Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-01-20
5arm ano 1OussbolO.
Ecw TO Produce Milk IN Winter.

be produced with profit in the winter unless
the stables are warm. If half the food con-
sumeaa goes 10 the supply of animal heat, as
Il did in the old wide cracked, loose and I'M
der-pinned barns of the olden time, in which
the COWS often shivered and were covered
with frost of cold night, no wonder that
the animals were poor as Jobs turkeys in
the spring, though they had given little milk
during the winter. Comfort is the first es-
sential to milk production, and there can be
no comfort when Jack Frost is pinching at
every pore. To secure warmth it is not nee
essary to stable cows in Easements. Indeed,
these are better places for manure than for
animals, for, though warmth is good thing,
it is not the only thing requisite for the COM
fort of beasts. The poor inmates of lib
by" did not complain so much of the cold
as of the bad air. We do not mean to in
sinuate that Easements cannot be so well
lighted and ventilated as to make them fit
abodes for both man and beast, but We af-
ARA positively that this is seldom the case,
and as general rule we much prefer to live
and let our animals live above the base
ment BY putting the stables on the sunny
side of the barn, battening them on the out
side and lining them tightly on the inside,
filling the space between the studs with straw
or saw-dust, frost can be effectually exclud-
ed, and, so far as warmth is concerned the
animals made perfectly comfortable.
To secure light and ventilation put in fire.
quent small windows of rough plate glass,
hung on hinges, or made to slide, so that
they can be opened fully of warm, sunny
day, or partially opened in moderate wealth
er. Tubes should also run from the stables
through the roof of the barn to carry off
all foul air. The heat generated by the ami
mails will cause the air to rise through these
tubes, thus causing constant change.
The flooring must be perfectly tight
as no animal, biped or quadruped, can
stand constant draft of cold air directly on
the stomach.
Cleanliness is third requisite for the pro-
diucfion Of good milk. In the summer
grazing COW keeps herself neat and tidy.
In winter the COW herd must do this for her.
by having her stall so short and elevated
that all her excrement will fall in the trough
behind her, and be removed at least bi-daily.
The stall must also be well bedded with
straw or sawdust, or dry loan, or siftsd coal
L. oh
ents of vile odors, and add greatly to the
value of the manure. Notwithstanding all
these precautions there will more or less
dust and filth accumulate on COW unless
she is carded daily. When we learn to keep
our stables and COWS as those of Holland
are kept, then will our flow of winter milk
be as sweet and pure as that of the "fader
land" The browning requisite for the pro-
duetion of winter milk is nourishing, sn..t;;;-
lent food. Our fathers kcpt their cows in
winter on DR. hay almost exclusively, and
tbs made from ripe and over-ripe grass.
No wonder the COWS gave little milk and
came out "spring poor" in May. This was
miserable economy anyway, for it took the
COWS half the summer to get in good milk
ing condition. Our modern practice Of cut
ting grass early, and cutting the aftermath,
enables US to furnish food very similar to
the feed Of summer.
The aftermath (rowen) is especially adapt
ed to the production of milk, as it is almost
as juicy and tender as fresh grass. If the
first crop only is fed to milch cows, they
should have q daily ration Of roots or ap-
pies, and these are healthy and serve as
variety, no matter what the feed may be.
No man or inferior animal likes to be served
with the same ration three times day and
365 IA days in q year. Turkey and plum
pudding served in this fashion would pail
the appetite of gormandizer. We are
looking for great help in the production of
winter milk from ensilage. This comes
nearer to summer grazing than does rowen,
and the slight fermentation which it under
goes makes it the more digestible and more
easily assimilated. Whether it will enable
us to dispense with roots, as its ardent ad-
vocates claim, remains to be proved by
further trial.
With suitable food we include an abundance
ofwater. No producer ofwinter milk should
think of doing without running water in his
ward. to which his cows can have easy access
at least twice day. To compel them to
tramp half mile, or twenty rods even, to
some brook or spring of cold day will
make large discount on their milk pro-
duct, both in its quantity and quality. Bricks
can be made without straw or other fuel,
as they can be hardened by the suns heat,
but good milk cannot be made without good
ed,including good water.-( Mass. Plough
man.