AMERICAN PRIZE BUTTER. FACTS FOR FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 306, 30 April 1874, Page 2

AMERICAN PRIZE BUTTER.

FACTS FOR FARMERS.

The following interesting extract on dairying aud the management of cows, by Mr Edward Hose, one of the chief prize-takers for butter in Delaware county, Kew Yoik, is taken from the New York Tribune : — " My present stock of cows are from two to fourteen years old, mostly of my own rearing, and are fed in winter on whatever is grown lon the farm, such as hay, cornstalks, oat straw, &c, all they will eat— twice a day— hay in the morning, stalks or stiaw ftt night, being careful to clean the mangers once a day of all refuse, In bad seasons it is not always possible to have all the hay or straw of the best quality, and wishing to utilise as much as practicable, a little dry meal is used to keep up appetite and strength. No hay or etrawcutteis are employed, no flops or roots of any kind. My coarse hay and straw aie fed from December to- March, after which a little better feed is given, such as early cut hay or some giain, fed dry. The cow 3 art* at that time coming into milk, and a' liberal allowance of early-cut hay is fed, and if this is njt plenty, some grain is added with the best hay to be had on the place until the cows are turned to pasture. No warm drinks or slop 3 of any kind are given to 1 he cows at calving time, nor at any time, but as much cold water as they wish at their regular hours- oS drinking is always allowed. I think it better to have cows remain in their usual places when about to calve than to remove them, some cows being so nervous when taken from company that their time is eitended, and much uneasiness is the consequence ; also, avoid all extra feed about this time, as it often has a tendency to sicken. " My summer feed is pasture, with hay as long as they wish it, morning and night. In caae of short pasture, corn meal lias been tried ; sowed com also ; but I have found early cut clover to be more easily handled, and quite as good, all things considered, as green corn or meal. Thr> past summer I ground 40 bushels of oats to feed in August by way of experiment — fed l£lb a day to each cow, and yet they gradually dropped off from 281b to 221b of butter per. day until they were turned into fresh clover, when they soon ran up to 291b per day, the lfclb of oats still being given. "The stable is 28 feet by 50 feet, with two rows of stanchions, the cows facing each other, with a feed box for each cow, and room to pass along with feed ; there is a good dry bed to lie upon, with drop 4in for manure. The stable is littered witb whatever material can be had, »uch as buckwheat straw, poor oat straw, or sawdust, the last being best of all. The cows are driven twice each day into the stable in summer, where they aie milked, and once a clay m winter. In winter they aie turned out. alter dinner to drink, and immediataly put back if the weather is stormy or cold ; if pleasant they are allowed to remain out two or three houra. " Milking is alwajs done in the stable in as neat and quiet a manner as possible ; no bad treatment of cows or harsh words allowed ; if any cow is uneasy or troublesome I generally milk her myself until slip gets over it ; nervous cows nro sometimes nearly rinned by bad milkers. The milk, when drawn, is turned into twenty-quart pails, and remains until thd cow s. are all milked. It is then carried to the dairjroom by the men, and strmued into a pan holding 55 gallons, called the Clmutnuqua County Pan, aud is 14 inches wide and 12 inches deep, surrounded by an attachment for water 4 inches in width. Thus u right temperature is secured, by adding cold or warm water as desired. It is only recently that I have used this large pan, having formerly used the common 10-qunrt pans ; but we find it saves a great deal of work, us a mass of milk can be skimmed in about three minutes to fiic minutes, and there is no labor about getting rid of sour milk, iov hy removing the stoppir the milk runs through pipes to u reservoir or tub for removal. A good stream of cold wntcr runs to the house at all times, and pipes are laid to the milk room, with faucet to each pan, so cold water is let on or shut oft' as wanted ; warm water is added at til is season of the year if the milk does not sour soon enough. Tins tempering with water keeps the cream from drying, ns used to be the ease in small pans. " Churning is done daily (Sundays excepted) after the cream is thick, by water power, in- a common dash-churn — the butter coming in from forty-five to sixty minutes. The butter is then taken from the churn and washed until the buttermilk is nil out, and salted with Ashton, one ounce to the pound, well worked in. It then stands two or three hours, and is then worked 'carefully. Once again, in two hours more it is woiked a little, and packed m tubs or firkins. 1 pack in 501b tubs until pasture is good, and send to commission merchant as f.ut as made. After the butter is yellow, pack in 1001b firkins until September; then tub again through the season. Tins i« commonly sold in November or December at home ; for the most pait I can get cash down. I may add that I have tried Onandaga butter salt, and think it as good as any, provided only three-quarters of an ounce to the pound is used. " The amount of butter varies from 150 to 1751b to each cow — counting all, whether they be heifois or farrow cows, and there are always more or less of these in my dairy. I think we will make SOOOlbs this year from our mixed herd of 22. Tn looking over my bills I find the spring butter has ranged, for the last nine jean, from 28 cents to 65 cents per lb. My summer dairy has for some time averaged 42£ cents per lb, the lowest being 30 cents, highest 50i cent.-. I am well awnro I could make more butter from a given number of cows by feeding only with good hay in winter, and al\va)s having the best of feed for them ; also by putting off all poor cows and filling in with tho best, but people are loth to part with, their choice cows without being strongly tempted with money, and profit is what I am looking after, sol use up all my feed, whether good or indifferent, and fatten t hese poor cows in fall, supplying their plac.s w ith heifers."