Volume 10 Issue 3 The International Society for Cow Protection 2000

Inside This Issue

Letters page 3-5, 10

Planting Potatoes byOxen in England

page 6

The Advantages to BeDerived From a MoreExtended Use of Oxen

Page 7,14

Gopala, Cow ProtectionOrganization in Serbia

page 8,15

Fighting Cow Abuse inIndia

page 9,11

ISCOWP Update page 12-13

Do Your Farm Work With Oxen!

Campaign Success! Barnyard Free of Mud!great improvement in thecomfort of the cows at Vra-japura Farm has been accom-plished by ISCOWP mem-

bers. The barnyard has been excavatedand cemented resulting in no more deepmud for the cows. The top photo on thispage shows the finished barnyard. Thenext improvement will be to place a roofon the poles. More details about the barn-yard campaign can be found in this issue.A special thank you to all our donors whomade this improvement possible.The bottom photo shows Balabhadra

teaching logging by oxen last summer.Oxen can replace petroleum powered ma-chinery for many chores on the farm. Inthis issue you will learn how to plant pota-toes by oxen.Also in this issue, read about the advan-

tages of working with oxen instead ofhorses, cow protection in Serbia, cowabuse in India, and why you shouldn'twear leather. This issue is the last one forthis year and completes the 10 year markof the ISCOWP News in print. Thank youto all who have made this possible.

Page 2 THE ISCOWP NEWS

ISCOWP ProfileISCOWP was incorporated in the state

of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., March 1990, as anon-profit educational organization.William and Irene Dove (Balabhadra dasand Chayadevi dasi) are its managing direc-tors. They are disciples of His DivineGrace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhu-pada, the Founder Acharya of the Interna-tional Society for Krsna Consciousness(ISKCON). Through their spiritual master'steachings, they have imbibed the practicesand benefits, both spiritual and material, oflifetime cow protection.

ISCOWP's primary concern is to pre-sent alternatives to agricultural practicesthat support and depend upon the meat in-dustry and industrialized, petroleum pow-ered machinery. To this end, ISCOWPtrains oxen (male cows or steers) to replacefarm machinery and thereby show an alter-native to their slaughter. The tenets of cowprotection and ox-power are universal andnonsectarian, available to all regardless ofrace, creed, or nationality.

ISCOWP Goals1) To systematically educate all people inthe practice of cow protection in order tocheck the imbalance of values in life and toachieve real unity and peace in the world.

2) To bring the members of the Society to-gether with each other, thus developing theidea within the members, and humanity atlarge, the great necessity and benefit of rec-ognizing the cow as the mother who givesmilk to the human society and the bull asthe father whose labor in the field producesfood for humanity in the form of grains andvegetables.

3) To teach and encourage peaceful dietarypractices based on lacto-vegetarianism.

4) To establish branches of the Interna-tional Society for Cow Protection Inc. andencourage any organization that complieswith this charter.

5) To bring the members closer together forthe purpose of teaching and establishing asimple agrarian lifestyle based on a cow-

human-land relationship and utilizing theprinciple of cruelty free, lifetime protec-tion toward all God's creatures, especiallythe cows and bulls.

6) To establish and maintain a traveling,educational program representing the rel-evance of the cows and bulls in societytoday.

7) With a view towards achieving theaforementioned purposes, to publish anddistribute periodicals, books and otherwritings.

8) To receive, administer and distributefunds and all other things necessary andproper in furtherance of the above statedpurposes.

ISCOWP ActivitiesOx-power, An Alternative Energy

At ISCOWP's headquarters, Vra-japura Farm, fields for all crops are pre-pared by ox-power. In the winter, log-ging by oxen provides wood for heating.Due to the oxen's ability to haul loads,petroleum powered machinery is beingreplaced for farm chores and plans aredeveloping for ox powered machinery toprovide electrical power.

Ox-power Seminars

Seminars are given in living class-room settings involving hands-on instruc-tion at locations such as Russia, NorthCarolina, Pennsylvania, and West Vir-ginia, U.S.A. If you wish to partake insuch a seminar or wish to have one inyour area, contact ISCOWP for seminarschedules.

Training Teamsters and Oxen

Teamsters and oxen are trainedworldwide. Prospective students are en-couraged to contact ISCOWP for eitherindividual instruction or seminar sched-ules. At Vrajapura Farm there are 6trained ox teams available for the trainingof students.

Educational Videos, Newsletters, and

E-Mail Network

"Training Oxen by Voice Commands"and "ISCOWP Travels to Belarus" arevideos filmed and produced by

International Society for Cow

Protection, INC. (ISCOWP)

ISCOWP. 10 years in publication, theISCOWP News informs its readers ofcow protection activities worldwide. 7years in existence, the ISKCON COMcow conference offers a forum for practi-cal and philosophical discussions to over80 members from 18 countries. http://iscowp.com offers a wide scope of infor-mation about cow protection.

ISCOWP Outreach

5 years of travel with oxen through-out the United States’ major cities andtowns has resulted in presenting thou-sands of people with the message of cowprotection and ox-power.

Developing Vrajapura Farm

ISCOWP's headquarters, consistingof 137 acres, provides a setting for semi-nars, hands-on instruction, ISCOWP'soffice, and an example of ox-power andlife centered on the land and cows. AtVrajapura Farm, twenty-seven cows andoxen are provided lifetime protection.Recently purchased, it is presently in thebeginning stages of development

ISCOWP ContactUSA Federal Tax Number

All donations to ISCOWP within theUSA are tax deductible. The tax numberis 23-2604082.

ISCOWP Mailing Address

ISCOWPRD 1 NBU #28Moundsville, WV, USA, 26041

ISCOWP Phone

Phone:1-304-843-1658

ISCOWP E-Mail

ISCOWP@earthlink.netISCOWP@pamho.net

http://www.iscowp.com

ISCOWP 3x yr Newsletter

Within the USA: Send $21 check to snailmail addressOutside USA: Send $25 bank draft ormoney order to snail mail address

ISCOWP T-shirts, videos, information

Please inquire at above addresses.

ISCOWP News Details in non-

editorial articles do not necessarily repre-sent the viewpoint of the editors.

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 3

LettersDon't Wear Dead Animals On

Your FeetHere is an article you might find interest-ing.

Yours in service,Jayapataka Swami

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Letter PAMHO:3599769 (294 lines)From: Sumithra Krishna (das) JPS(Chennai - IN)Date: 05-Oct-00 14:52 +0630To: Jayapataka Swami (GBC) [65655](received: 05-Oct-00 06:02 -0400)To: Tusti Mohan Krsna (das) JPS (JPSOff. MYR-IN) [15714]To: ulrika lembach<salikas@yahoo.com>To: Answers To KC Questions (JayaPataka Swami) [1108]Reference: Text PAMHO:3588579 byJayapataka Swami (GBC)Comment: Text 18392 by JayapatakaSwami (GBC) {107}Subject: Don't wear dead animals on yourfeet----------------------------------------------------This is an article from the websitewww.indya.com regarding leather goods.YsSumithra Krishna das

> > Dear Guru Maharaj,> >> > PAMH+RO. AGTSP and to YDG.> >> > Is it sinful to use leather goods, e. g.shoes, bags, etc, that I bought beforeknowing about Krsna consciousness?> > What is the exact reason why weshouldn't cook in pots that have been usedfor cooking non-veg.?> >> > Hope this finds YDG in good health.> >> > Your fallen servant> > Ulrika

Stop the slaughter

indya.com presents an exclusive appear-ance by Maneka Gandhi (Union Minister)

I often meet vegetarians who would"die" rather than eat meat. A closer lookshows a leather watch strap/bag/shoes.

These are the excuses I then hear:a) I am vegetarian due to health, not ani-mal welfare reasons.b) I buy my leather products from KhadiGram Udyog because the animal diednaturally.c) There is no alternative in India toleather. I can't go round in rubber chap-pals or use cloth jholas.d) The plastic alternatives are environ-mentally unfriendly because they comefrom petrochemical products and arenon biodegradable.e) (This comes from the evolved envi-ronmentalists) I can't use cotton becauseit's grown with chemical pesticides andfertilizers.f) The animal was killed for its meat.Leather is only a by-product so there isno harm in using it.g) (I promise this is true) What nonsense- leather does not come from the skin ofanimals.h) I am helping poor people by buyingleather products.

I think all these myths should be dealtwith.

Myth: Leather is a by-product of themeat industry.Reality: India is the largest leather man-ufacturer in the world. This businessrunning into lakhs of skins daily is notgoing to wait for slaughterhouse skinsalone. Leather is not an incidental prod-uct of rearing of animals for meat.

Although the skins and hides of sheepand goats are a small source of raw ma-terial for tanners, cattle hide and calfskin account for most footwear andleather goods. These are derived frommillions of cattle slaughtered annually,including dairy cattle. Specialty leatheris made from deer, alligators, lizards,sharks, snakes, crocodiles, and other ex-otic species, which are killed solely forthis purpose.

In India very few people eat cattle meat.Many people exaggerate, for political

reasons, the amount of buffalo meat eatenby Muslims. But, all studies show thatMuslims eat mainly the same meat asHindus - goat and chicken meat.

Cattle in India are slaughtered primarilyfor their skins and very often the meat isthrown away. Also people eat the meatthat is locally available to them. The mil-lions of cattle that are jam-packed intotrains and trucks to go to West Bengaland Kerala to be slaughtered are only go-ing for the leather industry, as 90 per centof them die from overcrowding and star-vation during the journey and their meatcannot be eaten. Even the vultures don'ttouch it!

Myth: Leather comes from the skins ofanimals that have died of natural causes.Reality: This is a myth put out by theKhadi Gram Udyog. How can such alarge organization with retail outlets inevery state of India ensure a steady sup-ply of carcasses? Do they have peoplescouting all the villages collecting thebodies of cattle and buffaloes that wasteaway after 20 years?

Besides, have you seen the skin of an oldanimal? Its hide is patched and worn.There is no way you can produce uniformquality leather goods randomly collectingthe skins of such aged beasts. MahatmaGandhi's Khadi Gram Udyog has no busi-ness selling leather.

An interview conducted with the mainbuyers of Khadi Gram Udyog revealedthat they gave the contract for theirleather supply to contractors that suppliedleather for normal footwear in the leatherindustry. Which means that there was noquestion of using or even differentiatingbetween cattle killed for leather and cattlethat died naturally.

All the leather in India comes from youngcattle. This, in spite of a Parliament lawand state laws that forbid the killing ofcattle under 14-16 years (some states say14, others 16). Calf leather is specificallyforbidden but leather sellers advertise itopenly. Which calves die naturally?

Myth: The animals spend contented livesgrazing in fields and are sent to slaughter

Page 4 THE ISCOWP NEWS

effluent that must be treated is primar-ily related to the bean house and tan-ning operations. The most difficult totreat is the effluent from the tanningprocess."

All wastes containing chrome are con-sidered hazardous. Many other pollu-tants employed by the processing ofleather are considered primary environ-ment and health risks. In terms of dis-posal, one would think that leatherproducts would be biodegradable. Butthe primary function for a tanningagent is to stabilize the collagen or pro-tein fibrous so that they are no longerbio-degradable.

If that were not enough, leather pro-duction causes serious water pollutionas well. India has so far taken a loan ofRs. 2000 crores to try and clean theGanges of the effluents poured into itfrom Kanpur's leather industries. Nosuccess so far.

Myth: Leather is a major money earnerfor India. It is also a major employer.Reality: Don't think that you are doingsocial service for India by buyingleather. The leather manufacturers payno taxes, as it is a small-scale industry.The leather exporters who earn 1.5 bil-lion dollars pay no taxes.

In fact the government pays them in-centives to export. The people who areinvolved by the leather industry aremainly on the tanning side; they flaythe skins, soak them in chemicals, et al.

Many of these people earn the lowestpossible wages and die very young be-cause of the cyanide, chrome and otherchemicals that they steep themselvesin. Compensation is not paid nor anyprecautions taken for their safeties, asthe leather manufacturers claim to besmall scale themselves.

Every time they fall sick, which iswithin months of this oppressive labor,the government foots their major medi-cal bills and the owner of the tannerygets himself another poor person to ex-ploit. The happy parts of the leathertrade-the actually making of shoes and

because they are old.Reality: Leather is not taken from old cowsbut from cattle sent to slaughter. Cattle areselectively bred and subjected to a range ofcruel procedures, including artificial insem-ination, artificial weaning and feeding, dos-ing with antibiotics, castration, marking,and the separation of cow and calf within afew days of birth.

As a consequence of undergoing a viciouscycle of pregnancy and lactation, dairycows are especially susceptible to mastitisand lameness. Once they are sick they arekilled. Their male calves are murdered inmillions each year to provide tanneries withhighly valued fine grain skin, used for shoeuppers, jackets, gloves and wallets.

Kidskin leather is from baby goats. Howev-er, the most prized skin used to make softsuede is obtained from unborn calves,which means their mothers are beaten tomake them abort and the fetus is skinnedand sold.

The natural life expectancy of a cow is 20years, yet beef cattle are killed at one tothree years and dairy cows at three to sevenyears due to disease (36 per cent), pooryield (28 per cent) and the inability to calve(36 per cent). They are killed to make moremoney for their owners from the sale oftheir body parts including meat and leather.

Myth: Unlike a wild fur-bearing animal, themeat (leather) producing animal is killedhumanely.Reality: At the very least, transportation tothe slaughterhouse causes animals severestress. Packed in cramped conditions, theymay suffer heat exhaustion, heart attacks,bruising, hunger, dehydration, and brokenbones, before reaching the slaughterhouses.

The law says that only twelve cattle can beput into one train bogey. In reality eachtrain carries over 44 cattle squashed to-gether in each bogey. The law says thatonly four cattle can be put in a truck. Over75 are often thrown into one, their limbsand tails broken to make more room.

Their noses are tied together and ten ofthem made to march hundreds of miles. Ifone falls, its tailbones are broken andchilies put in its eyes till it stands up again.

If it dies, it is skinned on the spot.

Once in the slaughterhouse they are killedin the most crude and cruel manner. Theknives are rusty and the workers callousand untrained. Butchers need possess noformal qualification or training. In mech-anized slaughterhouses in AndhraPradesh, boiling water is poured on theanimal and its skin stripped while it isstill alive and hanging upside down.

In Kerala, the head is smashed in with ahammer - often up to 20 blows beinggiven before the animal dies. Many of thebutchers are children.

Myth: Unlike plastic alternatives, leatherproducts are environment-friendly.Reality: Tanneries not only emit unpleas-ant odors, they produce a host of pollu-tants - including lead, zinc, formalde-hyde, dyes, and cyanide based chemicals.And added to the equation is the devas-tating environmental impact of raisinglivestock. Animal slurry is probably themajor cause of water pollution: cattle,sheep and other ruminants are one of themain sources of global warming.

Methane and nitrogen in animal wastevolatizes to form ammonia - the singlegreatest cause of acid rain; the felling oftrees for livestock grazing, and theamount of young shoots and grass eatenresults in soil erosion.

Farm animals compete with us for land,water, and fuel, and consume five to tentimes as much primary plant food as peo-ple.

Turning animal hides into leather is anenergy intensive and polluting practice.The Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chem-ical Technology states: "On the basis ofquantity of energy consumed per unit ofproduct, the leather manufacturing indus-try would be categorized with aluminum,paper, steel, cement and petroleum manu-facturing industries as a gross consumerof energy."

"Production of leather basically involvessoaking (bean house), tanning, dyeing,drying and finishing. Over 95 per centleather production is chrome tainted. The

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 5

garments-is all done by machine.

Do the leather manufacturers pay for theforests that have been destroyed by thecattle grazing on them? Do they pay forthe water sources that have dried up as aresult of forest cover disappearing? No,they take an animal that has fed on landthat is called common land and denudedit.

The Government's Ministry for Waste-land Development then pays money toNGOs for these lands to be greenedagain. Do the leather manufacturers paythe Ministry? No. Theymake the money and In-dia pays the bill. Whichmeans you pay for theenormous wealth of theleather manufacturer.

Many Western countriesare increasingly turningto leather alternatives.China, which used to bethe largest leather ex-porter, is now the world'slargest synthetic leatherexporter. Countries likeThailand are followingsuit. Most Europeancountries that used to pro-duce leather have passedthe environmental burdento India and now merelyeither take the finishedhide or use synthetics.

A look at the Internet list-ings for leather alterna-tive throws up more than12,000 links for all sortsof non-cruelty, non-leather items. The Compassionate Shop-per regularly lists companies that sellnon-leather shoes for instance.

Do you want to help India's environmentand join its anti-cruelty team? First makea list of all the leather items in your life:Watch straps, shoes, wallets, jackets,belts, drums (tablas), bags, briefcases,hats, furniture covers, pants and othergarments, cricket balls, footballs, jewelrycases, spectacle cases, key chains, book-binding, lampshades, toys, gloves.

There are so many alternatives to each.Suede-like materials for garments (bothleather and suede are so silly to use in a hotcountry like India), cloth wallets and bags.Canvas belts with brass buckles. Spaldingmanufactures synthetic leather volleyballs,footballs and basketballs.

Cotton or spandex can replace leathergloves; synthetic fiber skin on drums is asgood. Waxed cloth and faux leather forjackets. Plastic, jute, canvas and EKKO-anew non-polluting combination of naturaland synthetic rubber are commonly avail-able.

The most widely purchased item is shoes.What are you looking for? Something eyecatching, water resistant, durable, allowingyour feet to breathe? Who says that thesequalities can't be found in non-leathershoes?

Vegetarian shoes not only outlast leatherbut also require less maintenance, as theydon't have to be polished. High qualitynon-leather is water-resistant and also al-lows the feet to breathe. Nike, Adidas andReebok have animal free shoes. Chlorenol

(called Hydrolite in Adidas andDurabuck in Nike) is an innovative newmaterial that stretches round the foot withthe same flexibility as leather.

Some non-leather companies have intro-duced cork and hemp shoes with a con-toured cork foot bed. Companies like Ac-tion Shoes and Bata say that they have avast line of non-leather shoes for men,women and children. Non leather shoeshops like Rinaldis in Mumbai have themost beautiful shoes possible.

Anyone who wants to go into collabora-tion with a foreign non-leather company will findhimself rich. Especiallynow since the West isstopping leather importfrom India. AnythingChina can do we can dobetter!

Here are a few hints:Some people complainthat vinyl shoes squeak.Put a little mineral oil,hand cream or any lubri-cant between the noisysurfaces. Many patentleather shoes are in factsynthetic. Look for theman made material labelon it. Leatherette is notleather. It is high qualityvinyl.

Don't wear dead animalson your feet. If the cow isyour sacred animal don'tlet her be killed for yourneeds. The wearer is re-sponsible for the killer

and ignorance is no defense. You are theperson who makes the money for theleather industry and destroys India's envi-ronment as well.

Is your pair of shoes worth the GangesRiver or the Himalayan hillsides or yourState forest sanctuary? All of them arecontained in the leather that you buy.Purchasing leather goods helps to makethe rearing and killing of over 600 mil-lion cattle, goats a year in the country aprofitable business, and maintains a de-

(Continued on page 10)

Come and visit Vrajapura Farm. Saraswati from California is meeting Vraja

& Gita during a tour given by Balabhadra.

Page 6 THE ISCOWP NEWS

Planting Potatoes by Oxen in England

ear Syamasundara prabhu,Great Stuff! This was one of themain purposes that the cow confer-

ence was organized. Sharing practical ox-power knowledge. Keep it coming, themore the better.

Your servant,Balabhadra dasISKCON Minister for Cow Protection andAgriculture

---- Original MessageFrom:"Syamasundara (das)(BhaktivedantaManor - UK)"<Syamasundara@pamho.net>To: "Cow (Protectionand related issues)"<Cow@pamho.net>Sent: Thursday, June15, 2000 2:20 PMSubject: Plantingpotatoes by oxen

I have just completedthe latest stage of ourpotato planting. Per-haps some of thereaders of this con-ference may be inter-ested and enthused tohear how it can bedone using oxen.

In Autumn the land is heavily manured. Itis said 20 tones per acre is a good amount.The manure is then ploughed in.

In the beginning you may need two per-sons to help you plough. One person hold-ing the plough and one person leading theoxen (voice) or driving the oxen (nasalharnessing). Later you will be able toplough on your own if you have a self ad-justing plough (Sulky type) if you are us-ing voice commands or any type of ploughif you use nasal harnessing. At BM weplough with one man using nasal harness-ing. Sometimes it is a bit exciting but it isa fantastic feeling.

During the spring (Spuds are planted ataround Easter here in the UK) the landmay need to be ploughed again if theweeds or grass has become estab-lished.The next task is to ridge the field.To do this you need a wide yolk. Yourspud rows should be about 30-36 inchesapart. The ridging yolk should be twicethe distance your ridges are apart. If yourridges are going to be 30 inches apartthen the distance between the middle ofone ox's neck piece to the middle of the

other ox's neck piece will be 60 inches.

Ridging is very easy because one of theoxen will be walking in a great big furrowleft by the ridging plough.

Furrows done, it is now time to plant yourpotatoes. Fill up a bucket with your seedand walk down the furrows dropping apotato every foot. If you haven't got aruler on hand drop a potato in front ofyour own foot and one behind it.Now the seeds are sown they need to becovered. THIS IS THE TRICKY BIT! Ihave found that it is easier to go back tothe normal size yolk to cover the pota-toes. After the first row then one bull will

be walking in the new furrow and onewill be walking in the older furrow. Themain thing is to cover all the potatoes.Having your lines a bit squiggly won'treally matter at this stage.

Now the potatoes are covered they shouldbe rolled flat; or at least as flat as youcan. It is better to use a ring roller ratherthan a flat one.

Every few days the land can be lightlyharrowed using achain harrow orlight harrows untilthe shoots start toemerge.

When the potatoshoots appear thenthe plants can beburied again byreridging down therows (Ridging yolk).So now we will havereturned to rows ofdeep furrows andridges.

To keep your weedsdown simply go upand down the fur-rows using the ridg-ing yolk and ridgingplough. One bullockwalks in a furrow, in

the next furrow is the ridging plough andthen in the next furrow is the second bul-lock.

If you land is weedy you may need tohand hoe at least once between the plants(the ridging plough cannot get there).

To lift out the potatoes you can get a spe-cial spud lifting plough, a spud spinner, aground driven spud lifter (perhaps a 6 oxjob) or if you haven't got any of these tryploughing them out.

Ox powered spuds kijayays syamasundara dasa

Vraja & Gita plowing by voice commands at 2 years old.

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 7

with a sober habit of labor, would haveno such tendency.

The third objection also is not a solidone. The ox can, by a proper harness, beused singly, as well as the horse, betweenthe rows of Indian corn; and equally soused for other purposes. Experience may

be safely appealed to onthis point.

In the fourth place, it is al-leged that he is slower inhis movements. This istrue, but in a less degreethan is often taken forgranted. Oxen that are wellchosen for their form arenot worked after the age ofabout eight years, (the ageat which they are best fittedfor beef), are not workedtoo many together, and aresuitably matched, may bekept at nearly as quick astep as that of horses wesee at work, who, on ac-count of their age, or theleanness occasioned by thecostliness of the food theyrequire, lose the advantagewhere they might haveonce had it?

The last objection has mostweight. The ox is not well adapted as thehorse to the road service, especially forlong trips. In common roads, which areoften soft, and sometimes suddenly be-come so the form of his foot and theshortness of his leg are disadvantages;and, on roads frozen or turnpiked, theroughness of the surface in the formercase, and its hardness in both cases, areinconvenient to his cloven foot. Butwhere the distance to market is not great,where the varying state of the roads andof the weather can be consulted, andwhere the road service is less in propor-tion to the farm service, the objection isalmost deprived of its weight.

(Continued on page 14)

The second objection has as little founda-tion. The constitution of the ox accom-odates itself as readily as that of the horseto different climates. Not only in ancientGreece and Italy, but throughout Asia, aspresented to us in ancient history, the oxand the plough are associated. At thisday, in the warm parts of India and

China, the ox, not the horse, is in thedraught service. In every part of India theox always appears, even in the train ofher armies. And in the hottest parts of theWest Indies, the ox is employed in haul-ing the weighty produce to the seaports.The mistake here, as in the former case,has arisen from the effect of an occa-sional employment only, with no otherthan green food. The fermentation of thisin the animal, heated by the weather, andfretted by the discipline, will readily ac-count for his sinking under his exertions;when green food even, much less dry,

he Farmer's Barn Book appears to

have been a very standard agri-

cultural reference book, both in

the U.S. and Great Britain, throughout the

1800s -- it was not just some minor, little

known work -- but rather a book that was

a highly regarded authority at the time, as

evidenced by the fact

that it was published in

numerous editions both

in the U.S. and Great

Britain. It is still in-

cluded in the libraries of

many agricultural

schools.

In answer to the argu-ment against oxen nowunder consideration, andthe one which has hadmost influence in restrict-ing the use of them, wenow offer the viewsurged by the illustriousMadison (one of theearly presidents of theUSA) whose pen simpli-fied and enlightened ev-ery subject it touched, ascould not but happenwith a mind so pure andso bright.

The objections generallymade to the ox are 1st,that he is less tractable than the horse; 2nd,that he does not bear heat as well; 3rd, thathe does not answer for the single ploughused in our corn fields; 4th, that he isslower in his movements; 5th, that he isless fit for carrying the produce of the farmto market.

The first objection is certainly founded inmistake. Of the two animals the ox is themost docile. In all countries where the oxis the ordinary draught animal, his docilityis proverbial. His intractability, where itexists, has arisen from an occasional use ofhim only, with long and irregular intervals;during which, the habit of discipline beingbroken, a new one is to be formed.

" The Advantages to Be Derived from a More Extended Use of Oxen"Excerpts from an essay found in the Farmers' Barn Book by Clayter 1843

In Mexico, farmers till with oxen before

planting beans.

Page 8 THE ISCOWP NEWS

Maharatha and I decided to make a meet-ing of the members of our Society, whereFrau Monika also wants to take part. Itwill be on Tuesday, 18th of July. wewould like to inform all our members andsome devotees about this and hear theiropinion. I personally like this opportunityvery much. I am sure that Krsna wants usto start with our farm project. Although itlooks very old, little and poor and Mahaand I do not have time, somehow I amprepared to accept it and do it alone ifneeded. I am sure that I will have thesupport of Frau Monika and that Krsnawill arrange everything so that I have the

time for working alsoon this project. I amnot afraid of hardwork and know thatif we start someonewill help us.

Maha also plans toregister this year afirm for producingprasadam, since wework through thefirm of our friendwhich does not existany more after thewar. It will also costa lot of lakshmi(money) but, it willcome back soon andwe hope that it willbe a good basis lateron for expanding anddeveloping our pro-ject.

From: "Magdalena iMilan Ristic" <gopala@EUnet.yu>To: "Iscowp" <iscowp@earthlink.net>Subject: Re: Thank YouDate: Wednesday, November 08, 20001:59 PM

After five years of establishing our Soci-ety and so much difficulties to keep andtake care of our cows Syamala, Nandiand Surabhi, and the late Madhu, SrimatiRadharani showed Her mercy and gaveus the new opportunity to serve Her andthe cows more. Few months ago one ladyfrom Switzerland, Frau Monika, wholives here in Serbia and has her farm of

(Continued on page 15)

The village she lives in is 20 minutes farfrom Novi Sad by car. I explained to herthat we are not in a position to be thereevery day since we work all day long inour workshop, but only on weekends. Weagreed that we could either pay someone totake care of them, or let someone live inthat little old house (without any comfort)and to take care of the cows. As I under-stood, she does not want to invest muchmore, but if she sees us serious in that ser-

vice, she could buy for us later also somemore land, especially if she sees that wehave manpower. She also suggested that itcould become also our center, if the devo-tees agree to visit and work.

Frau Monika came from Switzerland, sheis married to one professor here. She is thePresident of one society for animal protec-tion in Switzerland and she has a founda-tion there, so that she does not have prob-lems with financing the projects she leads.She expects us to tell her our decision assoon as possible, since there is one otherbuyer for that farm.

rom: "Magdalena i Milan Ristic"<gopala@EUnet.yu>To: <iscowp@earthlink.net>

Subject: NewsDate: Friday, July 14, 2000 5:10 PM

Dear Balabhadra and Chayadevi Prabhus,Please accept my humble obeisances. Allglories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you so muchfor the check for Jun/July.

I am happy to beable to inform youabout something re-ally amazing. Fewyears ago I heardabout and visitedwith my children awomen who has afarm for all kinds ofmaltreated/abusedanimals, especiallydogs. We spent a fewhours with her, lefther all our leaflets,newsletters. Re-cently she called usto her and informedus that she wouldlike to take also ourcows to her, sinceshe bought a greatpasture for herhorses. After our discussion we con-cluded that it would be the best if wecould have our own farm. She suggestedto buy for GOPALA an old farmhousewith half acre land near her farm which isfor selling. Since I presented her the situ-ation we are in now, she told that she willfinance the fencing, the building of a barnand that she will also provide food forour cows. That what she expects from usis that it becomes our project, not hers,and that we always take part in majorworks, like fencing, building, harvesting.She also expects us to take daily care ofthe cows.

GOPALA,cow protection

organization in Serbia

Sabdasaha d & Braj-Radha dd, Frau Monika, and Paramesvari dd in front of the old

farm house and land donated to Gopala by Frau Moniia

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 9

Dear Chayadevi,

Pranam. Jai Srila Prabhupada. Thank youfor your response. Have been helpingwith the People for Animals, an NGO inCalcutta for sometime and met thePETA rep. when we helped organize ademo against leather in April this year.

We have met with the Calcutta Pin-jrapole( Cow Shelter) Society at a meet-ing recently,when the Chief of The Ani-mal Welfare Board (INDIA), JusticeLodha, was here recently. This societyruns and encourages others, to maintaincow shelters where unproductive andmale cows can be housed. Justice Lodhais a parliamentarian and has been cam-paigning actively to ban cow slaughter inParliament. PFA went with him to theminister of animal husbandry and keepsthe pressure on to tackle the illegal prac-tices in the State. West Bengal and Ker-ala, as you must know, are the only stateswhere cow slaughter is legal. They haveopposed this (motions in parliament toban )consistently.

They (AWB) have a great video thatshows the economic viability of main-taining these cow shelters and they pro-vide substantial economic assistance forthis. Up to Rs400,000 annually for anycow shelter that has 3000 cows, and alsofor smaller ones. If you are interested Icould get you a copy .( will have to see ifits possible to get NTSC conversionhere)

The Govt ( West Bengal) set up a mecha-nized slaughter house in a place calledMourigram recently ( Meat for export)but local agitation has managed to stop itfrom operating at least temporarily.

PFA and other organizations have alsobeen campaigning against this and con-tinue to do so. PFA also litigates, system-atically, on this, as there are very clearguidelines under the Prevention of Cruel-ties to Animals Act.

Also they have mobile ambulances that

go to all the village districts in West Ben-gal to treat cattle free of cost, so that vil-lagers do not sell them off for slaughter.

PFA is running several cattle camps in ru-ral areas affected by the floods recently, totend to cattle that are ill. PFA campaignsagainst cow slaughter during Id ( Muslimfestival) which\is upheld by he law. How-ever, it is a huge battle, especially becauseMuslims control the trade. And they aremolly-coddled by politicians for theirvotes.

I have been to the train station where thesecow transports come from Punjab and oth-er states on the pretext that they are formilk but I have learned from one of thepeople, who works with the Pinjrapole (Cow shelter-Go raksha group) here, a cat-tle trader and so insider (though undercov-er) himself, that many are brought solelyfor slaughter and even those capable ofgiving milk are sold off after some monthswhen milk production falls. There are 72wagon loads of cattle that come into thisone station ( in Calcutta) by train every

week from Northern India and thousandsevery day to another site ( about threehours away) by road- which I have alsovisited.

What is most distressing is that it is socalled Hindus that sell and transport cowsfor the purpose. They need to be preach-ed to and held morally responsible for theincrease in adharma.****

During Id, Muslims will pay up to RS200,000 for 2-3 'milch' cows so that their'offering' is more opulent. The milk men( Hindus) always give into the lure of thiskind of money. 30 million cattle areslaughtered in India on this one day.

And although the law states that cowsunder 11 years of age cannot be killed,we have authentic reports, from the govt.employed vet at the slaughter house hereat Tangra, that mother cows along withtheir calves are slaughtered everyday . Ihave documentary evidence of cowslaughter during ID ( absolutely illegal) ata mosque during Id and it is barbaric andheart rending.

Calcutta will soon house the largestleather complex in the world so you canwell imagine the extent and the alarmingincrease in slaughter there is going tocontinue to be. West Bengal has the worstrecord as we estimate that 30,000 headsof cattle ( goats, sheep, Buffalo and cows)are transported in horrific conditionsacross the border to Bangladesh.

So leather is no more a by product it isthe main reason why the cow is killed andmost often skinned alive first. ( Ineffec-tive stunning) I have been interactingclosely with PETA and one of their ac-tivists Poorva Joshipura who has been tothe slaughter house in Calcutta told me itsthe worst she has seen. What I have seenhas compelled me to turn vegan. I haveseen male calves being allowed to starveto death by cattle owners and milkmen,their eyes /wounds being picked at whilstthey are still alive-because as Hindus they

(Continued on page 11)

Fighting Cow Abuse in India

Ekadasi was saved from the slaughter-

house by Harinama dasi and presently

Page 10 THE ISCOWP NEWS

Don't Wear Dead Animals On Your

Feetmand that can be satisfied only by the tak-ing of life.

Make an effort to find non-leather itemsand ask each leather shop you know tostock non-leather goods as well. You willsee how quickly the message spreads.(Text PAMHO:3599769) ---------------------------- End of Forwarded Message ------

Re: One Varnasrama Dharma

Possibility

I really appreciated Madhava Gosh's piecethat sketched a way that Varnasrama couldunfold in current times - what a refreshingrealism in such an attempt to grapple withissues. He asked, "How to provide the sta-ble social environment for cow protectionto flourish, thus meeting the preconditionnecessary for brahminical culture to flour-ish?" This shows a thoughtful focus.

When one is trying to influence and moti-vate people, one must be very realisticabout the true situation of how one's mes-sage is received. Why is there so little in-terest and support for cow protection andfarming, among the masses and leaders ofdevotees? That is a big question, but thepartial answer may lie in the way the issueshave usually been rhetorically framed andfocused by people writing or speaking onthe topics.

Most devotees have the impression thatself-sufficiency and Varnasrama Dharmaare the goals of Krishna conscious farmlife. But these are not the really realistic orlogical goals, and setting them up as thegoals only perpetuates the situation of lackof effective interest. Devotees say to them-selves, "I'm a Brahman practicing Krishnaconsciousness and any lifestyle I find to bepractical is acceptable because utility is theprinciple. I'm advancing spiritually so Var-nasrama is irrelevant." Or, "I have a busi-ness or profession and thus indirectly par-ticipate in varnasrama---I have no interestin farming."

All these issues of rural communities andcow protection etc should be set in a broad

(Continued from page 5) context of industrial agriculture, environ-mentalism and sustainability. Only whenpeople understand the pernicious trendsand tendencies will they be galvanized toget out of participating in that system andmake a stand for a sustainable future thatcan be the foundation for material andsocial circumstances that allow people tounderstand and practice Krishna con-sciousness.

One has to grasp the problem before em-bracing the solution. Understanding howcolossally destructive industrial agricul-ture is--environmentally and culturally--is the only firm, substantive platform thatcan be a steppingstone to choosing tobuild a way out: truly sustainable farmingand living. Industrial agriculture hasripped to shreds the fabric that everyonehas taken for granted till recently--thebackground fabric of any kind of har-mony between man and nature. Thecrude exploitive agriculture is now on thefast track to creating global hell.

Many urban people think things are coolbecause of the huge growth in organiccultivation and markets. But behind thepromising statistics is a lot of anguish.Most organic farmers are young and vig-orous and they work incredibly hardphysically and mentally, for virtually noprofit. They get burned out because thewhole system is stacked up against them.Long term survival is very difficult, andthe cutting edge voices among them aretalking these days about the basic prob-lems: a farm is a biological entity and theshort-term "business model" just doesn'tfit it. The smartest farmers are realizingthat they need greater social support---afarm should be maintained as a biologi-cal SANCTUARY where increasing lifeforce and fertility are the primary goalsand food production happens only withinthose perimeters. My point is that theyare casting around for the missing link/anew model.

Cow protection farming is the missinglink, and we should have successfulfarms to point to as examples. We shouldbe able to reveal fully the theory and practice of cow protection. Cow protec-tion means environmental integrity basedon truly sustainable agriculture. The

taboo on killing cows evolved as a landprotection techniques with many practicalboons--it is not only an ethical stand rele-vant to vegetarian spiritualists. These aresome of the practical effects of the taboo:the bovine species will always be present,but in limited numbers. Their manure willbe available to maintain fertility in cropareas. Controlled, restricted breeding willavoid overgrazing and ruining pasturelands; and obviously if you are control-ling breeding for quantity you will bemotivated to control for quality. And oxpower animal traction will be developedto utilize the surplus bulls. So the tabootends to create a local economy farm lifethat is full of excellent biological modali-ties, and full of social roles that maintainthem.

And the long-term picture is that every-thing that we hold precious, like brah-minical culture, is dependent ultimatelyon environmental health that only sus-tainable agriculture with animal tractionand localized economy can maintain.Seeing and saying this clearly is the onlyway we can break free of the thrall of hi-tech plastic illusions that the Internet isthe key to life. The only way to get devo-tees motivated to go back to the land andtake up cow protection is to place thesechoices in a broad context of deep mean-ing and urgent purpose.

Setting up Varnasrama Dharma as the biggoal creates a distorted framing and fo-cusing of the issues that no one can relateto. The ultimate goal or ideal is to have aGod centered, sustainable culture. Properdivision of labor is only an ingredient among others, in the path toward thegoal. It will develop naturally, not artifi-cially, only when people grasp the realgoals and the urgent reasons to devotetheir lives to those goals. Vandana dasi , Ozarks, USA

Ox Power In Czech RepublicFrom: "Varnasrama (das) LOK (KrsnuvDvur - CZ)"<Varnasrama.LOK@pamho.net>To: "ISCOWP (Balabhadra Dasa &Chaya Dasi - USA)"<ISCOWP@pamho.net>

(Continued on page 15)

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 11

Fighting Cow Abuse in Indiawill not kill them so they are left to die orsold cheaply. When we have asked themwhy they do not do anything they say if itwas a female they would but the male calfis worthless.There are lots ofother statistic and facts that Icould list but I am sure youare aware of them ,that showthat milk consumption is di-rectly related to slaughter.

Most goshallas,even thelargest one in Mumbai calledAaray Milk Colony, are de-spicably cruel..Oxytocin though banned iswidely used as are otherhorrific "techniques' whichyou must know about. Ofcourse this is not to say that Iam against milk that is ob-tained through the standardsprescribed by Srila Prabhu-pada

This year at Kumbha Mela Iam trying to organize withone of the trustees at PFAhere in Calcutta, a massawareness campaign againstcow slaughter, ritual sacrificeand the use of animal prod-ucts.

I have approached some andwill soon be approachingother religious groups andinstitutions to make place fora standard exhibit we plan tomake available and perhapsencourage them to look totheir own teachings and putout information to their re-spective congregations(encouraging practical mea-sures for their members tofollow: stop use of leather , awarenessabout where the milk comes from etc.)

I haven't approached anyone in ISKCONyet, for a host of reasons but will be doingso soon. If you have any interest and arewilling to get involved in the Kumbah melaCampaign it would be wonderful.

(Continued from page 9) Of course your site has invaluable matterthat I can use and if you permit I wouldbe most grateful to be able to use it.

PETA is doing great work and keepingtheir campaign alive and I am working

closely with them. We will use some ofthe footage /pictures they have for theKumbha Mela.

Have you seen their video?(INDIANCATTLE) Any suggestions and adviceyou could give would be most helpful.So much needs to be done. The extent of

abuse is encyclopedic and apathy andblatant illegal aspects aside, most peopleare unaware of the extent to which ani-mal/ cow by-products have infiltrated somuch of what we consume. 75% of Indiais non vegetarian voluntarily but I am

sure in some form or theother the entire nation usesanimal products, albeit unwit-tingly.

Even candles used in templesare made from animal fat andnot bees wax!

You must know about thesilver foil used on the sweets.(Offered daily in manyISKCON temples) That ishammered on the gut liningof cows, goats and buffaloes!

Though this whole effortseems like a one step forwardtwo step back process attimes we have to continue todo something to counteract it.Kali Yuga is really gallopingahead and in just this quarterof a century, since Srila Prab-hupada's disappearance, wecan see how much abuse theworld has heaped on the Cowand Earth Mothers. How canthere be any religiosity with-out Dharma is the question inthe B.G. and this principle iseven more relevant becauseof its conspicuous absencetoday.

The ideals of Iscowp, mar-velous and inspiring to fol-low, are one of Srila Prabhu-pada's glorious legacies

It is the highest ethical stan-dard that should be adoptedby all those that consume

milk and I do feel ISKCON should con-sider working with other groups to im-plement this. India is the largest milkproducing country in the world now andthere are barely any standards at all.

What do you think?Looking forward to hearing from you,Regards, Anonymous

Top: Balabhadra and Veda, born 6 months ago at Vrajapura Farm,

are developing a loving relationship. Veda is adopted by Vrajab-

hadhu.

Bottom:Virendra was saved from the slaughterhouse by Kamalesh

and Arti Shah.The V on his forehead inspired his name Virendra

Page 12 THE ISCOWP NEWS

Campaign Success! Barnyard

Free of Mud!

The cement in the barn has been laid! Nowthe 27 cows and oxen will not get stuck inthe mud this winter. You, our members, areresponsible for this improvement andtherefore their comfort. Thank you somuch for your generosity. In our annualfinancial report sent to all donors, we willthankfully listeveryone whocontributed.

Some of theplans changed.as we proceededwith the con-struction. Al-though we werealso completingthe new IS-COWP head-quarters and try-ing to move intoit, Balabhadraspent severaldays with theconstruction

crew because decisions had to be made onthe spot.

The cement area became smaller due to thelay of the land and we decided to put polesin the cement to support a roof so the cowswould be under cover in addition to beingfree of mud. For the 27 cows we have, the

area is sufficient. Combined with theother barn we have an area of 170 ft longand 30 feet wide available to the cows.

It turned out that laying the cement wasmore difficult and complicated due to theterrain and we have paid to the contractor$15,000 donated by ISCOWP membersso far. The poles were an additional$3000, also donated. We are estimatingthat there will be needed another $6,000that needs to be paid to the contractorafter we have a meeting to go over thedetails of the job with him. With somepledges finishing at the end of the year

we will need an additional$2000 to complete thepayment. If you wouldlike to help by making adonation, please find theenclosed envelope foryour convenience.

We are very satisfied withthe job, it was carefullydone and we got it fin-ished just before the se-vere weather set in. Thefirst stage was to removeall the manure and gradethe barnyard. The manureis now piled up outside thebarnyard and will be used for the gardensthis spring. The middle photo shows theexcavating of the yard and the debrisfrom the remains of part of the oldashram building. We have kept the first

room and the cement slab of the secondroom. The idea was to use this building asworkshop and tackle storage. The roofhad to be removed because it was rotting.The bottom left photo shows how the oldashram building and barnyard previouslylooked. Some of the huge rocks that were

removed from the barnyard can be usedfor building and fencing.

The second stage was to put the poles inplace. 30 poles (12 of them were 30 feetlong, 18 were 25 feet long) were deliv-

ISCOWP

UPDATE

Bottom left: The barnyard before the

excavation.

Middle: Excavation in the barn yard.

Top: Laying cement in the feed aisle.

Bottom: Some produce from the garden;

corella, apples, beets, squash, kale,

tomatoes and hot peppers

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 13

often just watched the construction.Draupadi’s milk production went downand we were concerned that we wouldhave to dry her up. But now her milkproduction is back to what it was sinceshe is back in the barnyard.

Garden

Produce:

Canning

and Dry-

ing

We arepresently uti-lizing cannedfood goods,made from allingredients inour garden,for ourselvesand ourmonthlydonors. Weare blessed to

have tomatoesauce, toma-toe chutney,tomatoe salsa,beans, kale,beets, swisschard, blue-berry andblackberryjam, apple-sauce, applechunks, anddried corelladuring thesewintermonths.These cannedand driedgoods are sit-ting in our new root cellar. Due to a wetsummer and our emphasis on building anew ISCOWP headquarters, Lakshmi did

not can as much as last year. We investedin a dehydrator in the fall and it provedeasy to use and very proficient. We driedall the remaining corella with it, and weare looking forward to using it next springand summer. Additional gardens near thenew ISCOWP headquarters will beplowed and planted next season. Thereare a few flat plateau areas with one largeone near the headquarters.

New ISCOWP Headquarters

In the top and middle photo you can seethe new ISCOWP headquarters built intothe hill on the adjoining parcel to thebarn. We moved into this facility on the8th of November. It is still a constructionzone, but we are warm and have the ne-cessities for everyday living. We have alarge office right in the front of the housewith a view of the barn and cows. Thelarge root cellar, on the side of the house,and the second floor will be for storingand processing foods, herbs and herbal

products. During the winter we hope tocomplete the inside work. The next issuewill include some photos of our work.

ered, a skid loader with an auger attach-ment was rented to dig the holes, and thena backhoe was used to put the poles inplace.

The third stage was to prepare the area forcement and then to pour the cement. Rebar

had to be laid to support the cement.The top photo on page 12 shows ce-ment being laid in the aisle where thelarge hay bales will be placed. Therebar can be seen. The tractor cannow be driven into this area to de-liver the bales without fear of gettingstuck in mud. The feeding aisle is agreat improvement over feeding inhay rings in the barn yard-a greatdeal of hay is saved, and it is safer for thecows.

The fourth stage was the laying of stone onthe additional tractor path to the barnyardand in front of the cement barnyard. Thismakes all entrances mud free. The photoon the front page shows the finished ce-ment and poles in the barnyard.

The fifth stage was building a fence lineto keep the cows and oxen in the area. Thetop photo on this page shows Balabhadraand Baladeva putting in the fence line withthe pole pounder borrowed from the NewVrndavana goshalla. Now the cows areeating hay in the feed aisle as shown in thebottom photo on this page.

Some of the cows were a little upset thatthey couldn’t access the barnyard area and

Top: Balabhadra and Baladeva putting

in the fence line around the new barn-

yard with the pole digger from the New

Vrndavana goshalla. New ISCOWP

Middle: New ISCOWP Headquarters

Bottom: Cows eating from the feeding

aisle of the new barnyard. No Mud!

Page 14 THE ISCOWP NEWS

sharp muzzle resembling deer; color en-tirely white, except black nose, ears, andtuft of the tail. They are most frequentlyworked in the thills of the cart, and are asspirited and walk as quick as a horse, andappeared not to suffer from heat more thana horse.”

To show, however, that we are not depen-dent on any foreign stock, it may be statedthat the small, pale red field ox about Salis-bury in Maryland will travel twenty fivemiles in a day, with heavy loads of lumbergoing, and returning empty, over the sandyroads of that region; while it may be af-firmed, after particular inquiry, that the dis-tance made by the heavy-bodied, grain-loving, Conestoga horses on the nationalroad between Cumberland and Wheelingaverages not over sixteen miles, six horseswith loads of from six to eight thousandpounds.

“Just at the close of the war, in the summerof 1783, I recollect being at the house of anagricultural gentleman of Princeton, inNew Jersey, where Congress was then sit-ting, and that Charles Thomson, the Secre-tary, was present. One of Arthur Young’sAgricultural Tours in England lay on thetable, and gave rise to a conversation onthe use of oxen for the draft, particularlywhen geared with collars, hames, andtraces, like horses; and Mr. Thomson re-lated the following fact, now, for sub-stance, perfectly in my recollection.

Traveling in that part of Chester county inPennsylvania which lay between Lancasterin that State and Newport on Christianacreek, Mr. Thompson fell in with a team ofa novel character in that country, beingcomposed of one pair of horses and onepair of oxen: and the latter were accouteredwith harness like horses, only with the col-lars turned upside down. His curiosity be-ing excited, he stopped and made someinquiries, and received from the driver anaccount as follows: that he and a neighbor,each having a horse team and wagon, hadentered into a contract to transport a quan-tity of flour (I think in a given time) toNewport; that in the midst of the work oneor two of his horses failed, (felled sick ordied), and he was not in circumstances con-veniently to procure others; but he had apair of oxen, and he concluded to try

The Advantages to Be Derived

from a More Extended Use of

Oxen

In cases where it most applies, its weightis diminished by the consideration that amuch greater proportion of service on thefarm may be done by oxen than is nowcommonly done, and that the expense ofshoeing them is little different from thatof keeping horses shod.

The next most serious charge against theox is constitutional slowness of motion,which, as many suppose, no course ofeducation can overcome, but which, maybe set off in comparison with the greaterspeed of the horse, as Aesop illustratedthe difference in the long run between thepace of the ‘tortoise and the hare! “Thegreater haste the less speed,” is a proverbsuited to this case as to that.

It has already been seen that ox-teamstravel over the ever verdant pampas ofBuenos Ayres, at the rate of thirty miles aday, for a month together. Twenty yearsago, the writer of this held correspon-dence with Commodore Jacob Jones,himself a practical farmer, and an habitu-ally close and judicious observer, andthen commanding our squadron in theMediterranean, on the subject of Andalu-sian horses, cattle, and other animals,with a view to the importation, under au-thority from the Albermarle AgricultureSociety. Of such as might be deemed wenow quote from his letter as applicable tothe questions both of speed and suscepti-bility to eat:

“The cattle that I have seen in Spain ap-pear to be nothing superior to ours, norhave I seen anywhere on the coasts of theMediterranean any that appear betterthan those in America, except a race ofwhite cattle at Naples used for the draft. Iwas informed by a gentleman who, insupplying the government with timber,had used thirty yoke of them for twoyears, that during that time they had con-stantly traveled from twenty to twentyfive miles a day. They are generally fif-teen hands high; their bodies long, thin,and deep; legs long; small light head;

(Continued from page 7) whether they would supply the place ofhis horses that he made the experimentand succeeded. He told Mr. Thomsonthat the oxen were more useful to himthan horses; for after some fall rains,when the roads had become miry, he con-tinued to carry his full complement ofbarrels of flour, while his neighbor’shorse team frequently getting stalled, (thefamiliar term in Pennsylvania when ateam gets set fast in a slough), compelledhim to lessen his loads. But he added,that in returning from Newport with theirwagons empty, his neighbor had the ad-vantage in speed, although none in theactual performance of the contract.”

A writer in the Memoirs of the Mas-sachusetts Agricultural Society, speakingto a community who neither could norwould be deceived on a matter so wellunderstood by, and so deeply interestingto them, says - “The principal argumentof the advocates for the cultivation byhorses in Maryland seems to be the supe-rior speed of the horse. With this mustproceed from an imperfect training of thecattle. With us our cattle will plough anacre of ground much better, and in asshort a time, as a pair of horses would doit, unless they can trot their horses in theplough, so they will get in a ton of hay inas short a time.”

Here we are well persuaded the sagaciouswriter hits the nail on the head, when hesuggests that the objection on the scoreof speed must arise from an “imperfecttraining of the cattle.” He must possessan imperfect knowledge of the differencebetween the habits of the New Englandand the Southern plough man who is notprepared to admit that in nothing is thatdifference greater than in their treatmentof all their cattle, and more especiallytheir oxen. I this very difference, in fact,is to be found the solution of the ques-tion, and this brings us to the point formaking the suggestions we propose onthe breed, gearing, training, and generaltreatment of the ox.

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 15

On Go-puja this year Sabdasaha prabhuand four other devotees dug about 60holes for pillars for a fence and Braj-Radhe and I prepared a little feast. It wasso nice and we would like to continuewith the works. It brings much happinessfor the soul, and one feels so free on theland.

I would also like to thank you for all yourhelp. Without your guidance and finan-cial help for more than a year, these cowsand we personally would be in a very dif-ficult situation. Sincerely, we owe youour lives and would like to serve yourlotus feet until the end of our lives.

GOPALA,cow protection organization

in Serbia

dogs and other abused animals, donated tothe Society GOPALA a half acre land withan old house on it, in a village which is 20minutes by car far from our town. In thebeginning she offered us also her financialhelp to make a fence and a barn for thecows.

In order to be able to lead that project, thedevotees, Sabdasaha prabhu and his wife,Braj-Radhe dd came from the Hungarianfarm. They thought to live in that old farm-house after little adaptation and to takecare of the cows, but after the former in-habitants of the house moved out we wereshocked with the bad condition of it. Wedecided to adapt it for the cows and tobuild a new house for the devotees on thespring.

Sabdasaha Prabhu is very enthusiastic tomake a very nice little farm on that land,which will serve as an example for cowprotection and attract many devotees andkarmis. Frau Monika offered us her finan-cial help, but now her own project burdensher financially so that we cannot count onher. Therefore we ask you to help us, ifpossible, by finding us some donors whoare ready to support this project. It is not atall easy to realize such a project here inSerbia, because the political and economicsituation is very bad. Although there is anew government now, the old one ruinedour country so much so that we mainly livewithout electricity and need many years tostart to feel progress and an easier time.We have 10 difficult years behind us andmany say that it will be the hardest winterof all. Who knows how long will this diffi-cult situation last. Because of it, it wouldbe very good if we could start this projectwhich we would like to do for the satisfac-tion of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radhe-Syamasundara under your guidance, asyour servants, since we do not have experi-ence. We have only enthusiasm, wishes,dreams, but the question is what will bepossible to realize and what is most practi-cal and economical. Sabdasaha prabhudraws plans, but without financial helpnothing can be done.

(Continued from page 8)

10)10)10)10)

Ox Power In Czech Republic

Subject: Re: Cow ReportsDate: Tuesday, November 07, 200012:39 PM

Dear Balabhadra Prabhu.Please accept my humble obeisances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I would like to apologize for the delay inreply. Another thing is that we do notknow many special English words used inagriculture, but hopefully you will under-stand this report.

Now we have 35 ha of land, where wegrow potatoes, yellow and green peas,buckwheat, wheat, dinkel (wheat grownin old times) and rye. We are grindinggrains in our own mill which is officiallyapproved and we sell the flour togetherwith other products to our restaurants,bakery and temple in Prague.Part of ourproduction goes also to the karmi market.Presently we make 10 kinds of flour. Forgrinding we use our grains, but partiallywe have to buy from outside.This yearwas better one, even though the weatherwas very inauspicious. This area is gener-ally quite cold. We were harvesting 18 tof potatoes, 5 t of wheat, 4 t of yellowpeas and 2,5 t green peas and so on.

For agriculture work we have one tractor,small harvesting machine, three oxen andthree horses. 50% of the whole work is

(Continued from page

done with animals. Oxen do harrowing,sowing, turning of hay and local transport.Training program for the oxen is follow-ing: up to two years they go every day fora walk and we teach them basic order.Then they get used for the yoke. We usereins and upholstered collars. At the ageof three years they do light work, for ex-ample pulling branches. At four years theystart to work lightly with older oxen. Atfive years they work fully. We have smallJersey cows, common Czech breed cowsand Hungarian breed of oxen.

There are 8 devotees -three are working inthe agriculture. There is one pujari, onecook, one sankirtan devotee and onemiller. Agriculture together with mill pays60 % of our expenses. The rest is fromsankirtan donations, Sunday feasts and soon.

Food for the cows and also basic bhogafor cooking we grow on our fields. Localgovernment´s policy is not favorable to-wards agriculture and in this trend issteady.

We are officially registered as Bio-producers under the supervision of theministry of agriculture. We have a goodname.

Thank you for your kind attention.Your servant Varnasrama dasa.

Giving In the

Holy Day Spirit

We have several worthy projects in needof funding, some of which have been de-scribed in this issue. For instance there isGOPALA, the cow protection organiza-tion in Serbia, and the completion of thepayment for the barnyard construction atVrajapura Farm. If you would like tomake a holy day donation for a specificproject, just use the enclosed envelopeand tell us the chosen project. Or if youwould like to give just to the generalcomfort of the cows, please also use theenclosed envelope. There is so much thatneeds to be done and so little time andresources. Untold numbers of cows aredying every day.

Page 16 THE ISCOWP NEWS

THE ISCOWP NEWS

The International Society for Cow Protection

RR 1 NBU #28

Moundsville, W.V. 26041, U.S.A.

Tel # 304-843-1658, http://www.iscowp.com

Non-ProfitU.S. PostagePAIDMoundsville, W.V.Permit No.15

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