STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 29 1 



CARE OF COW AT CALVING TIME. 



Another thing, when the cow is about to come in, she should be 

 placed in a box stall and if there is any time when you are going to 

 devote extra time to that cow to get her good will, that is the time to do 

 it. A little attention then will accomplish wonders. Be with her fre- 

 quently. Be with her when the calf is dropped and soon afterward, 

 when the calf has nursed once and she has licked it off and the little 

 thing has been standing on its feet, remove it so as to have as little 

 disturbance as possible. If you can have it removed when she is away 

 from the stall, so that she will not connect you with the loss of her child, 

 so much the better, and that means a great deal. When the calf has gone, 

 then is the time to groom and caress her. Form that time on, that cow 

 should be fed as regularly as can be, milked regularly, the feed should 

 be regular in quantity and everything should be done to make her com- 

 fortable and contented, and in that way you can about double the flow 

 of the milk of the cow the first year. Now it is not expected that you 

 can follow this advice and be successful with every cow, but I believe 

 that fifty per cent of the dairymen before me, if they will follow these 

 simple rules that I have laid down will add the first year fifty per cent 

 to the yield of milk. 



Now a few words in regard to the feed or in regard to the manage- 

 ment. In the first place every cow should have her stall. What is 

 the difference whether old Brindle is in the first stall or in the second? 

 It is this, you want to have every cow in her place, so that when she 

 is let out, probably to go to the tank to get water and then let in again 

 to the barn, she will walk to her place. Everything should be system- 

 atic, should go quietly on and in order. The least disturbance, one 

 cow going to the wrong stall or two cows going to the same stall at 

 once, makes trouble, and each disturbance will cause a shrinkage in the 

 milk and the cows will soon be giving only half their former yield. 



It is unnecessary to have any extra fine equipment of stables, i 

 have a barn such as any farmer can afford. I use the common Bidwell 

 stall, having guttering behind and partitions running back to the gutter, 

 plain board boxes for each cow and the other conveniences in the barn 

 are such as any farmer can have, so the results that I get there can be 

 secured by any farmer if he manages his herd in that way. 



