tunities of observing them as himself, he is shy at en tering upon them in this work, lest it might lead him into details that might prove uninteresting to many of his readers. From this consideration he has been induced to publish, in a separate pamphlet, some leading ideas on that subject, which he had occasion to throw out in his correspondence with general Washington, and will take occasion soon in the progrefs of this work to develope some plain fundamental principles on the subject of political economy, which those who incline may easily connect with the other, so as to make a particular application of general principles.

It is very true that Dr. Anderson is the sole Editor of this work, and accounts himself personally answerable for every thing in it.

The correspondent Q. D. will find his observations nearly answered above. He will please to advert that time is necessary to complete a plan. There are hundreds of subjects that require to be examined; but these must come in succefsion; and it does not follow, that because they are not as yet overtaken they are lost sight of. Mr. Forsyth's work is in hand; but he does not ride at the gallop. In compliance with the request of this and several other correspondents, Hairbrain's narration shall be concluded in the present volume.

The very polite letter of G. F. B. is thankfully acknowledged. It is in a great measure answered above.

16.

JUNE 1800.

RECREATIONS

IN

AGRICULTURE, NATURAL-HISTORY,

ARTS, & MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE.

N° 4. VOL. III.

AGRICULTURE.

PRACTICAL REMARKS ON THE MANAGEMENT

OF THE DAIRY, PARTICULARLY IN RESPECT
TO THE OBTAINING OF BUTTER.

[Continued from page 176.]

Part 3d. General management of dairy Cows.

THE circumstances to be chiefly adverted to under this head are, that the cows be kept at all times in high health and good condition, if you hope to derive abundant returns from the dairy. If the cows are ever allowed to fall very low during the winter, in vain shall you hope to obtain an abundant supply of milk by bringing them into high condition in summer; VOL. III.

R

for, if a cow be lean at the time of calving, no management afterwards will ever bring her to yield, for that season, any thing like the quantity of milk that she would have done had she been all the winter in high condition. With this view, she should not only be supplied with abundance of nourishing food in winter, but should also be kept dry, and warm, and clean, by curry-combing, brushing, &c. during that inclement season. Under this point of view, I know no practice that so much deserves the epithet barbarous as the general management of milk cows around London, where the poor creatures are seen standing in hundreds together every day during the winter season up to the knees in mire, without a shade to screen them from the wet, or a firm place on which they can lie down. A necefsary consequence is, that, although they be supplied with abundance of nourishing food, they pine away, as it may be said, by inches; so that cows which in autumn were in such condition as might have made a respectable figure on the shambles, are reduced before the month of March to the most pitiable state of leannefs, exhibiting nothing but the wretched appearance of skin and bone. Having seen this in winter, I was by no means surprised to learn in summer, when they were wallowing in waste, and had regained full flesh, that the average quantity of milk yielded by these cows did not amount to one half of what it ought to have been. This is one of the numberlefs instances of habitual waste and bad management that prevails around this overgrown metropolis, where wealth so much abounds, that economy

comforts of the poor dumb beasts, seems to be considered as a reproach more to be dreaded than that of the most enormous crime.

To avoid this evil in the country, an attentive dairy owner will not satisfy himself with providing hay only, or any other kind of dry food, in winter, but will take care to keep up his cows after the grafs fails, and when they are for the most part giving little or no milk, by giving them some turnips, cabbages, carrots, or other nutritive or succulent substances, along with their dry food, which will keep them in fine health and good condition: nor will he deny them some of that succulent food, if he can command it, even after they have calved. For, although turnips and cabbages will impart a taste to the milk if the cow be chiefly fed upon them, yet if she only obtains enough of them to keep her in good condition, it will not be sensibly experienced: and if it were, where calves are reared, that will prove no detriment; and were it otherwise for a few weeks, early in the spring, it is of no consequence; for, the products of the dairy being then scarce, they will always find a market; and the superior quantity of milk yielded, in consequence of this attention during the ensuing season, will do much more than balance a small diminution in price at that season. From these considerations, a judicious dairy owner will always take care to have a provision laid in of some kind of food more nourishing than hay, than such hay at least as is usually made in this country, to keep his cows to their fullest stretch of milk from the time of their calving till grafs can be had in abundance.

The best winter food for cows that I have yet seen, and perhaps the very best that can be obtained in this climate, is the bruised twigs of the common furze, gorse, or whins, as it is differently called (Ulex Europaus); for this food not only keeps the cows in the best condition, and in high health, and makes them yield as much milk as upon the top of the grafs in summer, if they be kept in a due temperature as to heat, &c.; but that milk is of as fine a quality, and the butter made from it as sweet in taste and as rich as the best made summer butter. As this plant may be successfully cultivated as a winter feed for beasts in almost every situation, and as it will come cheaper than any other of nearly equal value that I know, I cannot help regretting that the prejudices of mankind should have so far prevailed as to have so long made men shut their eyes against this article. It is ten years since I published full directions for cultivating this as a crop on good land; yet I have no reason to believe that ever a single person has once made an attempt to do it, though I am satisfied, from my own experience, that a crop of this is of much greater value than the best crop of clover that can be reared. Because this plant springs up naturally only upon bad ground, men have formed their opinions of it from its appearance in that state. I repeat, that it is only on good ground it can be reared to advantage as a crop, whatever use shall be made of this information.

Not only do cows require to be very carefully managed in winter, but they must even be petled in summer if a full return be expected from the dairy.