey get the same feC'l .a^ .jii necessary), and, after milkicg, are taken back to the pasturo ibr the night. Salt is given th^-^^J» w" Special EditioQ For Distributioi^ BY THE ONTaRlO DEPARTnE/HT op AGRICULTURE * ** *