The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-05
CARE FOR HOME:
MILK-PR0DUCER
Good Cow viii Furnish All the
Milk and Butter Needed by
Average Farm Family.
GRASS SUCcUlENT IN SPRING
House for Animal Should Be Dry,
Well Lighted and Protected From
Disagreeable Weather-Provide :
Fresh, Clean Water.

Nearly every farm, SUBURBAN OF |
small-town home can keep a family
COW. economically. and if the COW is q
good one. she will produce all the
milk and butter needed by the aver
age family! say dairy specialists of
the United States Department of Agri-
culture.
When pasturing or lettering ground
is available to furnish feed for a COW
from four. to six months during the
year, a family COW can be Kept at
small cost During the winter it will
be necessary to buy feed, but even
with the inresent cost of commercial
feeds. milk can be produced economi-
cally. Spring is a good time to begin
with the family COW, for there is an
abundance of nourishing and succulent
grass-tha natural COW feed-at this
time.
Cows Home.
Cows are not very particular about
where they live. They do not insist
on an elaborate or expensive home.
Usually there is a building on the
place which can be converted into 4
stable for the COW at small cost. Even
| If it is necessary to build stable, it
need not cost great deal. But in
order to remain healthy and be able
| to produce the maximum amount of
| milk, the cow insists on a few essen
tials about her home: It must be dry,
| we'll lighted. and furnish protection
from cold and disagreeable weather.
There should be four square feet of
window space for each COW, say de
partment specialists. Windows should
be on the south side il possible, and
so placed as to admit abundant sun
light in all parts Of the stable, par
ticularly the floor. Sunlight is a germ
killer.
The COW should have a good-sized
feed manger. The wise COW owner
keeps the manger well filled with good
feed, for if he has the right kind of
COW The more feed she eats the more
milk she will produce. The manger
should be provided with halter or
simple, homemade stanehion. The
cows stall should be from SO to feet
vide. To keep the animal dry and
clean, build raised platform, prefer
ably of concrete, or if this is not prac-
ticable, tightly fitted boards may be
used. For cows of the smaller. breeds
such as Jerseys and Guernseys, the
| platform should be feet S inches
long, and for larger animals, such as
Holsteins, 5 feet long. The stalls
should be kept clean and well bedded
Health First Consideration.
e In selecting the family COW, healtf
e should be the first consideration.
diseased COW does not produce mill
economically, and frequently it is I'm
i fit for human food. The family Gov
Z should be tuberculin tested.
Her ability to produce large quaint
ties of milk economically is.tIie mex
! qualification. If rich milk is desired
! that is, milk containing high percent
age of butter fat, an animal of tin
Jersey or. Guernsey breed should b
selected. Holsfeins and Ayrshires pro
! duee a larger quantity of milk thai
the animals of the two breeds men
: toned, but their milk is not so rich i
: butterfat.
i During the spring. summer and fal
o the COW should get most of her fee
IS from pasture. If a lot properly fence
is not available, it is easy to stake 0
tether the COW. This is the practice /
the Isle of Jersey and in other highl
developed dairy sections of Europea
countries. where, some. OF. the best COW
in the world are raised. If the COW
to be tethered, she should have a ha
.e a.-asz.