184 FARM ANIMALS 



another so much in the open sheds as when con- 

 fined in stanchions. There seems, therefore, to be 

 a general belief among dairymen who have tried 

 this outdoor method of keeping dairy cows that 

 great advantages are thereby to be derived, the chief 

 being as already stated, clean stables, cleaner cows, 

 cleaner milk, better health in the cows and an 

 increase in the amount of manure obtained since 

 a relatively large amount of bedding must be used 

 in the open sheds in order to keep the cows per- 

 fectly clean. As a result of the prevalence of this 

 practice of allowing dairy cows outdoor freedom 

 in winter, the Illinois Experiment Station con- 

 ducted a careful experiment with this end in view. 

 The results of this experiment showed that the cows 

 kept much cleaner than when stabled, that the milk 

 stable was in a more sanitary condition and, there- 

 fore, that it was much easier to produce clean milk. 

 The cows showed better health and better appetite 

 than when kept in the stable and the saving of 

 labor was quite striking. It is well perhaps to 

 call attention to the great importance of this econ- 

 omy of labor since at present one of the most 

 serious questions on dairy farms is that of getting 

 sufficient qualified labor to take care of the cows. 

 Where cows are kept in the stable continuously, 

 it is obvious that unusual attention must be given 

 to their surroundings in order to make them com- 

 fortable. It appears to be an unnatural practice 

 to keep dairy cows tied up in stanchions for six 

 months of the year, as is too frequently practiced 

 among dairymen. In such cases the feed and water 

 are brought to the cows without their being allowed 

 to have any exercise, and this lack of exercise 

 appears to be a sufficient cause for the loss of vigor 

 and a shortening of the life of usefulness of dairy 



