96 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



condition, and not permit her to lose flesh; on the contrary, it would be better to have her 

 gain flesh during this period. With this object in view a change and variety of food is 

 important. It must be remembered that the food she eats must not only supply nourishment 

 to her own physical system, but to that of her offspring also, and hence there is an extra 

 demand for the material. A calf at birth usually weighs from 75 to 80 pounds, and some of 

 the large breeds, such as the Herefords and Short-Horns, even considerably more than this; 

 and it requires, at least fully as much food to produce such a calf, as to put seventy-five 

 pounds of flesh in her own body. Oats are excellent food for cows when dry, being rich in 

 muscle-forming material. Corn meal alone is not suitable food for cows at such times, but 

 may be fed with clover hay. Two quarts of corn meal and one quart of oil meal per day is 

 also very good. Roots, such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, mangold wurzels, etc., fed in 

 moderate quantities, may also be given. Care should be exercised, however, not to give food 

 that is too rich or stimulating for a week or two before calving, or to permit the cow to fill 

 herself with coarse hay or other equally distending food about the time of this event, as it 

 might be followed with ill consequences. 



As the time of maternity approaches, the udder must be closely watched that 

 inflammation may not ensue, and this becomes all the more necessary with heifers about to 

 bring their first calf. Should the udder seem too full of milk, it will be necessary to draw 

 from the teats from one to several quarts. We have known of instances, where, in the 

 abundance of succulent grasses of May or June, it was necessary to draw the milk for 

 several days before calving in order to prevent serious inflammation of the udder. We are 

 aware that some object to this, as injurious to both dam and calf, but in cases where it seemed 

 necessary by the unusual distention of the udder, we have never known any results but the 

 most satisfactory to follow such a course. The drawing of the milk should be done 

 regularly, however, and never at irregular intervals. 



Care at Time Of Calving. The common duration of pregnancy in cows is 284 days. 

 As the time of calving approaches, the cow should be removed from the rest of the herd to 

 a box-stall or comfortable shed, and be supplied with an abundance of good clean bedding. 

 Here she should remain undisturbed, being supplied regularly with food and drink. In the 

 majority of cases the parturition will be natural and take care of itself, and the less the cow 

 is meddled with, the better. Nature usually does her work well, and needs no interference 

 from man. But there are exceptions, and for this reason it is well that she should be 

 watched in order to see that no difficulty occurs that may require immediate attention. Do 

 not however disturb her by too constant watching. The natural presentation of the foetus is 

 with the head lying upon the fore legs, any deviation from this being unnatural and liable to 

 be attended with difficulty. With the natural position, nature will usually require no aid. 

 Whether the cow should be permitted to eat the &quot;after birth&quot; is a question upon which 

 intelligent breeders seem to entertain different opinions. 



It appears to be natural for some animals to do this, and that fact might of itself be an 

 argument in favor of permitting them to do so, disgusting as the practice may seem. We 

 can, however, see no reason why following this natural instinct could in any way benefit 

 the animal, on the contrary, it to all appearance would be an injury to have such a bulky 

 mass of indigestible matter in the stomach, but we have never known evil results to attend 

 either course. 



If there is any difficulty in parturition by a wrong presentation of the foetus, a good 

 veterinarian should be employed if possible. By such timely-and skillful assistance, the life 

 of both the calf and the dam may be saved. Never employ an ignorant, brutal man who 

 would resort to violent means in such cases. False presentations are varied, though rare; 

 the most common is that of the head first, with the legs doubled under the body. In all 

 such cases the right hand should be well smeared with sweet oil or fresh lard, and carefully 



