WINTER CARE OF HERD. 177 



hydrates. If she is inclined to grow thin, increase the car- 

 bohydrates. She should have access to clean, fresh water 

 at least twice a day. Water for the dairy cow should not be 

 ice cold. She should never receive a chill from any cause. 

 If she does, serious trouble may be the result. Never allow 

 her flow of milk to slacken from want of good, intelligent 

 care. It is much easier to keep her right than it is to get her 

 back to her flow again if she has once had a set-back. You 

 cannot afford to let cows stand out in the wind around a 

 trough and struggle with each other to get a place to drink. 



Give them a little salt every day. About an ounce or an 

 ounce and a half to a cow per day. They want it and should 

 have it, especially when they are getting grain. 



Never should there be any unusual noise in the dairy 

 stable. The dairy cow demands quietness and gentleness. 

 Noise and bluster around her are profit killers. You are the 

 master, it is true, but you must acquiesce in this and cater 

 to her demands. Think twice before you shout at her or hit 

 her with a shovel. You may be able to beat her and you 

 may be able to scare her, but if you do either you have yet 

 to learn that you do not understand the dairy cow's make- 

 up. Treat her kindly. Sacrifice a little in order to cater to 

 her whims and she will more than repay you. 



Give her a clean, soft bed of straw to lie on. Do not ask 

 her to lie on hard boards or cold cement floor. She deserves 

 better. Make her comfortable. 



Everything should be quiet at milking time. She must 

 be milked at the same time every day, and that by the same 

 person, if possible. A cow giving 10 pounds will do with one 

 milking a day. Others should be milked twice a day 12 

 hours apart. When cows are in the stable they should be 

 brushed and curried often, to free the skin from excretions. 

 The udder should always be wiped off carefully before start- 

 ing to milk. Cows should be let out a little while each day 

 in a sheltered barnyard, but not kept out long enough to 

 become chilled. 



