CA TTLE THE DAIRY. 837 



butter can be made during the seven months, October to April 

 inclusive, without ice, and the cows, although beginning to fail 

 in their milk at the end of this period, will increase when they 

 go on fresh pasture so as to give a calf a good start, if you wish 

 to raise it, or make of it a good veal before they go dry. 



Even if butter is to be made the entire year, I recommend 

 that half the cows or more be bred for fall calves. It is much 

 easier to have the cow in good condition in the fall than after a 

 winter on dry feed, and the cow that comes in at this season 

 will give quite a per cent more of milk in a year than one that 

 is fresh in the spring, for at the time the latter naturally begins 

 to fail in milk, the season of flies and short pasture comes, 

 followed by the transition to dry feed, and it is very difficult to 

 prevent a large falling off. On the other hand, the cow fresh 

 in the fall goes on fresh pasture just at the time she begins to 

 fail, and as a result, the flow of milk is largely increased. 



The best authorities agree that it is better that a cow should 

 be dry not less than six weeks, not only because her system re- 

 quires rest, but the mixture of old and new milk is liable to cause 

 garget. It is not best for the calf that the cow be milked con- 

 tinuously, for nature provides in the colostrum or first drawn 

 milk after calving medicinal qualities to cleanse the young calf, 

 and free its bowels from the matter always existing in them at 

 birth, and if the cow is milked continuously the milk does not 

 undergo this change. 



If you have the necessary conveniences so that you can be 

 sure of making first-class butter in all weather, and can get a 

 yearly contract at a price that will pay, I would advise that 

 butter be made the entire year, but if you must depend on the 

 groceries for a market and come in competition with all sorts of 

 butter, then the plan of fall and winter butter-making will save 

 labor and be likely to give the greatest profit. 



Gilt-edged Butter. We have seen much in the agricul- 

 tural papers during the last few years about "gilt-edged butter," 

 and I have received many letters from farmers asking what it 

 is and how made. It can scarcely be classed as a farm prod- 

 uct, for, as I understand the term, to produce it requires such 



