Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-12-07
Fall Care of Cows.

Fall Care of Cows.
Every practical dairyman knows full
well the im Importance of taking proper
care of his COWS. 1t matters not how
well the other branches Of the dairy
are cared for; unless the fountaia
head, the COWS themselves, are man
aged with At proper regard to their best
care, there will surely be deficit in
the returns of the dairy ut the end OF
the season. There are several points
to watch with regard to the proper care
of COWS Surprising a man to be IN
possession of first class herd OF dairy
cows, properly bred, of fine constltu-
tons, and large, rich mixers. The
first two of these conditions, breeding
and constitution, may, with reasonable
care, be kept up to the given standard;
but the yield, especially in relation to
quantity, is susceptible of great en-
largement or deterioration. TO hold
the yield at its maximum, there are
three cardinal principles to be kept III
view: First, the feed; second, the gen.
eral handling; and third, the individ
usl comfort of the COW. In relation to
the first, it Is mole q question of guam
tiiy of feed than particular adaptabill-
ty, 50 far as the COW is concerned, for
she is what may be called gross
feeder, and will consume almost any,
thing that comes il her way.
While it is true that some cows re-
fuse many articles Of food that are even
wholesome; at the same time, sucn
COWS are exceptions to the rule, for
generally they will not only eat what is
put before them, but often venture up
on weeds and herbs, and drink waite:
that works destruction in the dairy.
The prime question, therefore, il re-
gard to feeding, is one OF economy, and
each dairyman must, in deciding this
question, be governed by his particu-
lar surroundings, though be have often
known them to make q handsome
profit over their neighbors by going
somewhat abroad 70 buy COW feed that
proved much cheaper than any th at
could be bought nearer home. There
are seasons of the year that the horn
of plenty in a measure overcOmes the
rapacity of railroad charges. In re-
gard to our second point, the general
handling of the COW, any one who is
familiar with dairy herds must have
noticed the difference in their hand
| ling. One man with herd Of indiffer-
ent COWS as to quality will often get q
large percentage more in yield than
another man with a much better herd.
This often comes from superior dc
gree of handling Just as one man can
drive fractions trotting horse faster
than another, just so can one man get
much more milk from a COW than an
| other
All this is dependent upon the nat
ural dGptability of the man to the
business, and when man fails to make
the COWS yield, there is no use in argu-
ing the question with him. He il sim
ply not adapted to the business, and
| the sooner he hunts new occupation.
the better for both him and the cows.
In regard to the third point, the indi-
vidual comfort Of the COW. Milk yield
ing is in some occult way connected in
timately with the cows nervous organ
ization. Ifshe is happy, 3ontented and
| comfortable, she will do her best, while
the least shock to her nervous system
I uHS6lS Jub NuOlb uuSlhtoSs nc u dgk
of q whip, the falling of 4 board, or
other shock to the nerves, will reduce
the yield of milk in q herd very ma
terially. So the removal Of the calt or
its rough treatment in tho dams pres,
ence, will sometimes peremptorily stop
the flow of milk. This is often attribu-
ted to the i'll will of the COW in "holding
up her milk, utd0ctors tell us of sim
liar results with the human race. A
mother receiving suddenly the news of
a tragic death in the family, the father.
mother o" husband, will often COM
pletely stop the supply of milk for the
little one, no matter how anxious the
mothers may be to feed it. Another
vital point with the COW is that of heat.
A cold COW il the picture of misery,
and a sure evidence of no profit For
this reason the COW stable should he
get In readiness to receive the inmates
the cold nights that come so suddenly
and unawares in the fall There is no
point about the dairy of equal import
ance to that Of keeping the COWS well
fed anc warm .-Amric0a Dairgm9a.