The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-02
METHODS OF DRYING OFF COW.
Individual Cows Are So Vastly Differ
cnt That No One Method Can BE
Dbl to all.

Applied to AL.
Some cows dry off only too readily
gradually diminishing their yield com
p~aratively early in the milking period.
In these cases the difficulty lies in
keeping them in milk long enough to
pay their way but there are others
that keep up their flow of milk SO long
that they are exceedingly troublesome
to put dry.
Sometimes they milk from calvlng
to calving and seem never the worse
for it, but there ardWalways risks
When the udder has been kept in work
all the time it is particularly subject
to external Influences 50 that there is
the possibility of Inflammation with
the fresh flow Of milk at calving.
Besides a COW cannot do full justice
to her calf if her energies are spent
in milk production. Finally a COW
that has been dried for a reasonable
time makes a better springing than
one that has been MIXED up to calv-
ing time.
1t is universally conceded that
every COW should have about six
weeks rest from milking before calv-
ing. The difficulty is how to secure
the rest with free milking cows. On
this point there is a great diversity OF
opinion. AS q matter Of fact the con-
stitution of COWS differ and what would
put one COW dry would fail with
others.
On the principle hat the yield Of
milk is stimulated by the actual pro-
cess of milking, one step should De
to milk the COW that is to be put dry
onlv as often as is absolutely neces-
sary to prevent oVerStOcking. Ihls
NAV be lone once a day at first ana
with gradually widening intervals, as
the supply falls off. The difficulty is
to define what is oVerstocklng.
Different men hold different opIn-
ions with the result that many a COW
has got a caked uddor and lost one
or two quarts. Another difference on
the subject is whether the cCW should
be MIXED clean out at the pe~rlodlcai
| milking or whether it would De al
yisable to merely relieve the oNerstock-
ing, but to leave a good deal OF the
milk.
Advocates Of leaving some of the
milk point to the fact that when dairy
COWS are not properly stripped by
| careless mixers they fall off IN their
milk yield.
on the other hand it is well known
| that milk in the udder IS re-apsorDed
and is often a cause Of udder troubles.
here are more cases of caked udderS
on farms where stripping is neglected
than where the cows are MIXED clean
ont On the Whole it seems to be the
onIv safe course to have long ana
gradually increasing intervals etWeeh
the milkings, but to milk out cledh
each time.
While attention to the udder IS m
poitant we must not forget that the
FOOd has a great effect IN mix pro
duction. We must take the COW OF
pasture, if in the summer, or MSh
feeding if in the winter and keep her
on a restricted diet of hay ana oats
straw with a moderate supply OF
water. A good dose of Epson salts
has a drying effect but it might be
DANGEROUS with an in-calf COW.
A dairyman, speaking
| Of driving off his COWS, says: sixty
DAYS before calving I withdraw the
greater part-of the grain or nitrogen
Gus part of the ration. and put the
COW on hay, corn stover and silage
which will generally cause a decrease
in the milk flow, and h will go dry
in a few weeks. | feed a vide but iull
ration while dry. During the last
week previous to calving | feed one