THE COW OF THE FUTURE. (Kansas City Times.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2247, 2 December 1886, Page 3

THE COW OF THE FUTURE. (Kansas City Times.)

The enormous yield of Holsteins in America is astonishing the fanners in England, at least the writers in the leading stock journal of Great Britain seem unable 1 to believe the records made by Messrs Smith, Powell and Lamb, and other Holstein breeders in this country, but they must learn that facts are stubborn things, and further that our importers and breeders are as honest and reliable as the lords of England, that j American enterprise does not wrap itself up in the cloak of prejudice, and looks the whole world over for the best stock, I as our importers are too practical to take anything merely because is is "English" you know — that is well enough for the dude. England has good horses, good sheep, and good beef cattle, but when it conies to the best dairy breeds, we find better milk and better cows in Holland. The Ayrshires of Scotland seem to be more successful there than in this country. The Jersey is awful nice, but has been bred too much for fine points of beauty, colour, and style : it smacks of the poet's dream of the little beauty on the rich man's lawn, but don't show up the big yields in the herd of fifty cows, while it is the large yield of the large herds that has led to the great popularity of the Rolsteins in American dairies. The North British Agricultuiist says on this subject :—: — "A well -known breeder of the Jersey cows warns his brethren that the port's cow must go. There must be no more hankering after * fringed ears' and ' silver grey tints.' What is wanted is a productive cow ; and it docs not matter though it be 'as ugly as sin.' Our bill for foreign butter — not to speak of butterine—is £13,000,000 ; and the practical breeder alone can wipe this national disgrace out. In short, the time has come for • specialising the butter cow.' " The same paper heads an article " How the Holstein Records are made," and gives as an example Princess Second and Mary Ann of St. Lambert, which are Jerseys and not Holsteins, that have been forced on rich food and milked three times a day, at which they hold up their hands in holy horror. We have plenty of rich food here and want our cows to eat all they will and manufacture it into milk and butter. As for milking three times a day, that is the kind of cow we want that has to be milked three times a day.