Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-12-16
Winter Dairying.

I'nere are arguments loI anu dS"'ii"o
winter dairying. AS rule this may
be made profitable where the condi-
tions are right for the business, but If
this is not the case it had better be
let alone, as it will generally prove
successful when thus undertaken. TO
be successful there must be barns and
especially stables suited to the busl-
ness, the idea being to make the con-
ditions as nearly like warm weather as
possible, or at least practicable.
The stables should be SO constructed
as to be sufficiently warm, well lighted
and comfortable. There should be
means for ventilation, SO that the air
can be kept wholesome and at the
proper temperature.
There should be good floors for the
COWS to stand or lie upon, of the right
length and slope. The COWS must be
kept clean, if pure, clean milk is ex-
pected, hence there should be plenty
of bedding of some kind. Where COWS
are MIXED in winter little or no straw
should be fed, SO this can be better
used as bedding. Where there is not
sufficient of this product, dry sawdust
or fine shavings from the mills will
make good substitute. The saw
dust makes the cleanest and best kind
of bedding, but of course it is not OF
as much value in the manure as straw.
The last can be much improved for the
purpose by cutting.
Having got the cows comfortably
situated for the winter, then comes
the matter of feed, for on this will in
great measure depend the success OF
the business. Cows usually do the
best when in a good luxuriant pasture,
and the nearer we can get to this in
winter the better it will be.
If there can be some succulent food,
that will be just the thing, and this
the farmer can have in the form of
ensilage: and whoever intends to
make business of winter dairying,
should at once make provision for this
kind of feed. With this and early
cut hay composed largely of the clo-
vers, if possible, and if convenient or
desirable quantity of oat hay to help
make out the ration, along with the
proper allowance of grain feed, there
should be good flow and quality of
milk. Besides this there should be
abundant provision for water not too
cold nor far away.
With these conditions fully met,
united with the necessary care and
attention that the cows should daily
receive, there should be an abundance
of good milk, which is the foundation
of successful winter dairying.
AS to what should be done with
this milk is another question, wheth-
err to be made into butter on the
farm or to be disposed of in other
ways. Some Vermont milk goes to
the city markets, larger portion is
made into butter at the creamerieS
and perhaps still more on the farms
where produced. Either of these meth
DDS will not be discussed in this ar
ticle.
With the care and attention that a
farmer thus situated will bestow upon
his herd and in the further manage
ment of the milk obtained, winter
dairying should be made reasonably
satisfactory and profitable. Often the
COWS will be found to do fully as well,
if not better, than on summer pastur-
age.
The present winter is more than
usually promising for this industry,
owing to the short supply and good
demand for fine butter.
On the other hand if farmer does
not or cannot meet the requirements
for successful winter dairying, he had
better not undertake it, as he would
most likely be disappointed in the re-
suit. Such had better follow the more
common practice of having their COWS
come fresh in milk early in spring,
keeping them meanwhile in good
working condition and then do the
best possible through the summer sea-
son in securing and maintaining a
large flow Of milk.