FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 771 



Salting: Salt is quite essential to best results and should always 

 be available to the cow. Keep salt in front of the cow rather than 

 mix it with her grain ration. 



Keeping the Flies from Cons: ^ By preventing flies from tor- 

 menting the cows much greater flow of milk is secured during the 

 summer months and the remainder of the lactation period. The 

 following home-made mixture has given good results at the college 

 dairy farm. It is better than several other mixtures tried, and quite 

 as efficient as the prepared sprays costing a dollar per gallon. It 

 is made as follows: 



1% quarts of any standard coal tar dip. 



iy2 quarts of fish oil. 



1 pint of oil of tar. 



1 quart of coal oil. 



%pint of oil of pennyroyal. 



Mix in ten gallons of luke warm soft water in w'hich a bar of laun- 

 dry soap has been dissolved. 



Spray twice a day, in the morning after milking and in the 

 afternoon when cows are brought in for silage or green feed. When 

 a half barrel cart with spray nozzle attachment is used two men 

 can spray a herd of forty cows in ten minutes. This mixture is 

 not perfect and does not keep all the flies away and, furthermore, 

 it leaves the coat rather harsh and causes dust to adhere; however, 

 it is very beneficial and practical. 



INFLUENCING BUTTER FAT PRODUCTION. 



There is only one way that butter fat can be increased with 

 certainty and in a large way. That is by obtaining a large and 

 persistent flow of milk. However, it is evident that each of the 

 following factors may have a slight influence upon the per cent 

 of fat in the milk: breed, individuality, age, period of lactation, 

 condition, excitement, frequency of milking, season of year, tempera- 

 ture, feed, whether first or last draw^n milk and grooming. 



Breed and Individuality: The influence of breed and indiyidu- 

 ality need not be discussed, as the variations due to these factors 

 are known to all. 



Age: Young heifers will nearly always produce milk testing a 

 higher per cent of fat during their first lactation period than during 

 succeeding lactation periods, other conditions being the same. In 

 her two year old form the heifer will usually produce about 70 per 

 cent as much butter fat in a year as she will as a mature animal. 



Period of Lactation: The fact that cows produce a milk richer 

 in butter fat toward the close of their lactation periods is well 

 known. How^ever, cows that are in high condition at calving time 

 will produce for a time milk testing much higher than their average 

 for the lactation period. 



Condition: The physical condition of the cow may affect the 

 test slightly. Cows that are ill will usually test a trifle higher 

 than their average. 



Excitement: Cows that are excited, either due to some dis- 

 turbance or to the fact that they are in heat, will usually test 

 slightly higher than the average, but some individuals test lower. 



