STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 305 



Mr. Do your cows go out every day, regardless of weather? 



Mr. Gurler — We let them go long enough to renovate the stable and 

 get their drinking water. If it is bad weather, one row goes out and 

 then another row. We see that every cow gets a drink when she is out- 

 side and inside too. 



Mr, What temperature do you have the water? 



Mr. Gurler — 70 or 80 degrees. I have great faith in warm water. 



cow STALLS. 



Mr, How is the stable fitted out ? 



]\Ir. Gurler — I have a combination of the Bidwell and Drawn stall 

 and some of my own. The gutters are cement and the whole bottom of 

 the stables. The whole floor of the stable is cement. 



Mr. Can the cows get their front feet in the mangers? 



Mr. Gurler — If they should start out determined to do so, they could 

 get their feet as far forward as their nose ; but they never do that. 



We have an adjustable front for the mangers so that we can keep 

 the cows lined up to the gutterings. We hold them in the stall by a chain 

 across the rear. The stable is made with stalls having platforms of 

 different widths, so that we can keep the smaller cows on the narrow 

 platforms and the larger cows on the wide platforms. A difference in 

 length of from 4.6 to 5 feet is also made by an adjustable rod in the 

 front of the stall and we can arrange the cows so that the droppings go 

 into the gutter and no cow will soil her bed when she lies down. 



Mr. What are the widths of the stalls ? 



Mr. Gurler — From 3 to 3^4 feet. A cow that needs a five foot plat- 

 form needs at least a 3^2 foot width of that platform. There is no 

 objection to width unless you get it so wide that the cow can turn 

 around and soil her platform. 



Mr. What are the dimensions of the guttering? 



Mr. Gurler — The guttering is 6 inches deep and 16 inches wide. 



Mr. Mallory — Have you ever had the cows to slip into the gutter- 

 ing from straining after their feed ? 



Mr. Gurler — No. Because my mangers are so constructed that 

 the cows do not have to stretch their necks. Their feed is so placed that 

 they do not have to strain after it. 



Mr. What kind of beddins: do vou use? 



Mr. Gurler — I am using saw dust. I get it from a kiln dried, lumber. 



Mr. Haecker — I find it cheaper to buy saw dust and cover the plat- 

 form four inches deep and put burlap on top of the saw dut. 



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