266 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



cow a little thin, I feed one or two quarts of meal a day. When 

 there is a great draft upon the system, as in the case above men- 

 tioned, oatmeal, I find, is a great help in restoring it. 



The idea that a cow needs only two meals a day during the 

 winter season, or as long as she is kept upon hay or other dried 

 fodder, notwithstanding the fact that she will eat much oftener 

 when obtaining her living from the pasture, may appear, to the 

 casual observer, to be contradictory to itself ; but, on a closer 

 investigation, we shall notice a rational, and, I believe, satisfac- 

 tory, reason for it. Of all the elements of which grass is 

 composed, by far the larger part is water, which must render it 

 much more bulky than an equal amount of hay, and for this 

 reason more is required to supply the wants of the system. 

 During the season, therefore, when the cow must live by her 

 own exertions, she must labor most of the time to obtain the 

 requisite amount of nourishment, which she is not required to 

 do while in the barn. We must not forget, also, that pastures, 

 in general, are kept down so close, during the greater part of the 

 summer, that only by continual labor can her wants be satisfied. 



BOOTS. 



It seems to me that we can hardly call a man an intelligent 

 farmer, or a good dairyman, who does not raise an abundant 

 supply of the different varieties of roots, for his cows during the 

 winter months, when they must live for the most part upon 

 dry food. We all know and fully realize, how important veg- 

 etables are, as a part of our own diet, and is not this equally 

 true when applied to the condition of our animals ? 



CAEDING. 



This operation is a great treat to a cow, and as much so, per- 

 haps, to every dairyman who enjoys seeing a dumb animal 

 happy, while no one can help noticing how impatient each cow 

 becomes in waiting for her turn. This should not be neglected 

 for a single day, while the herd is confined in the barn. This 

 duty is more often overlooked by the farmer than any other. 



DRYING OFF A COW. 



The manner of drying off a cow so that her udder may 

 remain uninjured, and in suitable condition to yield a good sup- 



