Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-05-08
FARM AND GARDEN.
Management and Feeding Stock,


From the New England Farmer.l
have had the care of COWS for the last
forty years, and never had case of abor-
ton. In the first place, L endeayor to
have their diet as uniform as possible
summer and winter. L put my cows in
the stables about.the first of November,
and feed with q variety of plants, herds
grass, red-top clover, water grasses, brakes,
skunk cabbage, wild wormwood, alder
leaves and such other plants as they get in
the summer-too numerous to mention.
turn TO pasture about the middle of
May. a portion of my pasture has gen
orally been new land, furnishing the sweet
est of feed from cultivated grasses, with
low swamp grasses also variety of
browse, such as chestnut, maple, white,
red, and black oak, white and black birch,
ash, pine, hemlock, alders, sweet fern,
skunk cabbage, wormwood, low laurel,
not the poison laurel, &c. Water gushes
from springs and runs in n sluggish
streams 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-show-
ing that they like n 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 suckle their
calves only day or two, will seldom have
any trouble from miscarriage.
1 have often not allowed the calf to
suck ut all. Tie up the COW at once and
milk her, and feed the calf The calf may
not 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 I have taken care
of my cows and milked them myself.
They have been treated with kindness,
and know nothing of being kicked, whip
ped or pounded. / never had n kicking
COW, and when 1 see notices in the Farm
or of such animals / almost wonder that
people are not ashamed to complain, as
1 think there is no need of having kick
ing cows, if properly managed L have
generally raised my cows from calves.
From the first 1 treat them in such way
that they like to be handled. When L
milk a heifer for the first time, soften
the teats with milk, begin very moder-
ately and as easily for the animal as posi-
BILE. If she steps round, ] talk to her
soothingly; but never strike or kick her.
Thus treated 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. l 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 more profitable where farmers live near
village or city, if they do not feed too
high. But if meal and roots are freely used
for the sake of getting a great amount of
milk, it will tend to injure the COW unless
fed systematically the year round. 1t is like
feeding horse all the grain he will eat
and then working him hard to get pay for
it. \ horse thus treated will soon wear
out. 1t is far better to feed horse good
hay, with little grain and work modera-
tely, as he viii last much longer, and be
more profitable 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 all
ments. NJ. l.. GoODELL.