THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IX. 505 



BURNING OUT COWS. 



This theory is quite firmly interwoven in the popular conversation 

 of average farmers, even today. By this is meant that a cow is short 

 lived for dairy purposes if liberally fed. These men have no doubt fed 

 very liberally on clear corn meal and hay. Others have fed the same food 

 on a starvation basis. Naturally they have inferred that too much 

 feed will "burn out the cow." Arthur Brigham of the Rhode Island Experi- 

 ment Station mentions a herd of Holsteins that were "almost ruined by 

 ..neir owners feeding silage, corn meal and gluten." Think, my friend, 

 Geneva S., a Jersey gave as a result of a liberally fed balanced ration for 

 six years an average of 509 pounds of butter. The writer's best cow was 

 in the herd for eleven years. Her average production I can't give, but to 

 me it was wonderful. Three cows gave 400 to 453 pounds of butter for an 

 average for five years. Briefly then, drop this eroneous notion. If a 

 cow was actually "burned out" every five years, it would be better for 

 the farmer if he got such results as here mentioned. 



About thirteen years ago I said that in my estimation from my milk 

 records of four or five cows that it was highly probable that November 

 was about the best month in the year to have cows drop their calves. 

 I see no reason to change that opinion, at least as to quantity of milk pro- 

 duced. It seems reasonable that a cow giving milk from December to 

 May 10, inclusive on dry feed should respond and increase in flow or at 

 least maintain her flow for a longer time. Linfield of Utah station in 1900 

 made observations on the increase in milk flow by dividing the herd into 

 two lots, one lot calving March to May, the other September to February. 

 The former lot increased in a given time sixty-six, and the latter fifty- 

 four pounds of milk. This is strongly in harmony with my opinion. A 

 cow ought to calve once each year. This improves and develops her milk- 

 ing qualities, develops the udder and retains femininty. I cheerfully and 

 emphatically differ with a prominent dairy writer who has said that four 

 weeks is a sufficient time for a cow to go dry. My rule is sixty days. 

 I would not think of undertaking to dry up a cow four weeks before 

 calving. The rate of growth of the foetus the last sixty days must be 

 very rapid compared with the previous sixty days, or previous seven 

 months. I do not think four weeks is at all sufficient time to get a full 

 and normal distension of the udder before calving. Undoubtedly the 

 same cow calving once a year will produce a greater total profit than she 

 would by calving say every 500 days. I believe that. A cow ought 

 to be in high condition at calving time. She must not be fat but she 

 could carry her normal flesh or a little more. 



PARTURIENT APOPLEXY. 



. In my experience I had only three cases. Lost two, saved one. 

 These three cows came into my possession from a feeder in 1884 who 

 had fed too liberally of a fat producing food. They were in very high 

 condition at time of calving. In fourteen years I never lost another from 

 this quite incurable disease. I certainly have reason to infer that more 

 judicious feeding diminished my losses in this direction. 

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