furnished many conjectures on this subject, but experience has confirmed few facts, and the enquiry belongs rather to chemistry than to agriculture. Account of Mr. Curwen's Method of Feeding Cows, during the Winter Season, with a View to provide poor Persons and Children with Milk at that Time, from Transactions of the Society of Arts, &c. Vol. XXIX. 1806. Every attempt to ameliorate the condition of the labouring classes of the community, is an object not unworthy of public attention; and has, on all occasions, been zealously patronized by the society of arts. Under this impression I hope for the indulgence of the society, in calling their attention to an experiment, which I flatter myself will, in its consequence, prove not only highly beneficial to the lower orders of society, but tend likewise to the advancement of agriculture. There is not any thing, I humbly conceive, which would conduce more essentially to the comfort and health of the labouring community and their families, than being able to procure, especially in winter, a constant and plentiful supply of good and nutritious milk. Under this conviction, much pains have been taken to induce the landed proprietors to assign ground to their cottagers, to enable them to keep a milch cow. The plan is humane, and highly meritorious, but unfortunately its beneficial influence can reach but a few. Could farmers in general be induced from humanity, or bound by their landlords to fur nish milk to those, at least, when they employ, it would be more ge nerally serviceable. Even those who have the comfort of a mica cow would find this a better and a cheaper supply, as they can seldom furnish themselves with milk through the winter. The farmer can keep his milch cows cheaper and better for, besides having green food, bs refuse corn and chaff of little valse, are highly serviceable in fesdag milch cows. My object is to combat the pre vailing opinion, that dairies in summer are more profitable than in winter. I confidently hope to estr blish a contrary fact. The experi ment I am about to submit to the society, is to prove, that by adopt ing a different method of feeding milch cows in winter, to what is in general practice, a very ample profit is to be made, equal if not supe rior to that made in any other season. I believe the principle will boid good equally in all situations: my experience is confined to the neigh bourhood of a large and populor town. The price of milk is one-fifth higher in winter than in summe. By wine measure the price is 24. per quart new milk, 1d. skimmed. My local situation afforded se ample means of knowing how greatly the lower orders suffered from being unable to procure a supply of milk; and I am fully persuaded of the correctness of the statement, that the labouring poor lose a number of their children from the want of a food so pre-eminently adapted to their support. Stimulated by the desire of making my farming pursuits contribute to the comfort of the public, and of those those by whose means my farm has will prove. In the mean time I had been made productive, I determined the satisfaction of knowing, that it to try the experiment of feeding had contributed essentially to the milch cows after a method very dif- comfort of numbers. ferent to what was in general practice. I hope to be enabled thereby to furnish a plentiful supply of good and palatable milk, with a prospect of its affording a fair return of profit, so as to induce others to follow my example. The supply of milk during the greatest part of the year, in all the places in which I have any local knowledge, is scanty and precarious, and rather a matter of favour than of open traffic. Consonant with the views I entertained of feeding milch cows, I made a provision of cabbages, common and Swedish turnips, Kholrabi, and cole-seed. I made use also of chaff, boiled, and mixed, with refuse grain and oil cake. I used straw instead of hay for their fodder at night. The greatest difficulty which I have had to contend with, has been to prevent any decayed leaves being given. The ball only of the turnip was used. When these precautions were attended to, the milk and butter have been excellent. Ilaving had no previous know. ledge of the management of a dairy, my first experiment was not conducted with that frugality requisite to produce much profit. I sold the first season, between October 1804, and the 10th of May, 1805, upwards of 20,000 quarts of new milk. Though my return was not great, I felt a tho rough conviction that it proceeded from errors in the conduct of the undertaking, and that under more judicious management, it would not fail of making an ample return, which the subsequent experiment In October, 1805, my dairy recommenced with a stock of 30 milch cows; a large proportion of these were heifers; and in general the stock was not well selected for giving milk, for they were purchased with a view of their being again sold as soon as the green crop should be exhausted. If the plan be found to answer under such unfavourable circumstances, what may not more experienced farmers expect? By the end of this present month I shall have sold upwards of 40,000 quarts of milk. The quantity of food, and its cost, are as follow. The produce of milk from each cow upon 200 days, the period of the experiment, is calculated at no more than six wine quarts in the twenty-four hours: this is to allow for the risk and failure in milk of some of the heifers. A good stock, I have no doubt, would exceed eight quarts in the two meals, which would add 1001. to the profit. Daily cost of feeding one milch cow: Two stone of green food (supposing 30 tons of green crop on an acre, d. per stone would pay 51. per acre) at per stone of 14lb. Two stone of chaff boiled, at id. per stone Two lbs. of oil-cake, at 0001 002 each} 0 0 4 18 4 This gives a profit upon the whole stock of 1471. 10s. The profit of another month may be added, before a supply of milk can be had from grass, which will make the balance of profit 1671. 18s. 4d. This profit, though not as large as it ought to have been, had the stock been favourable for the experiment, far exceeds what could be made of the same quantity of food by fattening cattle. Were the two quarts to be added, which on a moderate computation might be expected, the gain would then be 2671. 16s. 4d. The trifling quantity of land from which the cattle were supported, is a most important consideration. One half of their food is applicable to no other purpose, and is equally employed in carrying on the system. of a corn farm. I have found cake of the utmost advantage to my dairy, promoting milk, and coeth. buting greatly to keep the id cows in condition. The best m thod of using it is to grind it wa powder, and to mix it in layers, 214 boil it with the chaff: half quantity in this way answers betur than as much more given in the cake, besides the saving of 21 a day on each beast. This I was cut aware of on my first trial. The c cake adds considerably to the qu tity and richness of the milk without affecting its flavour. The refe corn was likewise ground boiled it is charged also at id.p pound. I make use of infer barley to great advantage. A chang of food is much to the advantage of the dairy. Potatoes steamed wos answer admirably, but near toms they are too expensive. By repeated trials it was found that seven quarts of strippira wine measure, gave a pound of bar ter, while eight quarts of a mixtur of the whole milk was required produce the same weight. Contrat this with milk produced from the feeding of grains, twenty quarts of which will scarce afford a pound butter. The agricultural report of La cashire, treating on the milk in the neighbourhood of Liverpool and Manchester, states eighteen quart with a hand-churn, and fourteen fifteen with a horse churn. In a paper published by the Bath society, twelve quarts are said to give a pound of butter; but whether it or wine measure is not specified A friend of mine, who feeds his milch cows principally on hay, finds sixteen wine quarts will not yield more than seventeen ounces when manufactured into four of of butter, and this upon repeated trials. The milch cows, treated according to my new plan, have been in excellent order both seasons, and are allowed to be superior to any in the neighbourhood. Cole seed I have found to be the most profitable of all green crops for milk; and it possesses the further advantage of standing till other green food is ready to supply its place. To ascertain the benefit and utîlity of a supply of milk both to the consumer and the public, will be best done by comparison. To prove this let us contrast the price of milk with other articles of prime necessity, and consider how far it affords a greater produce from a less consumption of food. I cannot here omit observing, at a moment when Great Britain can hope for no further supply of grain from the continent, and must look for and depend on her own resources for feeding her population, every mean by which the quantity of victuals can be augmented, is an object of great public concern. Each milch cow yielding six quarts of milk per day, furnishes in the period of 200 days, 2,400 pounds of milk, or 171 stone of 14 pounds, equal to twice her weight, supposing her in a state fit for kill. ing, with a third less food, and at one half less expence. The milk costs 101. whilst the same weight of butcher's meat, at 6d. per pound, would amount to 601. Taking the scale of comparison with bread, we shall find a Winchester bushel of wheat, of the usual weight of 4 stone and 4lb. VOL. XLVIII. three sorts, yields Of first flour Of second Of third 2st. 9lb Lost by bran, &c. . 0 9 lb. The present cost is 10s. 3d. 2,400lb. of the three sorts of flour, will cost 231. 3s. 9d. To make it into bread allow 1s. per bushel, which makes the cost of bread 261. 10s. 9d. or something more than 2d. perlb. exceeding twice the price of the same weight of milk. To furnish 2,400lbs. of bread requires 47 bushels, or the average produce of two acres of wheat. Three acres of green food supplied 30 milch cows, with two stone each of green food, for 200 days. Two stone of hay cach for the same period, would have required 75 acres of hay. Chaff can scarcely be considered as of any value be yond the manure it would make, which shews the profit of keeping milch cows in all corn farms. Certificates of the quantities of milk sold and money received, accompany this. If the society of arts, &c. think the experiment worthy their notice. and approbation, I shall be highly flattered. At all events I trust they will accept it as a small tribute of respect and gratitude for the many favours conferred upon their Obedient and very humble servant, J. C. CURWEN. Workington Hall, April 18, 1806. To Dr. C. TAYLOR, Secretary. Schoose Farm, April 18, 1806. I Isaac Kendal, bailiff to J. C. 3 R Curwen, Transactions of the Society of Arts, &c., A. D. 1806. Vol. XXIV. Take the bones of sheep's trotters, break them grossly, and boil them in water until cleared from their grease, then put them into a crucible, calcine them, and afterwards grind them to powder. Take some wheaten flour, put it in a pan over a slow fire until it is dry, then make it into a thin paste, add an equal quantity of the powdered bone-ash, and grind the whole mass well together: this mixture forms the ground for the pannel. The pannel having been pre viously pumiced, some of the mix. ture above-mentioned is rubbed well thereon with a pumice-stone, to incorporate it with the pannel. Another coat of the composition is then applied with a brush upon the pas. nel, and suffered to dry, and the surface afterwards rubbed over with sand-paper. A thin coat of the composition is then applied with a brush, and if s coloured ground is wanted, one or two coats of the colour is added, so as to complete the absorbent ground. When it is necessary to pain: upon a pannel thus prepared, it must be rubbed over with a coat et raw linseed, or poppy-oil, as drying oil would destroy the absorbent quality of the ground; and the painter's colours should be mixed up with the purified oil bereaftet mentioned. Canvas grounds are prepared, by giving them a thin coat of the con position, afterwards drying and pumicing them, then giving them a second coat, and lastly a coat of colouring matter along with the composition. The |