The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-05-20
horticultural department.
. CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Salt and Water for Cows.

first turned upon grass in the spring
at which time the grass has less of min
eral elements in it than at any other
time of the year. The COW being fresh
In milk. the supply of fluid is strongly
drawn upon, and this supply must be
kept up or the COW Wi. fall off in her
supply of milk. Thus the salt needs
to be watered. and the water needs to
be sailed.
But this use of salt by domestic ami
mails Is very much a matter of habit.
When / was farmer boy in the YAM
kee State of Vermont over fifty years
ago, though the people were constitu-
tionally observant of the Sabbath, it
was not considered to he a very fragrant
violation of the Fourth Commandment
for the farmer to take his salt box UNI
der his arm and proceed with reverent
steps, TO the tune of Near or Dundee,
of Sabbath afternoon, or before meet
ing dime, if lie got up early enough, to
the back pastures, and give the cattle
general sailing and as this operation
was performed only once week, it
was easier to remember to do il on Sun
day than any other day and besides,
the farmer being in n quiet frame of
mind, and very much at his leisure,
could take advantage of the occasion to
look over the cattle and see how
they were all getting on, without, of
course, any great worldly reference as
TO what the steers would fetch in the
most likely to make the best cows.
This way of sailing cows might have
been well enough in its day, for that
was long enough before cheese factories
were thought of, and before the selling
of whole diaries of milk at ten to fif-
teen cents per gallon, had stimulated
the production of forty to fifty pounds
per cow per day. There is an objection
TO the sailing of cattle at long intervals
and in the mass the master animals
will lick up too much, and the under
lings of the herd will not get enough.
A better way is to provide stationary
boxes, or troughs, in which salt is kept
all the while, out of the reach of wash
ing rains, and to which the cattle can
have access at all times. III this way
they will soon learn to regulate the
lick to their own tastes, and be free
from the hustle and jostling which ac-
company the sailing of herd in
mass.
Speaking of water, would you think
that such rich fluid as milk is made
up of eighty-five per cent. of water?
This shows two things-that cows need
plentiful supply of water, and that
the water should be pure. A COW
which gives large mess Of milk re-
quires more water than one which
gives but little, and the thirst for drink
is one of the indications of deep
mixer. 1t is true that cattle may be
educated 10 do without much water and
still live, just as some of our hygienic
reformers can live on bran bread, and
such thin stuff, but since air, light and
water are the free gifts of the Creator.
1t seems pity that every living thing
should not have all they need Of them.
When we set out to fatten pigs or cat
tie, we tempt them to eat all they can /;
just so, II you want large flow of milk.
you may tempt the COW to drink her
fill, and for man who sells his milk
to factory, it is good deal better that
he should put the water in the milk
before it comes from the COW, than that
he Should put ii in the can while on his
way to the factory The law has some
thing to say on this latter practice
which makes it unhealthy for the trans
greesor while on the former the lac
tometer and the cream guage can hard
ly letect fault, and If they did, the
cow is not morally or legally RESPONSE
BILE for watering her own milk, in the
normal process of making it. ! would
not advise that the dairyman should
stuff his cows with water as he would
stuff fattening turkey for his Christ
mas roast. but let them have all they
need, and when they need it, and il
the feed is good and the cows are good,
there will be the best possible yield OF
milk.
OF course there is little danger that
the COWS which run in the pastures will
not get enough Of water at this season
of the year but ] mention the matter
more to suggest the importance of pro-
yiding for a plentiful supply when the
hot season comes on and the streams
have become dry, as they usually dc
where they are not fed 10y living
springs. There are many districts o.
country where the grasses are wei
suited to dairy purposes but where
there is lack OF water which is equal
ly good, and dairymen are obliged t.
have recourse to pools which become
foul in the dry season, or fail entirely
Foul water is a bad thing to go int
milk, which in its best state is so large
ly composed of this element, and thu
COW has no internal apparatus for max
Ing pure milk out Of foul water. A
healthy COW in full flow of milk cal
make way with from twenty to thirt,
quarts of water in the course of twenty
four hours. If the water is bad it will
show itself more in the nights mes
than in the morning, as cows do no
drink during the night, and milk
such n sensitive thing that foul waite
and taints of all sorts show themselve
in short time.
Upon dairy farms where there is nc
supply of pure water from Twin
springs, running brooks. &C, it is
matter of prime importance to provid
good wells from which to draw or pun