Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1906-12-05
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One of the largest and most success
.ul dairymen in this country Is Horace
L. Bronson Of Cortland county, y. Y,
whose dairy business is conducted on
the same plans as a modern depart
ment store. In recent issue of the
American Agriculturist Mr.. Bronson
tells of the Importance of light and
ventilation in the COW barn as follows:
Cows are infinitely better off in a
cold, dry stable with plenty of light
ana good air than in an overheated
dark room. / never knew COW to
get pneumonia or tuberculosis from be-
ing in cold, dry, well lighted quarters,
! but / have known whole herds to he
affected and destroyed from overhead
ed, i'll lighted stalls. The component
parts of air are oxygen and nitrogen.
/ Oxygen supplies life TO the animal
| kingdom and nitrogen to the vegetable.
! Without oxygen animal life cannot be
maintained, for the reason that when
/ pure air is taken into the lungs the
oxygen is appropriated to vitalze the
| blood
There are people, | believe, who
wrongly suppose that all cold stables
are supplied with fresh air. This is Il
mistake, and you should see TO ii that
/ your COW barn is supplied with intakes
through which fresh air from the out
| side shall be introduced in front of the
cattle, and then provide central shaft
J leading from near the stable floor, up
/ through the stable aud through the
/ roof This is an Outtake ana will main
tain Il moderate current, drawing the
/ impure gases from the bottom up
/ through the shaft ana into the open
/ space.
/ II your stable is not well lighted
by that | mean thoroughly lighted
simply put in more windows, sufIi-
cient to give your stock a room as we'll
/ lighted as your own living room. DO
not minimize the Importance Of sun
shine. for it is one Of the most eff
/ fcctive germ destroyers in nature.
/ Thirty minutes OF sunshine will gen
orally put out of business many dis
ease germs. An abOminable, poorly
/ lighted and ventilated stable can he
changed over into model one at
I trifling expense. This can be done
generally 10y the farmer and his help
without employing skilled or high
! priced labor.
Land plaster should be used liber-
ally Sprinkle il over the drop when
! filed and again after it is cleaned.
The mixing of the plaster with the
compost induces a change wherein the
nitrogen or ammonia becomes fixed.
Without this the ammonia will to a
large extent escape and float off into
the surrounding atmosphere. Inde-
pendent OF the health Of the animals,
permitting the ammonia to escape is
waste which no farmer can afford.
Bear in mind that this ammonia is the
most expensive fertilizer that you
have to buy. In the form of nitrate Of
soda. il often costs us $50 per ton,
while muriate of potash can be bought
for about $40, sometimes for about
$50; phosphoric acid about $40 per ton.
Again. the plaster is generally worth
its cost If applied directly TO the land
| generally buy the plaster in carload
lots. costing from $3.50 TO So per ton.
If you haven't used il in the past. try
il and just see how nice It will seem
for you to sit down to the milking in
a clean. sweet smelling stable.
Regularity in milking and feeding Is
necessary for best results. Many farm
ers pay little heed to either point. Gen
orally farmers are compelled to depend
to a greater or less extent upon hired
help to do their milking. In all such
cases the farmer should be careful TO
see that his hired men are good milk
ers. There are plenty of shiftless fell
lows. who, when left 10 themselves.
will ruin the best COW 10y bad milking.
4 poor mixer is an abomination. No
COW can keep a sound udder for any
considerable time unless she Is MIXED
clean at least twice daily. and even
this does not quite cover the ground.
She must he MIXED quickly or else she
becomes a stripper-that is, she will
hold back her milk for awhile. and then
IL is but short time before she has
lost one or more of her quarters.
A Fine Holstein.
One of the finest Holsteins In this
country is Pietertje Josephine Abber-
kerk. This COW took first prize at the