The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-11-26
Have You Provided q Winter Cow?

Who is not fond of milk in some
shape? We think it would be difficult
to find the individual; and yet, as a rule,
milk is harder to get in the country than
in the city, if a person be so unfortu-
nate as to have no COW. Instead of hav-
ing the milk delivered as in the city, it
must be bought by the individual re-
quiring it, who is often then obliged to
pay higher prices than in the city, even
if then the delivery of milk may not be
considered favor.
The reason is that farmers, who of all
men should have a bountiful supply,
often find themselves in the winter re-
stricted to few strippings obtained
from the summer cows that are rough
ing it in the yards entirely on dry food.
The horses are kept in comfortable sta
bles and carefully ted, bedded, curried
and brushed. The fattening cattle, sheep
and hogs are as carefully cared for, but
the COW, which is expected to furnish an
important nourishment and the basis of
many delicacies to the family, is too
often left to shift as best she may. 1t is
no wonder that she doles out grudgingly
small and decreasing quantities OF very
blue milk.
There is no animal kept in winter on
the farm that should receive, nor that
will pay better for extra care, than the
too-often-abused COW. She is machine
that responds to the demands upon it
in exact proportion to its perfectness of
construction and the care bestowed upon
its working parts. If warmly housed
and fed literally with plenty ofrich food,
including, if possible, succulent vegeta
bles; if this be done there is no difficulty
in always having an abundance of rich
milk in winter. If roots cannot be Oh
tanned, bran should be provided, to lie
given in the form of thin slop, so that
the animal can drink it for the abun-
dance of water taken by the cow adds
largely, not only to the quantity of the
milk, but also to the quality, since it en-
ucts of the food more fully than it 9TH
erwise could.
BY this we do not mean that the COW
supplied with diversified food and plenty
of liquids and giving ten or fifteen quarts
per day of milk will give milk as rich,
quart for quart, as the animal fed on
rich dry food, with only sufficiency of
water to enable it to be passed through
the animal. In this last case the very
small quantity obtained will be exceed
ingly rich; but an animal properly kept,
and in full flow of milk, will be found to
furnish the elements of milk very much
in excess of one poorly cared for, how
ever richly fed.
The lack of milk in winter among the
average farmers of the country is one
of the crying evils of the homestead.
When once the farmer learns how easy
it is to have an abundance, and that the
daily care bestowed is not onerous, there.
after but little difficulty will be expert
enced by the housewife in inducing the
purchase of a new COW when needed, if
circumstances were such that the farm
failed to provide one. Generally, if no
better plan can be realized, extra care
and feeding to a couple of the later
calving cows will carry the household
along until the new cows begin to come
in during the latter part of winter. At
all events, those farmers who have not
already provided for an abundance of
milk this winter should Immediately do
so. :. Plenty of milk will save in so many
ways as amply to pay all the cost and
fstill leave a large margin beyond
! Western Rural.