KEEPING ONE COW. 89 



must endeavor to bring up the hind legs and deliver it in that 

 position. It frequently occurs in this position, as well as some- 

 times in the natural one, that traction will have to be applied. In 

 such cases it should be applied simultaneously with the throes of 

 the cow. In rare cases it becomes necessary to amputate portions 

 of the fo3tus and bring them away separately, which operation 

 should be left to the veterinary surgeon. In fact, whenever as- 

 sistance is required, it is better to employ the services of a compe- 

 tent surgeon, if such can be obtained. But where professional 

 assistance cannot be obtained, it is much better to use one's own 

 judgment than to depend on the village cow doctor, who is usually 

 one of the most ignorant persons in the community. Happily, 

 cases requiring any assistance, where a single cow is kept, are rare. 



For Mamitis or garget I have given successfully the following 

 powder twice daily : Pulverized Digitalis, one drahm ; Nitre, one 

 ounce; Crean of Tartar, one-half ounce; mix and give in the feed. 

 If the bag is caked and hard, let the calf run with the cow for a 

 few days. 



I do not consider it profitable to raise the calf, therefore I dis- 

 pose of it as soon as possible. There are always plenty of farm- 

 ers or farmers' boys who are glad to buy a good calf to raise, and 

 will willingly pay one or two dollars for the same, and take it 

 right away. I prefer to raise and fatten a pig instead. 



ACCIDENTS AND FAILURES. 



It is no more than fair for me to say concerning my plan of feed- 

 ing, that I have occasionally been obliged to modify some of the 

 details, on account of unfavorable circumstances. For instance, I 

 have been forced to cut grass from the highway in front of my 

 house, to supply a deficiency in some crop, caused by unfavorable 

 weather, or some accident or other. In the spring of 1878, my 

 clover failed to catch, leaving me to make up for the loss of that 

 crop as well as I could. It was certainly most unfortunate, inas- 

 much as it seriously interfered with the whole system of rotation. 

 To carry out the plan of soiling successfully requires considerable 

 time and labor. And on the whole, unless one has plenty of the 

 former at his disposal, and a good wholesome inclination for the 

 latter, he could do full as well to adopt the old time practice of 

 having his cow pastured by the week, in which case no other labor 

 than milking would be required, while, if she were allowed a feed 

 of meal or bran at the time of milking, night and morning, very 

 satisfactory results would be obtained. 



