The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-08-13
Farm Garden and Household,
Care of nlilch Cows,


The hot months are upon us, and it
becomes dairymen to see that their
COWS are not suffering from heat or the
lack of pure water, two points that re-
uuire special attention. Great heat, if
the cows are exposed to it, gets up o
feverish condition of the system, and
the effect is communicated to the milk.
The milk imparts 1t to the cheese,
which accounts for much of the bad
make which we find on the shelves in
July and August, in n bad season, as
was the summer of 1872 less 80 the
past season, which was comparatively
cool.
The remedy is, shelter from the sun.
This but for few hours in the hottest
days, green cut feed being given at such
times. This will also encourage the
habit, too little practiced, of chatting"
our dairy stock. Glover, corn, and
other material may be used, and
should be used even if it lessen the
stock of hay, for in no case should cows
be left scant of food, so as to lessen
their quantity of milk. 1t is difficult
If not impossible to regain what is lost
The falling off seems to have almost a
peculiar, certainly a persistent effect
Every observing dairyman must have
noticed this.
In many cases, in dry time, water
becomes scant. Of course stock will
suffer from this cause, particularly
milch COWS. And it often leads to
worse-the use of foul or stagnant wa
ter, which breeds mischief. Rather
drive the COWS in the cool of the day
some distance where good water can be
obtained or resort to wells-anything
rather than Objectionable water. Some
times where there is no lack of good
water, stagnant pools occur in the
range of the pasture. Cows will some
times avail themselves of this. Drain
or fence off all such spots. Indeed,
milch COWS should be excluded from all
marshy or: wet land. It's herbage is
coarse and sour, and its water unfit to
use.
1t needs but few cases of this de-
scription, or few careless patrons, to
hurt the whole make of factory, the
guilty parties suffering with the rest SO
that it is for their own interests, as
well as for the other patrons, to see
that this is remedied. The thing, if
traced out, will be found to have more
important bearings than it may seem.
Correct the Titles, the few instances,
and the whole, including the offender,
will be benefited Stock Journal
wheat.
It is always well to leok out early for
the seed for future crop of wheat. Ii
is quite rs important for the farmer to
seek to improve his grain as his stock.
or fn,
improvement in our cereals as in ou,
"scrub" grain in the. country as
"scrub stock. Improved stock brings
improved prices. An improved COW OF
bull will, for breeding purposes, bring
extraordinary high prices. So will i'm
proved grain for seed. The average
yield OF wheat per acre, in this State,
does not exceed twelve bushels, while
with improved seed and improved cul
ture, it might be raised to thirty bush.
els. There is no law of nature more
universally applicable than that Every
plant produces seed after its kind.
The best culture possible will not pro
duce superior grain from inferior seed
Every farmer should make a specia
effort this year to SOW better seed thar
last. Let every grain be full and round
Use the screen, and separate from the
seed every little, shriveled grain, ant
all foreign matter. Let none but thu
best and purest grain be sown. It j
not good husbandry to take your seeG
wheat from the common stock prepared
for the mill or m rket. Select from
the field the patches containing th'
largest and fullest heads for seed, ant
thresh and keep separate from th'
market grain. Do this for the present
but do not rest satisfied with this
There is large room for Improvement
The same care that is used in improving
stock will improve grain. Select tn
best heads from your best grain-head
that are large, long, and perfectly filled
Sow this seed on ground thorough
prepared. Though the patch may b
small, it will furnish beginning fo
improved grain. Follow up this pro
cess year after year, and the result vii
be grain that will compare favorabl
with the most improved breeds of shor
horns, and will command correspond
ingly high prices. Indiana Farmer.