The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1900-05-04
To Develop the Dairy Cow.

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CONDENSED from Farmers Review
Stenographic Report Of Wisconsin Dairy
mems Convention.)
Mrs AIDA f. HOWE read a paper on
how to develop the dairy COW. She
said that the first step to be taken IN
the development Of any breed Is 10
develop the confidence Of the animals
The best dairy cows in the world nave
been developed by centuries OF gentie
care" Beginning with the calf, an
honest effort should be made TO de-
velop every good quality the amman
may possess; clean, dry and COMFORT
able quarters should be provided Ior
the dependent creature, which Will
soon return ample recompense for all
care and labor expended. To obtain
the best results the everyday life OF q
cow should be reduced to a system
bordering on utter monotony; she
should go In and out Of the same door,
invariably occupy the same stall,
should be fed, watered and MIXED at
regular intervals. Her entire existence
should be as uneventful as possible. A
COW from the time of dropping her
r-st calf should be MIXED three times
uaily for period extending from the
time of freshening to five weeks to
as many months, according to condi-
lions. A five years experience has
given me firm confidence in the value
of this practice.
Q.-At what times do you milk your
cows?
Mrs. Howie.-At 4 o'clock in the
morning, at 2 p. M, and at o'clock
at night.
Mr.. Burchard.-That sounds awful;
but how is it with the men that run
the railroad trains. 1t must be re-
. membered that the men that do this
work have time during the day to
rest.
Q.-How about keeping the stable
clean?
Mrs. Howie-In the first place we
whitewash our stables twice year;
but this last year we were so busy that
we whitewashed 1t only once. When
we do this whitewashing every cob
web is swept down. We also put up
curtains in the barn. The cutters are
flushed out every day, and the barn
floor Is scrubbed twice a week. be-
lieve that the barn is worth only one
fourth as much as the herd. SO far as
the cost of each is concerned, and that
is my idea of dairy farming.
Q.-What part of the time each
day in winter are your cows out of
doors?
Mrs. Howie.-They are turned out
Of doors in the morning as soon as
they have consumed their morning ra-
ton. If the day is very cold the COWS
are taken in again in about two hours,
and after being warmed up they are
again turned out; we do not let them
get chilled.
Q.-How many times day do you
feed your cows grain?
Mrs. Howie.-We feed them three
times a day if they are MIXED that
humber of times.
! Q.-How long do you keep up the
milking three times a day?
Mrs. Howie.-That depends on how
the cows keep up their flow Of milk;
as soon as the flow decreases so that
the udder, when emptied only twice a
day, will not be painfully full, we stop
milking three times a day. AS gen
eral thing we do not milk three times
a day for more than two months, but
we have sometimes MIXED that way
for five months without hurting the
cows.
Q.-Do you then cease to feed three
times a day?
l Mrs. Howie.-Yes; and we Increase
the amount of feed at each Of the other
two feeds.
Q.-Do you weigh your milk every
day in the year?
Mrs. Howie.-Yes, we weigh our
milk at every milking in the year. AS
to the result of milking three times a
day Wlen the COWS lIeSueu "ouiu
say that l have never had a case OF
garget on my farm.
ON case a man does not want
to breed for pedigree, will it pay to
weigh the milk?
Mrs. Howell think 1t will pay to
weigh in any case; then the owner can
tell whether the COW is paying her
way or not.
Q.-How long do you let COW &c
dry?
Mrs. Howell like to have them
go dry for six weeks, but some will
not go dry at all.
Q.-How long should be the first
milking period of the heifer?
Mrs. Howie.-The same as the Older
COWS.
Q.-How long should there be be-
tween calves?
Mrs. Howell have some cows that
were only IL months old at time OF