Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-20
Develop the HeiferS.

One great secret of the development
off the return Of the progeny for pc
riod of not less than six months after
the birth of the first calf says the Devon
Bulletin. This leaves all the energies
of the COW free to spend themselves in
milk production. When heifer first
comes to her milk, the milk glands
which constitute the udder are in an
undeveloped condition. With these. as
with all other organs, growth IS stimu-
lated by use. Everything should now
be done to secure an abundant and pro-
longed flow of milk. If the udder
should be congested and hard, it is bet
ter to let the calf suck the cow for a
period sufficient to secure perfectly
healthy condition at this point. Dur
ing this period the mother should have
no stimulating food. If the udder is
well from the start she should have
nothing more stimulating than wheat
bran in moderate quantity. We have
seen valuable heifers permanently de-
prived of part of the udder by failure
to observe the necessity of securing
pCllCCU ICcuOll HUH UloIl
and from traces of hardness before be-
ginning to feed grain. AS soon as the
udder is in perfect order, let the calf
be weaned or removed to another
mother. 1t will be fortunate for the
future of the heifers if she has dropped
her young just before grass time. This
is the chief argument for arranging
matters so that COWS come in during
April and May. The fresh grass of the
early season is just the food for our
purpose. With this give a good dash
of wheat, bran, corn meal and gluten
or linseed oil meal, using judgment
based on careful observation of the
milk increase by daily weighing. Oats
may substituted for corn meal. A
good mixture is in the proportion of
two pounds of corn meal or oats, two
of gluten or inseed oil meal, four of
wheat bran. The feed may rise from
four pounds to eight per day, accord
ing to apparent need. Be sure your
heifer has abundant good grass and
clear water Watch her closely, spare
no pains, for this is critical period.
Delay the test of your heifers for but
ter from week to week, as long as the
weight of milk continues to increase.
When it seems to have reached its
maximum spread out your milk well in
shallow pans, at temperature as near
as possible to go degrees. and see how
much butter you can make in a week.
Increasing the Manure Heaps.
While it is no economy to increase
the quantity of manure at the expense
of quality. at the same time it is quite
important to see that nothing that will
make good fertilizer is allowed to 90
to waste.
If the plan of cleaning out the sta
| bles and sheds is followed and the ma
nure is piled up either under shelter or
without, it will be found advantageous
to save all the more easily soluble por-
tons. as it is these that are the more
| liable to be lost.
By supplying plenty of bedding in
| the stables or sheds all the liquid por-
| tons may be absorbed and held, and
| then if care is taken in the piling the
loss by teaching may be greatly lessen
ed. A good layer of straw, leaves or
other litter should be put on the ground
first, this will hold good per cent of
the soluble portions, and then if there
| is Il considerable quantity piled up a
! LAWYER o. straw or litter can be put in
to good advantage.
This is especially the case when
there is considerable quantity OF