The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-05-10
Management and Feeding Stock.

From the New England Farmcr.l
I have had The care of cows for The
last forty years, and never had ease
Of ABORTION. In the first place, | en-
deavOr TO have their diet as uniform as
possible, summer and winter. | put
nv cows in the stables about tie first
of Novemb Der, and feed with variety
Of plants, herd's-grass, red-tOp clover,
water grasses, brakes, shTunk cabbage,
wild wormwood, alder leaves and such
other plants as they get in the sum-
mer,-tOO numerous to mention.
turn To pasture about the middle of
May. A portion Of my pasture la.
generally been new land, furnishing the
sweetest of feed from cultivated grasses,
with low, swamp grasses; also a
variety of browse, such as chestnut,
maple, white, red and black oak, white
aud black birch, ash pine, hemlock,
alders' sweet fern, shTunk cabbage,
worm wood, low laurel, not the poison
laurel, &c. Water gushes from springs
and runs in a sluggish stream through
the pasture, so that the cattle can have
it cold or warm; and | have noticed
that they sometimes drink the one and
sometimes the other-shOwing that
they like variety Of water as well as
Of food.
Cows kept on such variety of food
and water, not allowed to come in till
three years of age, which go dry two
months previous to calving, that
suckIe their calves only day or two,
will seldom have any trouble from
miscarriage.
have often not allowed the calf to
OF Tic tjn Mt
milk her, and feed the caf. The calf
may Lot do quite as well, but the COW
will be more quiet, below less when
turned to pasture, seldom have sore
teats, and the calf can be put in the
same pasture with the COW, if / raise it.
AS a general thing have taken care
of my cows and MIXED them myself
They have been treated with kindness,
and knew nothing of being kicked,
whipped or pounded. l never had q
kicking cow, and when see notices in
the Farmer of such animals l almost
wonder that people are not ashamed to
complain, as think there is no need of
having kicking cows, if properly
managed. j have generally raised my
cows from calves. From the first /
treat them in such a way that they like
to be handled. When 1 milk a haifer
for the first time, l soften the teats
with milk, begin very moderately and
and as easily for the animal as possible.
If she steps round, | talk to her sooth-
ingly; but never strike or kick her.
They will soon learn that they are not
going to be hurt, and will stand still. A
heifer once calved when | was away
from home. / went out in the evening
after getting home and MIXED her in
the lane, for the first time, without
trouble.
| have never fed much meal, or
grain of any kind, or roots, as l have
not made business of selling milk
still have kept one or two COWS during
the winter for milk for the family.
Selling milk may probably be made pro-
fitable where farmers live near a village
or city, if they do not live too high.
But if meal and roots are freely used
for the sake of getting a great amount
of milk, it will tend to iDjure the COW
unless fed Systematically the year
round. 1t is like feeding horse all
the grain he will eat, and then working
him to get pay for it. 1t is far better
to feed horse good hay, with little
grain and work moderately, as he will
last much longer, aud be more profit
able in the long run. By high feed
cows are liable to disease but if Judi
ciously fed and kindly treated, there
will be little trouble from abortion or
other ailments.
M. L. GOODALL-