Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-03-15
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR
OUR RURAL READERS.
MILK Fever.

From Farmers Review: The I'M
dersigned was glad that you made re-
ply to Mr.. Hoard's request for informal
ton as regards milking cows before
they calye. or really milking from one
calf to the next to prevent milk fever.
like very much most of what you say.
/ know that milking cows before they
calve to keep the udder reduced does
not always prevent milk fever; / don't
believe 1t ever does.
I assessed this town fourteen years
In succession, and for ten years think
/ made it point to ask every farmer
1--WE are all dairymen) in town II he
had lost any cows with milk fever the
last year. The first year l found sew
enty-hve cows had died the previous
year out OF some ninety that had hal
the disease, or something like it. Six
of those cows that died had not been
dried before they calved, and twenty
six had been MIXED from three TO
seven days before they calved.
learned so much from my brother
dairymen of town in those ten years
about the bad effects of milking from
calf to calf and few days before par
turition, all of which agreed with my
experience, that l have waged war
against the practice ever since-and
expect to as long as l can write and
get my letters published.
The last year l assessed the town |
found but nine cows had died with
milk fever the previous year, and six
OF them had been MIXED to prevent it.
or the between 400 and 500 dairymen
of this town, l don't think there are
six who milk any of their cows from
calf to calf, or start the milk from the
cow before she Is a mother. They dry
their heifers the first year eight or ten
weeks before the second calf, and It's
no trouble in after years to dry them
about that time. There never was and
not likely to be O heifer which could
not be safely dried eight weeks before
the second calf, and the Jerseys are
not exceptions.
After it became fully impressed upon
the dairymen of this great COW county
that they had better give their cows
about the same rest in a year that
they took themselves, viz, one-seventh
Of the year, and that they would not
be tempted to start the milk OF one
until after there was a mother, and
that they would throw away the papers
OF epson salts, saltpetre, ETC., and give
the bottles OF aconite, nitre, ETC.. to
| kill sheep, dogs. rats, etc, and see that
the cows had ample exercise all the
year around-it was not long before
the cow doctor at Sheboygan Falls
could put In most of bis time at home.
We have not had a COW doctor at
Sheboygan Falls in ten years, although
stocked with mich cows. Our drug
gist says he rarely ever sells epson
salts or other drugs, except In small
quantities. II the dairymen of this
county should use EPSON salts as is
recommended by some OF our dairy
papers, it would have to be shipped In
here by the carload. How our drug
gist would open his eyes IL one OF our
large dairymen should step in with
three or four grain sacks and order
them filled with EPSON salts! That
would be the way to buy them IL we
used them as is so often recommended.
Give me mashes, roots, gruels, etc,
every time. OF course, men who do not
know how to feed and care for cows
to avoid milk fever and other numer-
Gus ills might as well milk from calf
to calf as not.
Mr.. Editor, the only fault find with
your remarks as regards milk fever is,
I'VE also know that it is practically
impossible to dry up many cows for
even a few days before calving time. "
Be so kind as to ask Prof. Curtiss OF
the Iowa Experiment Station what he
knows about this matter. l know Of a
score of successful dairymen who
thought as you do a few years ago
who dry up all their cows now--own-
ers of Jerseys included.
A. X. HYATT.
Sheboygan county, Wis.