Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-02-08
FARM AND DAIRY TOPICS.
From the State Agricultural Col
lege.

LET TIE BLOOD FLOW To THE UDDER
Any excitement or disturbance OF
the animal system always affects the
milch COW. In April, 1898, the Kan
cas- Agricultural College purchased IL
head Of COWS from Lincoln County
which had to be forwarded by rail for
over 100 miles. Records were kept
from each individual milking, and 1t
was found that with the ride, home
sickness and change of feed it took
nearly two weeks for these COWS to re-
turn to their normal quantity and
quality of milk. Observations since
then have demonstrated that any un-
usual excitement or disturbance always
influence the milk now. A little
knowledge of the structure of the I'D
der will show why.
The udder is composed of cavities
or milk cisterns, and milk ducts, sur
rounded by muscular connective and
fatty tissues. At the end of these milk
ducts we find small cells which have
the property of secreting and trans
forming nutrients from the blood into
milk. These cells are most active at
, the time of milking, and in fact large
part of the milk Is elaborated at this
time. This necessitates good supply
of blood to the udder during the pro-
cess of milking, for it is impossible
for these cells to manufacture milk
without fresh supplies of nutrients
from the blood. Any excitement that
tends to contract the muscles of the
pdder or turn the blood to other Dor
tions of the body will cause decrease
In the flow Of milk. Beating thu cow
with milk stool or speaking to her in
harsh language may cause the milk to
flow, but not to the udder. Even feed.
ing the cow while milking her is bad
practice, as it tends to divert the blood
from the udder to the digestive tract.
Every act of the mixer and every sur.
rounding of the cow should be such
that the latter will give her whole at
tention TO the secretion of milk at milk
ing time. In other words allow the
blood to flow to the udder.
D. a. Otis.
DOES GRINDING KAFIR CORN PAY?
Kafir corn Is grain that must be
ground If the best and most econom-
ical results in feeding it are to be OBJ
tanned. In its natural state it is so
small and hard that most animals
masticate it with difficulty. Sheep
and very young pigs and calves will
masticate it pretty thoroly if fed in
limited quantities. On the other hand
with mature cattle or hogs large per
cent passes thru the animal if the
Ka6r corn is fed without grinding.
Soaking is detriment, as more will
pass thru than when fed In the dry
state. Cattle and hogs make decided
ly better gains, in most cases, on the
meal than they do on the whole grain.
The following figures have just been
obtained in an experiment at this sta
ton. The Kafir corn was fed, as pre-
pared in the following methods to a
steer, and the percentage shows the
amounts of grain that passed thru him
in q form that could be separated me.
chanically:
Per cent.
Kafir corn heads 3o.S2
Whole Kafir corn $40
Cracked" 11.5S
Coarse ground Kafir corn 6.92
Fine ground Kafir corn 6,25
According to these results, when
Kadr corn il fed whole, more than one
third OF it passes thru the animal un-
masticated to any considerable degree.
This was when 1t was fed to a steer
receiving about two thirds of full
feed. 1t il true that this is not a total
loss, as it can be utilized by hogs fol-
lowing. but it is poor economy to tax
an animals system % unnecessarily.
We are carrying on similar experiments
with corn for comparison. From pre-
vious investigations in the same line
where corn meal and Kafir corn meal
were fed to steers it was found that
more than twice as much of the Kafir
meal passed thru the animal as did of
the corn neal.
F. G. BURTIs.
HOW THE PIONEERING PLANTS ARE
DOING.
The verbenas are growing rapidly
and producing large number of cut
tings for the spring beds. Now is the
time to be planting the summer flower
garden and sending for the flower
seeds.
A number of the Orchid plants were
repotted this week; and . fine lot of
seeding Heliotrope and Geraniums
were potted.
A number of air layered plants were
taken from the rubber plants, FIcus
elastic and longifolia. The white and