The Question Box. 67 



Jersey and Holstein — perhaps most butter has been produced by 

 the former. 



Question. — Do you think that a herd with an average of 7,000 

 pounds per cow is a good starter? 



Mr. Gould. — As long as the average cow only produces 3,500 

 pounds of milk per year, I should think the man who had a 7,001) 

 pound herd would imagine he had a starter, certain. 



Question. — Which breed of dairy cows do you recommend? 



Mr. Goodrich. — The one you like best. If a Jersey, get her; 

 if a Holstein, select her; or, if you prefer a Guernsey, tie to her. 

 Then stick to her. Don't mix them up and go from one to an- 

 other. 



Question. — Can you give the butter record of Brown Bessie, at 

 Chicago? 



Answer. — She made 216 pounds of butter in the 90-day test 

 During the last week she made three pounds of butter per day. 

 I do not think, however, that those cowsiwere properly fed. My 

 idea is that a milch cow should have twice as many pounds of 

 coarse fodder as of grain. Brown Bessie was given 20 or more 

 pounds of grain per day, which would require 40 pounds of coarse 

 food, a quantity she could not store and digest. Those crowded 

 cows have never done much since, so far as I have been able to 

 find out, and I have made a' pretty thorough inquiry. 



Question. — How long should a cow go dry for best results in 

 milk? 



Mr. Lillie. — We do not care to have a cow go dry more than 

 four or six weeks. If she develops a tendency not to " dry off," 

 we milk her right along. If the cow has been bred so as to want 

 to give milk right along, give her good, nutritious foods and allow 

 her to do it. 



To Mr. Goodrich: Question. — Why do you say that a cow 

 will produce more milk when she freshens in the fall? 



Answer. — I said that a cow will produce more milk when 

 she comes fresh in the fall. Of course, I assume that she 

 must be well fed. As a rule, the cows that go dry in the fall 

 are not very well kept in winter. Another point is, when the 

 drouth comes in July they shrink their milk flow, which cannot 

 bo got back, so that they go into the winter giving but little milk. 

 If they are allowed to go dry in July and August, when the flies 

 are numerous, and drop their calves in September or October, 

 provided they are well kept through the winter, I know that there 

 is the difference I mentioned. 



