Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-02-14

Scions do best cut In the fall, ana kept
through the winter packed in damp earth,
or sawdust. But they will often grow well
cut in spring. We are now feeding just
such oats as al. C. T." speaks of and find
them equal to the best early cut hay. Yet
we do not think cows Ike them quite as well
as the hay.
COWS IN CALF.
Mr.. u. +. Jameson, of Irasburgh, sends us
the following upon the above named sub
ject ain your issue of January oath, you
quoted the directions of Colonel Waring in
regard to the care of cows, in substance as
follows For six weeks before calving, feed
only hay of ordinary quality, and during the
last two weeks the poorest hay and straw.
You endorse it very carefully, and tone it
down somewhat with your usual good sense
and sound judgment. Milk fever is not
common ailment in the dairy herds of Yer
mont, and the majority of farmers will class
these directions for feeding as the nonsense
would lead to such weakness in cows as to
bring back the by-gone times (O when cat
tie were spring poor and had to be lifted
to their feet, or tailed up.
ain the practice of Vermont farmers, the
coarse fodder like cornstalks, straw and
late cut hay come first to his hand, and are
mostly fed the fore part of winter, and with
these are fed pumpkins, turnips, small pota-
toes and the soft corn.
"The cows do not get dangerously fat dur
ing the winter to February LIST, which would
be about the time to begin the formula of
poorest hay and straw The real practice is
now TO begin to feed those solid mows of
early cut hay with additions of meal.
"Several years ago, the Irasburgh Farmers
Club, composed largely of dairymen with
from ten to thirty cows EACH were discuss
ing the care of cows. 1t was their unani-
nous opinion that for the best results the
COW should be gaining or thriving before and
at the time of calving, and especially not
growing poorer and weaker.
"The ailment most dreaded here was the
retention of the placenta, or afterbirth.
With weak or failing cows this was common,
much to the injury of the COW, making her
nearly fifty per cent. less profitable to the
dairyman.
81 know grain is fed freely in the vicinity
of Colonel Warnings farm One farmer fed
in the summer six quarts of corn meal and
six quarts of shorts, each day, to each COW
in addition to pasture. Two others visited
fed eight quarts of shorts and meal to each
cow and green clover in the stalls at milk
ing, in addition to good pasture, and got q
yield of from twelve TO fifteen quarts day
from each COW, most of the summer; the
treatment is not usual in farming commun
ties where dairying is followed, Instead Of
selling milk, and where native stock is kept
instead of thoroughbreds.
ali New England is 10 be judged by the
average in Vermont, should say that les;
than ten per cent. OF the farmers have thor
oughbred stock. While the advice quoted
might do for them, it would be safer for the
ninety per cent. with common stock to feeC
early cut hay with two quarts of shorts OIL
meal, and mess of turnips, beets or pota
toes, as large and as often as the quantity
on hand will warrant, with the view of hav
ing them last until grass grows.
IF any of your readers can give methot
of treatment so that tn re shall be no case
OF retention of the pacenta, he will do a ia
vor to the dairymen."
We shall be glad if any reader can re
spond to Mr.. Jameson's request in relation
to retention OF the placenta. 1t seems to III
that the natural, common sense inferenc,
from what is told of the different method
of treatment referred to by Mr.. Jameson is
that where high feeding is followed, mill
fever prevails, and where low feeding is TIN
custom placental retention is the common
trouble. As the latter is natural conse
quence in both the human and the ANNA
subject, of weakness of the muscular system
and particularly of weakness of the muscle
of the womb, good feeding and care woul'
be the proper emedy-remembering that i
this is carried too far, you expose your COW
to the other danger of milk fever. We mus
aim at the true medium in these matters
neither over nor under feeding these valua
BILE animals. As yet, as Mr.. Jameson in
Inmates, Vermont farmers err more in tn
latter than in the former direction.