72 KEEPING ONE COW. 



calf cannot be found while it is so young, it is most profitable to 

 kill it, and bury it in the compost heap, as soon as the milk of the 

 cow is fit to use. I simply state this as a fact, without recom- 

 mending it to be done, for it is cruel work ; but so is any butcher- 

 ing, and if the calf is to be killed, it really matters not how soon 

 it is done. The sooner it is removed from the cow the less she will 

 grieve for its loss. 



CALVING. 



The cow should be milked as long as her milk is good, or until 

 she runs dry, which may in some cases be six or eight weeks of 

 calving (in others not at all.) Her rations should be curtailed a 

 little for a short time before that period, in order to carry her 

 safely through the crisis. After she has the calf, she may receive 

 warm bran-mashes for a day or two, containing a little of her own 

 milk, and should not be fully fed for the first few days. This 

 treatment is all that is required before and after the period of 

 calving. The cow will generally pass through this event in safety, 

 without assistance. Should there, however, be a false presenta- 

 tion, or other difficulty of parturition, the best thing the owner 

 can do, if he has no experience in the matter, is to call to his aid 

 a veterinary surgeon, or a neighbor who knows what course to 

 pursue in such cases. 



As long as the cow is fresh, and yields a large flow of milk, she 

 should be milked three times a day, early in the morning, at noon, 

 and late in the evening ; afterwards two milkings daily, will be 

 sufficient. She should be fed, watered, milked, carded, and led 

 out of and into the stable, at the same hours every day. She 

 should not be beaten, or pelted, or harshly spoken to or dealt with 

 in any manner. Kind and considerate treatment inspires her with 

 confidence and contentment, makes her the pet and delight of the 

 household, and is rewarded by an abundance of wholesome milk. 

 But there are many matters of detail in keeping a cow, which it is 

 impossible to notice in a limited essay like this. If the owner de- 

 sires to be fully informed on the subject, he will do well to pur- 

 chase a few books that treat upon the subject. 



The stable for the cow should be warm, dry, well ventilated, 

 and large enough to contain two or three tons of hay and litter, 

 together with other material to be described hereafter, besides a 

 stall for the cow, and room for the calf. If the owner of the cow 

 has a stable that fulfils these requirements, it will answer his pur- 

 pose if he makes a proper stall in it. If he has no stable, and can- 



