LIVE STOCK AND DAIRY 93 



It is poor policy to milk cows just before calving, as the first milk, 

 colostrum, secreted is necessary to calf to start his gastric organs working 

 properly. As long as your animal has good pasture, do not feed extra 

 feed until after calving. If bag shows signs of hardening or caking, 

 massage thoroughly and apply spirits of camphor rubbed in thoroughly. 

 A large swollen udder is normal and needs no treatment. 



Dry Cows Before Calving. 



/ have a young Jersey cow due to have her second calf in two months. 

 Shall I milk her up to the time she calves, or dry her up about three 

 weeks before her time? She is very nervous at times when milking, 

 continually stepping, especially zvhen milking the left front and right 

 front teats. Her bag is not caked; in fact, she is perfectly sound in 

 every respect. 



Dry your cow up two or three weeks before she calves. Her nervous- 

 ness is due to her condition. 



How to Dry a Cow. 



What is the proper way to dry a cow? 



Do not milk out fully, but leave a small quantity of milk in the udder, 

 gradually decrease the amount of milk taken at each milking, until finally 

 a day or two may be skipped between milking. Always be on the 

 watch for a hardening of the udder, which means that not enough 

 milk has been taken out. 



Drying a Cow. 



Some people told me that it is better to milk a cow until the last 

 day before she is fresh, and some say to dry her up four or five weeks. 



It is certainly advisable to dry up a cow for a time before freshen- 

 ing. A month or six weeks is about the proper period of rest. Some 

 cows, of course, refuse to dry and then one has to make the best of it. 

 Cows of beef or dual purpose breeds that have no natural tendency toward 

 heavy milking, will of their own accord wish to dry early, it is often 

 advisable to keep them milking strong as long as possible, but a cow 

 of a straight dairy breed will not be injured but helped by being dry 

 a few weeks before calving. 



Arrangements With Dairy Tenants. 



7 am arranging to lease an alfalfa ranch on shares and am furnishing 

 my tenant with dairy stock, buildings, and the necessary cans, separators, 

 etc. Tenant is to do all work on the place, furnishing his own wagons, 

 horses and agricultural implements. We expect to divide the cream check 

 half and half, but are uncertain as to the customary division of the 

 increase. 



There are no hard and fast rules in such cases. In a general way, 

 if you stock the ranch to its capacity, the tenant should raise to weaning 



