184 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



doing it you see it deranges the ordinary course of nature at 

 that time. Nature has provided a peculiar quality of milk, 

 especially adapted to the wants of the young calf. It contains 

 . peculiar chemical properties, which are absolutely indispensable 

 for the calf at that time. Now, if you begin to milk the cow 

 before she calves, that order of nature is interrupted, of course ; 

 that peculiar character of the milk is to some extent modified. 

 I think it is desirable, as I said before, to avoid it when it can 

 be, but rather than see a cow suffer, or see her udder injured, 

 perhaps permanently, I should certainly milk her. I should 

 like to hear Mr. Ellsworth's experience on that point. He is a 

 very large dairy farmer and breeder, and perhaps has more cows 

 in milk through the year than any man here, and he must have 

 had many cases where he has been obliged to practise one way 

 or the other. 



Mr. Ellsworth, of Barre. The question put by the gentle- 

 man on my right (Mr. Bumnton) was, I think, whether or not 

 a cow should be milked before calving. Under some circum- 

 stances we are obliged to do so, but, as Mr. Flint has very 

 properly said, it should be avoided if possible. "When I have 

 such a case come up, I immediately put the cow on a low diet. 

 Even if it is the season of a great flow of milk, I put her in the 

 stall half of the day ; I will keep back that way if possible, and by 

 doing so I have very many times avoided this milk fever that the 

 gentleman speaks of. In certain cases, however, it will come 

 up, and in such cases I put her on a low diet. I feed no corn 

 the first ten days after calving, if the cow is in fair condition ; 

 if she is rather old, I give her oats, which are somewhat stimu- 

 lating, and will increase the milk. But if she gets into a bad 

 state, which many of our large milkers do, we are very careful 

 not to let the calf stay upon the udder any length of time ; for 

 if you do let the calf work upon the udder when there is no 

 milk there, as many people do, thinking (as is perfectly natural) 

 to fetch the fever out, you will injure the quarter to which the 

 calf sticks ; he will hang to any teat he gets hold of, and that 

 quarter will be somewhat emaciated, and it will not come back 

 when you go, to milking again. That is my experience. 



There are many things about a cow, when she is coming in, 

 if she is a good milker, that people generally do not understand. 

 It is the most critical time to take care of a cow that I find. If 



