56 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ins; in his own lioht. A small feed of bran to each cow at 

 the milking stable will soon bring the whole herd regularly 

 to the yard and promptly so at night. 



An old German in my county said once : " Der dog vill 

 do pretty veil for der bull. Dat don't hinder der bull very 

 much ; but a dog for a cow ish a humbug on der man dat 

 own der cow." 



Shelter in Summer. 



Cows need shelter in summer much oftener than we are 

 apt to think. I doubt if it is wise to allow them to remain 

 in a rain storm even in midsummer. In our eight cream- 

 eries we have kept close watch of the effect of such condi- 

 tions on milk yield, and we have found that a long rain 

 storm, even in hot weather, is almost certain to reduce the 

 fat percentage of the milk. The Babcock test is telling some 

 very important truths nowadays. 



The fly pest is becoming a most serious question. For the 

 past three years a large number of dairymen have followed 

 the plan of kee})ing the cows in the stable, well darkened 

 in the daytime, and turn them loose to graze at night. The 

 Horn Fly, however, seems to operate with about the same 

 ease in the dark as in the light, and no relief is experienced 

 short of the application of grease compounds. Where the 

 Horn Fly has most abounded it is thought they will cease 

 their depredations after about three years. Of course, 

 where the cows are kept in the stable in daytime they must 

 be partially soiled. Nothing is better for this purpose than 

 a growth of oats and peas, sown on very early ground at the 

 rate of two bushels of oats to one of peas. The White 

 Schcenen variety of oats, on account of its stifiiiiess of straw, 

 and the small Canada pea, make an excellent comlDination. 

 But the cheapest and best system of summer soiling is through 

 a silo. Summer stabling requires extra care to keep down 

 all foul odors, and I would especially recommend a liberal 

 sprinkling of land plaster every day in the morning and at 

 night. This will instantly absorb all ammoniacal gases, and 

 also prevent the floors from becoming slippery. Cows 

 handled in this way amid heat and flies last summer, wnth 

 their food supply kept up, to my personal knowledge, 

 showed scarcely any falling oft' in milk flow. 



