KEEPING OXE COW. 57 



said Mary, " I guess I have not quite forgotten how to milk yet, 

 and you can soon learn 'never too old to learn,' you know. I 

 will go out after breakfast and milk out what the calf does not 

 take, and you can go around by Mr. Mason's and ask him what 

 we had better do with the calf." Joseph felt these were good sug- 

 gestions, and after standing by Mary, in more than one sense, 

 while she performed her part of the programme which was suc- 

 cessfully accomplished he started for work by way of farmer 

 Mason's. Arriving there he made known his errand. " Well," 

 said Mr. M., "you can 'deacon' it or veal it. Don't many but 

 dairymen follow the first way, and I should advise you to let it 

 have all the milk it wants for four or five weeks, and the butcher 

 will take it and pay you five or six dollars. Put the calf by itself, 

 and night and morning let it go to the cow and get its own milk." 

 When Joseph arrived home that evening, he partitioned off a cor- 

 ner of the barn with some barrels and boxes, put in some bedding, 

 and put the calf in his nsw quarters. Then he tried his hand at 

 milking, Mary standing by him this time, telling him what to do, 

 and laughing a little at his awkward efforts, yet encouraging him 

 by saying he did splendidly for the first trial. " Comfort " rewarded 

 him for his kindness to her, by being very patient with his awk- 

 wardness, and he daily improved in the art of milking, so that 

 while vealy was getting his fill, he would get about two or three 

 quarts as his share. 



The latter part of April Joseph commenced work for Mr. Mason, 

 and as his work-bench, was at one end of the barn floor, he had a 

 good opportunity for observation. He noticed Mr. M. fed his 

 cows corn meal, and asked him what feed he considered best for 

 cows giving milk at this time of the year. Mr. M. said, in his ex- 

 perience he had found there were three things to be considered in 

 the care of cows. Health of the cow, quantity and quality of the 

 milk. Plenty of wholesome food and pure water (also a little salt 

 each day), given regularly, out of door exercise in pleasant weather, 

 and general good care will give the first. u Clover hay, corn fod- 

 der, wheat bran or ground oats, with some roots, will keep up the 

 flow of milk," said he, " but if you want thick cream, and 

 plenty of golden butter, feed your cow corn meal. When my 

 cows are in milk and kept on dry feed, I give each cow 

 daily, morning and evening, four quarts of mixed feed, one part, 

 by weight, of wheat bran and two parts of corn meal, with about 

 one tablespoonful of salt. We make more and better butter on 

 this feed than when the cows have grass only." 



