Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-05-17
Farm Notes.
THE CARE OF THE COW.
Gentleness, Cleanliness, Pure Water and
Good Feed are Required. Watch the
Unreliable HELP

Good Feed are Required. Watch the
Unreliable Help.
The education and forming of char
acter and development of the consti-
tuition of the COW begins in infancy.
Treat the calf with kindness; feed
properly; give access to plenty of
pure water and shelter from cold
rains and winters storms.
Treat the COW with gentleness al
ways.
Nervousness and viciousness are
engendered in the ill-treated cow and
transmitted to her offspring The
more docile the COW the more are her
energies likely to be devoted to the
interests of the dairyman, and the
stockman cannot be too watchful of
unreliable help who may beat or
otherwise frighten the cows or hurry
them to and from the pasture. Like
wise quarreling in the herd is to be
avoided as much as possible
One bad feature of average dairy
ing is carelessness in milking, more
particularly in the winter time or
when the cows are stabbed. More or
less vileness and offensive dust col
lects upon the udder and unless re-
moved before milking portion of it
finds its way into the pail, Part of it
settles after passing the strainer, a
portion is seen floating on the cream
and the whole product is contami-
mated. Frequently, when stables
are ill-kept and the mixers careless
there is decided "off " flavor to the
entire milking. Half the milk that
is sent into our cities will deposit a
vile sediment after standing.
In many farm households this dirt
in the milk is looked upon as un-
avoidable. 1t is strange that even
fastidious people will tolerate it when
they would be inexpressibly shocked
and disgusted if they should see even
small portion of the same fertiliz-
ing element introduced openly into
the milk they were expected to con-
sumo.
The picking over by tie cow of
foul bedding, as well as leeks and
other plants found in bush pasture,
also imparts an odor to milk and
butter and renders it unwholesome.
It is common impression that
anything in liquid shape is good
enough for stock of all kinds. Shal-
low basins are excavated or natural
depressions utilized where the water
stands exposed to the sun for weeks
and months, propagating disease
germs which, being transmitted by
the agency of the COW, find lodgment
in the consumers physical system.
Thousands of children-yes, and ma
ture consumers also-in city and
country die annually from the effects
of milk from cows obliged to drink
water contaminated with the germs
of disease. Sometimes the disease is
traced to its source. More often no
effort is made to find the cause, med
icine is administered with varying
results, and the prevalence of ty-
phoid" or of some other kindred dis
ease is commented upon as a myster-
ious visitation. The drinking water
of the household and the milk supply
share the responsibility as sources of
this class of ailments; but as people
are much more careful of their own
drinking water than of that which
they give their cows, the evil per-
haps more frequently can be traced
to the water supply of the milk pro-
ducer. Any standing water exposed
to the rays of the sun is dangerous.
Give no water to your COWS that you
think is not fit to drink Yourself
See that the milk and butter is
scrupulously clean and wholesome
and secure a trade where the demand
at good prices is greater than the
supply-the custom of those who like
what is palatable and clean, and who
have regard for the health of their
families. Edwin f. Moore in New
England Farmer