DAIRY MEETING. 1 39 



we shall accomplish something. I was interested not long ago 

 in looking up what one of the best feeders in this part of the 

 country is doing. He is making some of the largest records 

 in the country. I happened to know the herdsman and I wrote 

 and asked him if he would tell me what they were feeding their 

 heifers. I would not dare to tell you the amount of food those 

 heifers were getting, three, four or five months before calving. 

 They were getting as much as our largest producing cows are 

 eating. Another thing that was very noticeable was the variety 

 of grains which they were getting. In making up our grain 

 rations we frequently put in just as few as possible to save 

 work. A variety helps out in feeding the dairy cow. I would 

 try to feed the dairy heifer in such a way that she will be gain- 

 ing in flesh and can nourish the growing foetus. I am con- 

 vinced that you can save one or two weeks, and perhaps even 

 more, in the growth of the calf by the way you feed the dam 

 before the calf comes. The amount of food that you will give 

 the dairy cow when she is dry of course you will have to learn 

 by studying the cow. We cannot say definitely what you should 

 feed at that time because of individual differences. We are 

 feeding one of our dry cows, or did until she calved, nearly as 

 much as she will get on her fidl production. Although this is 

 her fourth time of calving, she is giving more milk per day than 

 she has ever given in any lactation period since we have had 

 her. She is one of the slow maturing cows. The dairy cow 

 goes dry by nature so that she may turn the food nutrients you 

 are giving her into other channels. The dairy cow that is a 

 natural milker is bound to take part of the flesh from her body 

 and convert it into milk, after she calves. If she does not do 

 that you can rest assured she is not as good a cow as she ought 

 to be. As the lactation period advances she perhaps will com- 

 mence to put herself in condition again. But w^hile she is dry 

 you should get her into the best condition you can. Perhaps 

 the question comes up. If the cows are in this good condition 

 when they calve, what about milk fever? I am not here to dis- 

 cuss milk fever but I will simply say this: If the dairyman 

 has a milk fever outfit, which every dairyman ought to have, he 

 need not worry very much about milk fever. I think this dis- 

 ease can be prevented in a large measure by the proper handling 

 of the dairy cow. As the parturition time approaches, three or 



