390 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



all the effect of your former work. Let me impress all these things on 

 yon ; you cannot be too strict in observing them. 



The Coi(} Barn. — Another phase of the question is the surround- 

 ings for your cow — the barn you keep her in. I don't want to touch the 

 veterinarian side of this question at all, but I say this simply from a 

 standpoint of producing clean milk — you must have a barn well venti- 

 lated and lighted. I have been traveling all over the country and I 

 take special notice of the different kinds of barns as seen from the train 

 window. Most of the barns you see all over the country never present 

 a window. They may have a little port hole of a door, but most of the 

 time that is closed, no light whatever in the barn. I was very much 

 pleased to see a well-built barn somewhere down the line of the Missouri 

 Pacific road, as I was coming here. Don't know who built it, but evidently 

 some one who understands his business — understands the need of light 

 and ventilation. It had windows on all sides — well supplied with light 

 and built according to the modern idea — if there is anywhere you need 

 air and light, it is in the cow barn. It tends to keep the cows healthy, 

 and to the production of clean milk, and the growth of bacteria is 

 checked in such a barn, well lighted and ventilated. Darkness is essen- 

 tial to the growth of germs. They are killed by sunshine — there is no 

 better or cheaper disinfectant than sunshine. You believe in putting 

 your milking utensils out in the sunshine, don't you? Well, that sun- 

 shine is also essential in the barn. You can have it arranged so the sun- 

 shine can be shut out when necessary, and arrange it so that you can 

 get a fresh supply of air all the time. This is essential from the health 

 standpoint of the animal. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Clark — What do you consider the best floor for the cow barn ? 



Mr. Webster — This is a most important point. I consider cement 

 one of the best materials for floor construction. It can be washed and 

 kept clean, and it is better from a financial standpoint, as it will last a 

 life time; whereas, if you have a wooden floor, you have to be building a 

 new one every four or five years. There is an objection raised by many 

 people to the cement floor ; they say it is too cold. When the cow lies 

 down her udder comes in contact with it, the udder is highly congested 

 with blood, and perhaps, coming in contact with the cold floor, when 

 in this feverish condition, is not best. If you cared to you could put in 

 a cement floor and put in a wooden frame where the cow lies down. 

 It does not co.st much to fix up the barn in this way. I am not satisfied 



