Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-09-07

Formerly we had our cows calve in
April, except one for winter COW to
provide milk for family use while the
others were dry, and, of course, the bulk
of our butter was made in June, July and
August, during hot weather, and had to
be solidly packed in tubs or firkins and
held till cooler weather before shipping
to market. When kept well covered with
brine in cool, clean cellar, uncontam-
mated with foul odors, our butter was
preserved in good condition, and sold in
October nearly as well as freshly made
butter; but the taste of fancy or town
people has changed since then, and now
they are not willing to buy old butter
unless it is very cheap, or when they can
get no other. The taste Of consumers
having changed, the only thing for dairy
men to do was to change their arrange
ments so as TO supply their customers
with freshly made butter at all seasons
of the year. For number of years past
we have had our cows calve in October
and November, and are decidedly in
favor of the change.
The principal advantage of winter
over summer dairying consists in having
the greater part of the seasons make of
butter to sell when the price is the high
est; in having less trouble in making
and marketing good article in cool
weather; in making the milking season
considerably longer and the quantity for
the season considerably greater, and in
being able to raise better calves, because
they will be so much older and larger
than spring calves TO eat grass in the
summer and endure the rigors of the en-
suing winter. The disadvantage is in
having to feed more bran and meal to
make winter butter and keep up the
flow of milk until grass comes, when the
meal can be taken away without the
yield falling off, though if ii is continued
the flow will increase. We generally
feed bran, middlings or meal to our
cows until they go dry, be the pastures
ever so good, and are confident it pays.
Winter butter costs more than summer
butter, but the higher prices of the win
ter market more than offset the addi-
tional expense for feed.
For a succulent food in the beginning
Of winter we feed pumpkins stored in
the basement of our barn, which will
hold twenty or thirty loads without en-
croaching on the space required for
other purposes, and keep them without
freezing. IL drawn from the field before
frosted, and carefully handled and sort
ed, most Of them will keep sound until
the last are fed out about January /.
Our potatoes are sorted when dug,
and the small ones are taken 10 the barn
to be fed 20 the cows; aud We raise ruta
bagas for the same purpose. Our small
unstable apples al gathering are put
into the barn 10 be fed Ia the COWS, As
they are very fond Of them, and ! am
sure they are more valuable for that
purpose than for making into cider
The POTATOES, rutabagas and apples are
not counted a. a regular ration, but
chiefly as a relish or appetizer which
cows crave IN winter, and which un-
doubtediy promotes their health. In
winter our cows Ia milk are fed a ration
composed % one half wheat or buck
xheat bran. and the other half meal
made by grinding corn, rye and oats TO-
gc,heF In equal proportions, and each
CIV il given about four quarts OF the
mixture twice a day, morning and night,
fed dry They would stand a larger
grain ration and give more milk, but
the quantity mentioned Is about as
much as We mud II profitable 20 feed
One winter, owing On scarcity OF hay, we
ted each 0f our cows twice a day half a
bushel Oi straw cut into halt inch
lengths, mOistened with water aud well
mixed with tive quarts Of meal. They
did remarkably well NJ the pail, and We
never before bad wintered them so
cheaply. Since then We have many
times flor a chaugel fed cut hay instead
Of straw, prepared the same as the cut
straw, aud always with excellent results.
We have never fed ensilage, because
we had enough folders to supply the
number Of cows kept. have no doubt
of the value of ensilage when kept from
souring. Ii was the milk from sour
ensilage no doubt that prejudiced the
coudensers against ensilage. To make
winter dairying profitable cows must have
warm quarters to keep them comfort.
able. We had good COW nearly spoiled
(or dried up) by being left out in the
yard one night in cold rainstorm late
in the fall.
Each of our cows has a separate stall,
wide enough for convenience in milking,
and they are well bedded with straw, so
that brush or hand broom is all that Is
necessary to clean them before milking.
Should one of them get her hind feet in
to the gutter and thus defile the bedding
and her leg and udder she is washed OIL
before milking.
Our cows are turned out every day for
water aud exercise, and unless the
weather is stormy or bitterly cold are
left ont an hour or two while the stables
are being cleaned. Some dairymen
keep their cows confined in the stable
constantly all winter without any ap-
parent injurious results, but think the
practice is wrong as every living thing,
whether man or beast, possessing the