182 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Mr. West. Yes, sir. 



Ex-Governor Hoard. No ; a cow doesn't give better 

 milk when in flesh than when she is lean. Show me a 

 woman with a fat baby, and I will show you a lean mother. 

 I had a wife that taught me more on this thing than all the 

 other sources in the world. She was the mother I could 

 question concerning this other mother I could not question. 

 So } r ou may see some reason for my belief that a woman 

 knows more about dairy matters than most any man. She 

 knows more about the cow. She is a mother. Xo, a cow 

 doesn't give any better milk when she is fat than when she 

 is lean. The other question is, does feed have any effect on 

 the milk? Yes, it has some effect on the milk. It is the 

 source from which the milk is obtained ; but the man that 

 thinks he can feed fat into a poor cow, or a cow that gives 

 poor milk, will find himself most tremendously mistaken. 

 A good cow first, and the supporting effect of the feed after- 

 wards. 



Question. Isn't it better for a cow to come fresh in good 

 condition than to come fresh when she is poor? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. Well, I don't want the cow to be 

 emaciated or poor, I want her to be in good, strong health 

 when she comes fresh ; but I don't worry about her a moment, 

 that she should grow lean while she is being milked. I would 

 rather see her do that than grow fat. 



Mr. West. Whether feed has an effect upon the milk? 

 Whether you can make better milk from the cow by certain 

 kinds of feed ? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. By a wise choice of food you can 

 support the milking function in the cow, but the working up 

 of the solids is in the cow herself. 



Mr. John S. Anderson (of Shelburne) . I wish to ask you 

 if, as a rule, a cow does not do better when she conies in in 

 fine condition than when she comes in poor? Further, where 

 does that flesh go to? Doesn't it go oil' in the pail, and 

 won't the cow give more pounds of milk, make more butter, 

 when she conies in in high condition than when she comes in 

 thin ? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. You have certain dangers if she 

 comes in in too high condition. 



