The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-06-05
AGRICULTURAL.
Care Of Helfers,

There is such thing az having
heifer with the best of dairy blood in
her veins, with perfect form and she
be fed right, and still the heifer be a
failure as mixer, other than to be-
come just an ordinary COW, whereas
had she had the proper care for full and
perfect development che would have
become an extra mixer.
! am not 30 sure about spelling
dairy bred heifer by feeding; in fact,
question whether the form, tempera-
ture or future usefulness can be chang
ed by feed, while the heifer is growing.
My experience is to the contrary.
Sometimes our best bred COWS will
drop calves that will develop into
round bodies, smooth heifers that will
make those nice looking, tidy COWS,
that as a rule are failures in the diary;
this, too, when fed from the same
trough and on the same kind of feed
with their sisters that were born with
the proper dairy form, l have raised
these two types of heifer together many
times. The heifer with the dairy form
always developes into COW with dairy
form, while the ones that incline to be
round and smooth make round, smooth
COWS, of very ordinary value as milk
ers. These results lead me away from
the theory that the kind of feed is
largely responsible for form or that
feed will make or retard dairy devel-
opment; and l think the time is COM
ing when less stress will be laid on how
10 feed heifers, on the theory that the
future usefulness of heifers is'impaired
by improper feeding, so long as they
are fed for thrifty growth and early
development.
AS 1 said before, l am q doubter on
the feed question, but the more have
to do with COWS and heifers the more
Importance ] attach to the care or
treatment of a heifer from the day she
is born until she drops her first calf.
Not that any one can take any kind Of
calf of any breed and by treatment
alone make profitable dairy COW out
OF her. But COW of any breed will be
the better for the right kind Of treat
ment, and no heifer even with the blu.
est Of dairy blood i'll her veins will ever
fully develop into all her possibilities if
allowed to just grow up, like Topsy in
"Uncle Toms Cabin"
The true worth of COW is innate,
but can only be drawn out or develop
ed by proper treatment, and this must
be given early in life.
The first factor in the education of 8
better is kindness. She should never
know what it is to fear those who
handle her. Her trust in and affection
for her master must be cultivated at all
times, for be it remembered that affec-
tion, as we call it, in animals is the first
and greatest principle in maternity and
that maternity and reproduction are
the very foundation on which cows
usefulness or failure as dairy COW
rests. The whole nervous system,
with all its intricate machinery, throbs
in unison with the laws of maternity
and is influenced for good or ill by the
treatment she received as a calf, heifer
or mother
Working along this line, I have sue
ceeded in developing some excellent
COWS from rather unpromising heifers.
We have now coming into the dairy IL
head of heifers, most Of which fresh
soon, with all of which I have taken
great pains. But feel sure that will
be well paid for all time and trouble,
judging by the appearance and per-
Torrance of most of them. l say most,
because some of them will only rank as
ordinary performers, but we will have
seven, and possibly eight, out Of the
IL, that will make COWS that any one
might be proud of.-M. E. King in Ru-
raj World.