4S0 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



Fifty pounds Indian corn ensilage; 50 pounds mangels; 5 

 pounds hay ; 5 pounds oat straw ; and from 3 to 9 pounds of meal 

 or other form of concentrated feed, according to capacity of the 

 individual cow and stage of lactation at the time. It does not 

 often pay to feed a milking cow a heavy ration of grain after the 

 seventh month of her milking period. As a rule, that part of the 

 ration may with advantage be greatly reduced from that period 

 onward. 



Care of Cattle. 



Some of the more important points to be observed in the care 

 of dairy cattle are those concerned with the housing of the 

 cattle in a country like Canada where the climatic conditions 

 require the stabling of cattle on an average for perhaps six 

 months of the year. It is a good plan to have the inside of 

 the cow stable whitewashed twice every year. That, beside 

 being a cleaning process, makes the interior of the stable lighter; 

 and plenty of sunlight is a great promoter of health. The 

 stable conditions throughout should make for the comfort of the 

 animals. Comfort is a necessary experience on the part of the 

 cow if she is to yield the largest possible profit. I have no occa- 

 sion to go into this matter at length, as it is being treated of at 

 this convention more fully by others. In passing, let me remark 

 that in the breeding of dairy cattle, the object should be con- 

 tinuously toward the development of the form and temperament 

 which the dairy farmer considers to be most suitable for his 

 daii-y business. I do not hold that it is necessary to stick to 

 one breed; but the crossing of breeds of different types of body 

 and different types of temperament is seldom profitable, and is 

 usually carried out at a loss — a loss of the best qualities of 

 both of the breeds. Progress is made in the productive ability 

 for either beef or dairy products only when the breeding is car- 

 ried on in a direction toward a definite type for a definite purpose. 



Care of Dairy Products. 



Great progress is being made in the methods by which dairy 

 products are taken care of. It does not follow that they are now 

 taken care of in such a way as to be always in better condition 

 than formerly. But if better care were not taken of the milk 

 and the butter, and of the cheese nowadays, than was general 

 twenty-five years ago, all of them would be very much injured 

 indeed. Conditions of atmosphere and all the rest of it are very 



