The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1912-02-09
By A. GALLAGHER, Ohio)

A great many people nave trouble
with their cream and butter during
the winter months; others have more
or less trouble all the time.
Why? Simply because there is
something wrong with their method of
caring for the cream or churning but
ter Sometimes the butter will not
come" with a reasonable amount of
churning. One complains of white
specks in the butter; another says
the butter has a peculiar bitter taste,
and so it goes.
Some of the people use cream sepa-
rators, while others do not. However,
it is safe to say that in either case
the cream is not in the proper condi-
ton to be churned.
Either the temperature is at fault
or else the cream has not been prop
erly ''ripened" probably both COM
bined Some people contend that the
food which a cow consumes has more
to do with the conditions of the cream
than the way in which it is ripened
and churned
However this may be, there is no
denying the fact that a well-fed, we'll
cared-for COW will give richer milk
and more of it than one that is half
starved and otherwise neglected.
The word abused might be substi-
tuted for neglected There should be
a law passed to punish thoughtless
people who drive their COWS with dogs.
our cream or butter at any season of
the year.
We are not in the dairy business
and therefore have never tried any
improved methods so essential to sue
cess when the business is conducted
upon a large scale.
One of our COWS is a family pet.
She is very old and not SO very pro-
fitable, but she gets the same care
that the others do.
We have all the milk, cream and
butter that we can use the year
around and some butter to sell-quite
a little more in proportion to the num-
Der of COWS kept than most of our
neighbors.
Last winter we MIXED two COWS all
winter and kept an account of the
butter we sold.
During the coolest part of the win
ter, from December 20 to January 20,
we chUrned and sold sc pounds and 10
ounces.
Of this amount 241z pounds was
the product of ten days milk, minus
that which we kept for table USE This,
we think, is a pretty good showing
for two COWS such as ours; for, being
ordinary farmer folk, we keep ordi-
nary COWS; but they are we'll cared
for and in consequence they give good
returns.
During the fall and winter months
they are kept in the stable every
night; in the summer they have an
open shed for shelter.
They always have pasture in sea-
son and little ground grain twice a
day. When pasture begins to get
scarce late in the summer, we feed
green fodder or some other green
roughage to take it's place.
In the winter they have plenty of
good hay and fodder besides grain
three times a day; about two quarts
Of feed for each cow.
Corn and oat chop or equal parts
corn mean bran with a little oil meal
added is the usual grain ration in the
winter. Two quarts of ground grain
added to about two gallons of cut
clover makes a satisfying meal for
COW. The clover is always scalded
before the grain is added.
We add little salt and then mix
thoroughly. Wooden candy buckets
are used. These buckets are large
and last quite while.
Sometimes apples, rutabagas or
pumpkins without the seed) are
given instead Of the scalded clover,
but the clover, we find, gives very
satisfactory results.
In either case the amount of ground
grain is the same, Whole grain not
being suitable feed for mich COWS, we
have tried crushed corn, but our COWS
do not give as much milk when it is
being fed, probably on account of the
cob.
Bran and cornmeal, equal parts,
with a half pint of oil-meal added.
gives excellent results.
Our cows, like all the rest of the
live stock, have plenty of good water
to drink.
In very cold weather we take the
Chill off the water, for when the
water is very cold or partly frozen
cows will not drink as much as they
require, and cows need a great deal of
water.