DIVISIOX or .l.Y/l/.lL nUSBAXDRY 387 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 15 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, AGASSIZ, B.C. 



REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, P. H. MOORE, B.S.A. 



DAIRY CATTLE. 



The most important v/ork in the dairy herd of IIolstein-Friosian oattle this past 

 year has hecn : fir^jt. the breeding work; and second, the testing of the various indivi- 

 duals with the object of having uniform groups for experimental purposes. Five grade 

 cows of tlie original herd liavc been sold to the butcher. For various reasons they 

 were both unprofitable and unsuitable for experimental work. 



Only one loss is reported during the year. Cow Xo. 27 died from septieiemia at 

 calving time. In spite of the fact that the best of veterinary attention and nursing 

 had been given her. The only other serious trouble encountered this year was the 

 poisoning of a yearling heifer in March; this did not prove fatal. The heifer is 

 suspected of having eaten soniething i)oisonou5 in the field v.'hen first turned out. She 

 became totally, paralyzed but was treated for dietetic poisoning and very slowly 

 recovered. Simie inconvenience was experienced with sore teats, but as soon as there 

 was a change from hard to liquid soap for washing the milkei's' hands, the trouble 

 disappeared. This may have been only a coincidence, but it seemed at the time that 

 the infection was being carried on the cake of soap. Plowever. no bacteriological tests 

 were made, but when the liquid soap was used the trouble disappeared. 



Of the twenty cows which finished a lactation period this year, 50 per cent 

 gave heifer calves; all of these calves were raised. 1'he 2-year-old heifers of unknowii 

 breeding have grown well, and some are about i-eady to freshen. They were divided 

 into two groups for breeding. One lot was bred to come in at 24 to 25 months of age, 

 and the others bred to come in at 2S to 30 months. Nearly all the yearlings will be 

 carried over and bred to come in during the autunni, wlien they will be, as near as 

 possible, 30 months old. Tlie average results for the whole herd are better this year 

 than they were last year. The cows have become thoroughly acclimatized and arc 

 responding more to food and care. The average lactation period is not as long as last 

 year, because it did n*jt pay to keep some of the old grade cows unless they had a calf 

 at least once in twelve months. 



The increase is also partly due to feeding silage during the summer when the 

 pasture became short. There are several cows to be culled out of this herd during the 

 next year. They will be discarded as soon as the heifers are ready to replace them. 



It seems well to say a word here concerning the method of handling the cows 

 during the past year. The treatment is substantially the same as that given last year. 

 with a few exceptions. Tlie cows are milked at 5 a.m. then fed silage, roots, and grain. 

 After ])reakfast the cows are turned out and the stables are cleaned, and fresh bedding 

 is put down. If the weather is fine the cows remain out until 1.30 p.m.. and if it is 

 cold or wet they are let in as soon as the stables are prepared. At three o'clock thej' 

 are again fed silage, roots, and grain, after which they are prepared for milking, which 

 begins at 4.30 p.m. After milking, the floors are swe|)t. and. lastly, tlie cows are given 

 a feed of long hay, which they eat up clean before nioniing. Where silage is fed 

 heavily, this method has proved more economical than when the hay is chaffed and 

 fed with the silage. It has, besides, two distinct advantages: it gives the cows sonic- 



