The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-11-05
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DEPARTMENT FOR THE ACRICULTURISTS

good but not ventilation by the cracl
method. AS matter of fact in tn,
latitude of Missouri, Kansas, and In!
DIANA IL a barn is thoroughly wine
proof and has a good roof the COW:
Will not suffer much from the cold
In the more northern states the barr
should be insulated by being boarded
up on the inside.
The ventilation should receive at.
tention. Fresh air for the COW is a
great a necessity as feed and is cheaI
to supply. Suggestions may usually
be had from the Agricultural Engi-
neering Department of your Agricul-
tural College as to the best plan tc
follow If you need to make changes
in your barn to better ventilation. II
side in cold weather, dripping moisture
as 1T warns up, the ventilation is poor
the walls need insulation, or probably
both causes are concerned. VentiIa-
ton alone in cold climate will not
prevent frosty walls.
Another important matter to consid
er is the water supply. A cow milking
80 pounds daily drinks close to loo
pounds of water each "a hours. Water
is equally as important as feed. Some
times watering the cows means turning
them out of the barn once during the
day to drink what they can stand OF
ice cold water. This practice is the
"
claim there is nothing in this dairy
business. And they are about right
when cows are handled in this way
It takes 100 pounds Of water to pro-
duce 80 pounds of milk. Can we i'm
agine a cow, weighing probably 100
pounds. drinking 100 pounds, nearly
one-tenth of her weight of ice water
at once? She will not do it and con-
pounds of milk even though she has
ability to produce this much and
has feed enough as well.
The milk flow may be cut down
use of ice water, than by poor feed
The thing to do is to make provision
for an abundance of water and at a
temperature that will not paralyze the
she drinks The individual drinking
cups in my judgment pay more divi-
dends to the user than almost anything
else in the way of modern barn equip
ment. When the individual drinking
cup is used. even il the water is not
warmed, so long as it is above freez-
ing, the cow will take such smaller
amounts at time that no harm re-
suits from drinking it cold.
If cows must be watered from &
tank outdoors and under conditions
which would mean ice water, it will
pay to install water heater of some
the water with fuel of some kind than
by giving the cow extra grain to warm
it within her body.
during the cold weather If you do
not have good calf pen,. get one
ready. The calves should have the
tightest sunniest spot in the barn out
of drafts and where the floor can be
kept dry. Every calf pen should be
fitted with stanchions for convenience
in feeding If you do not already have
these conveniences for tying your
calves, build some and 1 am sure you
Racks to hold the hay for the calves
are also found in every we'll equipped
barn.
Is it possible to make any changes
in the barn that will improve the SAN
itary conditions, or that will make it
easier to keep your cows clean? 1t
should be remembered that the barn is
a place to prepare human food and
children of the country depend to a
considerable extent upon the condi-
tions in the stables where milk is pro-
duced. TO produce clean milk REQUIRES
regarding cleanliness depends largely
upon having the stable built proper
ly. A good floor, gutter of proper
depth and width, and especially a
platform of the right length for the
animals, are the first conditions neces-
sary to keep cows clean in the ordin-
ary barn. Thousands of farmers are
using concrete floors which they have
built themselves. Before beginning a
job of this kind make certain you have
the right dimensions as a mistake Of
a few inches almost spoils the job.
In the northern tier of states some
trouble is experienced during the whit
er from silage freezing. The amount
of freezing appears to be about the
same regardless of the wall construc-
ton. Observations indicate that the
freezing takes place largely as the
result of cooling from the top. Clos
ing the window used for the blower
pipe and filling in between the rafters
of the roof helps to keep the cold air
out. Covering the silage with blan-
ket made of old sacks or carpet helps
some. Frozen silage should not be
fed but left until it thaws out later,
or placed in a warmer part of the
barn to thaw before feeding.
Let me repeat, initiate summer condi-
lions both as to feed and comfort of
the animal and winter production will
be as satisfactory as that of early
summer and the price is generally bet
ter.
Asks Business Men to Help Farm