765 



about without it, but they will do much better with it and amply 

 repay any attention in this direction. Milch cows require shelter 

 from the heat of the summer's sun and from the cold, bleak winds 

 of winter, and they should never be put into a paddock that is not 

 provided with it. If the trees are such as do not afford a good 

 protection, plant some quick growing ones in clumps that will. In 

 commencing dairying, attention should be given as to the means of 

 getting milk to a creamery or cream to a factory. 



It is not much use starting to dairy if the farm is so far away, 

 or the roads so bad that it is impossible to send the cream either 

 to the railway station or butter factory, unless the farmer is prepared 

 to invest a fair amount of capital in dairy appliances. If the dairy 

 is a large one, it will pay well to do that, especially if cheese-making 

 is gone in for. 



Where it is possible, it is well to have the milking yards nearly 

 in the centre of the farm, so that all the paddocks may be available 

 for the cattle with as little exertion as possible. 



Above all things, if you wish to live at peace with your neigh- 

 bours, see that your fences are thoroughly sound ; even if they cost 

 you a little more to put up, the money is well spent, and will be 

 repaid to you a hundredfold in days to come. 



Do not go in for large paddocks, as cattle like a change of 

 pasture frequently and do much better if they are moved from 

 paddock to paddock without being kept in one until every- 

 thing is eaten out of it. If the cattle are treated thus they will fall 

 off in their milk, and although it may increase again when they are 

 put on better feed, still they will never do as well as if they had not 

 been allowed to fall away. More feeding value will be obtained 

 from the small paddocks when they are not allowed to be eaten 

 down too close and the cattle are continually \valking over them. 

 The various grasses that come in at different periods of the year 

 will have a chance of coming forward and providing food that would 

 otherwise have been nipped off at the start. Land treated in this 

 fashion will carry nearly half has much more stock as it would in 

 large paddocks. 



Try and arrange that your yards shall be on the slope of a hill, 

 so that they may be well drained and all surface moisture be readily 

 got away. If there are any large trees growing on the proposed 

 site, if they can be used for shelter from the sun, by all means let 

 them remain. The difference in the behaviour of cattle in the 

 summer time in a sheltered yard and one without it, needs only to 

 be seen to be appreciated. In the one where shade is available the 

 cows may be seen contentedly either standing or lying down chew- 

 ing their cud ; in the other, exposed to the sun's rays, they are 

 restless, whisking their tails about, tossing their heads, and every 

 now and again rushing one another, and all the time uneasy and out 

 of temper, which means that when they come to be milked the 

 milkers will get of temper also, to the great loss of the dairyman. 



