FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 777 



of each cow's milk for each milking for two days should be taken 

 about the middle of each month. Most of the buttermakers will 

 gladly test these samples. 



Good feed records are kept in such a manner that one can esti- 

 mate quite closely the cost of production, which will vary. 



The breeding records are absolutely necessary in the case of 

 the pure bred herd and will prove of great value to the man with 

 a grade herd. Every farmer will find that it pays to record service 

 and calving dates so that the cows may receive the proper care 

 when it is needed. 



ESSENTIALS IN DAIRY BUILDINGS. 



First class dairy cows are relatively thin in flesh, especially dur- 

 ing periods of lactation. For this reason they are more susceptible 

 to cold than are beef cattle or any class of meat producing ani- 

 mals. Thus, from a humane standpoint, dairy cows should have 

 warm, dry quarters during cold weather. From the standpoint of 

 profit, good shelter is essential. Food supplied the dairy cow is 

 for the purpose of milk production. The greater amount of food 

 converted into milk, the greater the dairyman's profit. If the cow 

 is compelled to withstand the cold she must necessarily convert a 

 portion of her food into heat with which to warm her body, hence 

 a low milk flow and stunted profits for her owner. All first class 

 dairymen realize this point and consequently all good dairy farms 

 are well provided with good barns, for the cows in milk, at least. 



ARRANGEMENT OF BUILDINGS. 

 In arranging all buildings on the dairy farm the following points 

 are deserving of careful consideration: 



a. Location. e. Ventilation. 



b. Convenience. f. Sanitary conditions. 



c. Light. g. Confinement of odors. 



d. Heat. h. Appearance. 



From the standpoint of convenience, it would be advisable to 

 have all buildings located close together, but because of the danger 

 of fire on any farm without adequate fire protection this is not 

 desirable. Neither is it advisable to build extremely large barns. 

 On dairy farms where from five hundred to a thousand cows are 

 kept in milk, it has invariably been found more satisfactory to 

 stable only about fifty or sixty cows in one small stable and build 

 a sufficient number of barns to shelter the entire herd. 



LOCATION. 



Dairy barns should be built on a spot that is high, well drained, 

 and sheltered from the cold northwest winds of winter. At best 

 the lots and paddocks surrounding barns get very muddy and foul 

 in spring time, but when the barn sets on a high, well drained spot 

 the lots soon become dry after the frost leaves the ground. 

 TYPES OP BARNS. . 



The following types of barns are used on dairy farms: Basement, 

 round, one-story, and two-story barns, and the covered barn yard 

 or double stabling system. Basement barns are difficult to light 

 and ventilate and should seldom, if ever, be used for housing dairy 



