Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-07-22
agricultural.
From the Maine Farmer.
MFR. Wizards Lectures at Or0a0.


The MAINE FARMER by Master VIM. b. oleson-
Lecture v. Care ef stock and General
Management.
Carniyerous animals have one stomach
while animals which chew the cud have
four. The stomach of COWS should al
ways be distended rs the contact OF the
sides or walls Is liable TO excite irritation
and consequently diseases. For this
reason disiillery slops often prove injuri-
Gus as they do not sufficiently distend the
stomach. The Stops OF distilleries is also
liable to make poor milk. The four
stomachs are very capacious, especially
the first one The food is made into balls
in the mouth and then passes to the hrSt
after which il is returned 10 tho mouth.
made into smaller balls and passed into
the second stomach. From this i, passes
To the third and fourth stomachs receiving
fluids by the way. After passing from
the fourth stomach into the duOdenum it
is separated into nutritious and in.nulri-
tious portions. The fourth stomach Is the
one from which rennet is made. In spring
when cattle are shedding their hair, il
they are not carded, they olentimeS lick
the hair of with their tongues, and unable
after once getting ii into their mouths TO
get it out, they swallow il in the same
form that they DO grass, making what Is
called hair ball. These balls are apt To
excite disease. 4 great deal depends up
ON the winter management of stock.
Cows should not be kcpttoo closely in the
stable rs il sacrifices to certain extent,
health and vitality The COWS may look
well but what is temporary profit is a loss
in the end. Cattle should be bcdded well,
led well, groomed well and given air and
exercise once ortwicc per day. The cat
Tic should be brought 10 the barn in good
condition. Ground grain is accounted
good food in the latter part of fall. Cat
tie should be fed three times per day.
morning, noon. aud night.
Grass is cut much earlier in dairy dis.
trictS now than in former times and it is
found that cattle thrive better upon it
Lste cut grass is largely composed of
woody fibye, which nj once shows It's in.
feriority. Early cut grasS is equivalent.
in the production of milk, butter and
cheese, to late cut grass with grain or
meal a. has been amply proved. Il is
well to cut a portion Of the grass in June,
before Towering and the rest should be
cut by the 10Th oC July. Ii is not con-
sidered a good plan to winter cattle on
one kind of food. Besides hay. they
should have roots in the first part and
grain in the las, part of winter. Cows
should not be allowed to lose flesh As it
causes a poor quality OF milk during the
recuperation Of their strength. When
COWS are thus rccuperaiing lheIc is re
duction in the butter obtained from their
milk. often from > per cent down to ,
per cent The milk ur >a,h COWS should
Dc excluded from the factories or taken al
less value than good milk. Meadows are
more enduring when the grass i>cut carly
than they are when it i cut after the hay
has become woody. One-half Il bushe OF
Timothy is not too much 70 seed per acre
The famous Cakes COW. besides suck
ling 4 calf five weeks. produced from
April 9Th TO Sept. 25ih. $50 lbs. OF butter.
The Vermont COW produced from Dee
4th. 1864, to April 4th. 1868. 5O4 lbs of
butter, which sold for 1924 80. These
COWS were both good sized and native
breed.
II has been proved that rs much butter
can be obtained from hay in winter q,
from grass in summer, provided it IS Gu,
early and properly cured Cows should
be fed with hay three times, watrrcd
twice AMI kept in the barn in winter when
not exercising Great care should be
taken that they be fed and watcrcd regu.
larry. Since hay must be cut early in or.
der Ia retain the creates, amount ot nutri.
tive material, the best New York dairy
farmers cut ir-t between June Sth and
18th. 4 second cutting is made In Aug.
and sometime u third in September. Cows
are often injured by being fed upon con.
cenuated food. Coarse fodder should be
fed with meal, bran. &c, 50 rs TO make il
equivalent TO early cut hay. There is a |
gain in cutting and cooking the feed over
common hay. Of about one-third. An
experiment was alluded to in which there
was cost Of twenty nine cents for cook |
ed food, for each COW per day, while with !
hay alone the cost was thirty.tive each !
per day, and to all appearances the form
er lot was in much better condition every |
way. Sieaming renders mouldy hay, !
peas, beans, turnips. &c. sweet and nu-
triuous. Instances were referred to |
where eight dollars were saved each year
for every cow by cooking the food.
A COW should not drop her calf in the |
stanchiOn but should be let loose in an in
eiosure'and len to quietness. Bran mash
mixed with tepid water acts very fayora-
bly, for the expulsion of the after BIRTH
Some prefer that the cows come in in
April and May rather than in February
or March. Should the cows come in As
early as March something besides or,lina-
~ hay is required. Beans are used in
England rs feed TOR cattle but are not
much used in America Grains rich in