388 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



short feed. A stunted growth is a great loss to the breeder. 

 During the second winter heifers receive a small feed of 

 the grain mixture given to the milking stock, consisting of 

 gluten feed and cotton-seed or other concentrate, corn meal 

 and bran. The main thing is to keep growth active. Size 

 in a dairy cow adds much to her value, either in the dairy 

 or sale ring. 



Breeding should not take place until after the heifer is 

 eighteen months old. Some of the best cows I have seen 

 were allowed to reach two years old before being bred. It 

 is significant that some beef breeders do not receive for 

 registry, as pure-bred, calves from pure-bred parents where 

 the dam is under twenty-seven months old at the time of 

 calving. Breeding too young detracts much from the use- 

 fulness of heifers. The season of the year for breeding is 

 purely a matter of convenience, and need not be considered 

 in this paper. The interval between successive calves is 

 commonly one year, but it is noticeable that cows do very 

 much better after a longer interval. This is especially true 

 in young cows. If an interval of fifteen to eighteen months 

 is allowed between first and second calves, the cow makes a 

 considerable growth that enhances her value and increases 

 her capacity for milk. 



Young cows require to be liberally fed. It must be borne 

 in mind that the two-year-old cow has not only to yield 

 milk, but also complete her growth. If concentrates are 

 withheld at this time, on the mistaken notion that they are 

 injurious to young cows, not only is her milk flow lessened, 

 but she is hindered from reaching her most useful develop- 

 ment. It may not be desirable to crowd young heifers with 

 heavy feed, but when they milk deeply there must be the 

 material to supply the drain, just as well as in mature cows. 



