THE JERSEY, ALDERNEY AND GUERNSEY COW. IO5 



a nature, which is the case with roots early in the sea- 

 son, require an addition of more soHd food, such as 

 meal or i^^ood clover chaff, otherwise the milk, although 

 considerable in quanuty, will be poor and wheyey, yield- 

 ing no cream. Such roots should be carefully selected 

 as have no symptoms of decay or rottenness, and should 

 be mild in flavor or the butter will be tainted. In very 

 cold weather, and as a change of food, use crushed lin- 

 seed and bruised oats, steamed or boiled. 



Mangel-wurzel, which has become, from its luscious 

 qualities, so favorite a food for the dairy cow, requires 

 much care and judgment in its use, and should never 

 be given before the month of January, as the longer it 

 is kept the less acidity is produced by it ; and even then, 

 in my opinion, should always be accompanied by from 

 four to six pounds of barley meal or corn meal to every 

 bushel, to correct the irritation occasioned by its sole 

 use, many dairies of good cows having, within my own 

 knowledge, been weakened so as to cause disease and 

 barrenness for want of the adoption of this principle. 

 The best — and, in fact, the only roots that should be 

 given — are carrots, the yellow bullock turnip and man- 

 gel, succeeding each other from the time they are re- 

 quired till the cow returns to pasture. Grains and 

 mangel-wurzel are only to be used when a large quan- 

 tity of milk, in which quality is not sought, is desired. 

 Many cowkeepers in London feed with these for that 

 purpose, and are, in consequence, though selling a 

 genuine article, wrongly accused of diluting the milk. 



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