196 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



and their thirst was also a little excited by adding to their fodder daily a small quantity of 

 salt. On a chemical examination of the milk thus produced, it was found to be of good 

 quality, and excellent butter was made from it. He also says, with considerable emphasis, 

 that a cow that does not habitually drink as much as twenty-seven quarts of water a day is 

 actually and of necessity a poor milker, such cows yielding only from five and a half to seven 

 quarts a day; but that all the cows he has seen that drank as much as fifty quarts of water 

 each day were excellent milkers, yielding from nineteen to twenty-three quarts of milk daily. 

 Of course the water required by the cow will depend somewhat upon the character of the 

 food eaten, more water being necessary where dry fodder is given than where the food is 

 moistened. Cows going from dry food to that which is green and succulent, always increase 

 their flow of milk at once, while the yield is proportionately diminished in changing from 

 green fodder to dry. There must, of course, be a judicious limit to the amount of water 

 which a cow may drink, and no person of sound judgment could fail to see that by going to 

 extreme measures in this respect the health of the animals would be impaired, as well as the 

 quality of the milk they yield. Milch cows, as well as all other stock, should be allowed all 

 the water they will drink, and if they can have free access to it so much the better; but it is 

 highly essential that the water be pure. How can we expect animals to remain in a healthy 

 condition, or the milk they produce to be of a pure and healthy nature, when the water they 

 manufacture it from is that of stagnant pools, or such as is made putrid by other means? 

 Such milk cannot, in the nature of things, be pure. It is poisonous, contains the elements of 

 disease, and is no more fit to be drank by mankind than the water from such sources. 

 Farmers, as a general practice, are too indifferent or careless with respect to this matter. 

 Where there is not an abundance of pure water from springs and streams on the farm that 

 may be utilized, or if these fail in certain seasons, the difficulty can be easily obviated by the 

 use of wind power for raising water from wells, or by other means, directions for which have 

 been given in a previous department of this work, on &quot; Water Supply of the Farm.&quot; Health, 

 as well as economy, require that all stock, and particularly dairy stock, shou-ld be supplied 

 with an abundance of pure water. 



Shade in Pastures. While we are aware that many graziers and some dairymen 

 hold different opinions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of shade in the pasture, 

 and while we are perfectly aware of the fact that grass grown in the sunshine is sweetest and 

 best, and would therefore not argue in favor of having what might be called a shady 

 pasture, still we confidently believe in having shady spots here and there in all pastures, and 

 urge upon farmers the necessity of providing for such shade in pastures, where it is not 

 already provided, at the earliest possible moment. In the extreme mid-day heat of summer, 

 both men and beasts naturally seek a cool retreat. The shade of a leafy tree under such 

 circumstances comforts and refreshes both men and the lower animals, like a draught of cool 

 water; and animals need the one for comfort, and we might say, health, as much as the 

 other. 



There is scarcely a more agreeable scene to be found, by a person of rural taste, than 

 that of cattle standing or lying in picturesque groups, &quot;chewing the cud,&quot; a picture of 

 comfort and content, under nature s great umbrella, a majestic tree, or standing knee-deep 

 in some running brook, with trees in foliage on either bank. Cattle under such circumstances 

 will feed in the early morning or in the evening when the herbage is fresh and sweet from the 

 effect of -the dew, and we believe will thrive much better, than stock compelled to remain all 

 day in the hot and burning sun, to say nothing of the comfort thereby obtained. On 

 humane considerations alone, aside from benefits to be derived, all animals should be supplied 

 with retreats of shade from the hot sun. 



Where pastures are bare of trees, temporary sheds can be provided, until trees that may 

 .be set out .will. have time to grow sufficient to answer the purpose. There are many varieties 



