THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 325 



THE STABLE. 



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1. Cow stables should be well lighted and ventilated. The ventilation should 

 preferably be from the top. 



2. There should be at least 400 cubic feet of air space for each cow, other- 

 wise extra ventilation should be provided. 



3. Walls and ceilings should be kept clean. The stable should be white- 

 washed twice a year, and more often if necessary. 



4. It is desirable that the place where the cows are kept be used for no other 

 purpose. A cow barn should not be used as a storage place for straw, hay, or 

 other feeds, or as a wagon or tool house, as the dust and dirt which accumu- 

 lates in a place of this character is liable to drop into the milk while it is 

 being drawn from the cow. 



5. The ceilings should be so constructed that dust and dirt therefrom shall 

 not readily fall to the floor or into the milk. If the space over the cow is 

 used for storage of hay, the ceiling should be made tight to prevent chaff and 

 dust from falling through. 



6. Stable floors should be made tight and smooth and be of some nonabsorb- 

 ent material. Dirt or earth floors and gutters can not be tolerated. 



7. The flooring where the cows stand should be short enough so that all 

 manure will be dropped into the gutter and not upon the floor itself. 



8. The floor, should be swept every day but not before milking. 



9. Cement gutters and mangers are the best, as they can be more easily kept 

 clean than if made of wood. 



10. The manure gutter should be from 6 to 8 inches deep, and should be kept 

 at all times fairly free from manure. 



11. Manure should be removed from the stalls and gutters before the morn- 

 ing milking and also before the afternoon milking, where the cows remain in 

 the stable all day. 



12. The use of land plaster or lime is recommended in the gutters. 



13. Allow no strong smelling material in the stable for any length of time. 

 Store the manure under or outside the cow stable and remove it to a distance 

 as often as practicable. 



14. If individual drinking basins are used for the cows they should be fre- 

 quently drained and cleaned. 



THE cows. 



1. The cows should be kept clean and be free from disease. 



2. Have the herd examined at least twice a year by a skilled veterinarian. 

 Never add an animal to the herd until certain it is free from disease, especially 

 tuberculosis. 



8. Promptly remove from the herd any animal suspected of being in bad 

 health and reject her milk. 



4. The cows should be groomed daily and collections of manure, mud, or 

 other filth should not be allowed to remain upon their flanks, sides, udders, 

 or bellies. 



5. The clipping of long hairs from the udder and the right side of the cow is 

 of assistance in preventing the collection of filth which may drop -into the milk. 



6. The hair on the tails should be cut so that the brush will be well above 

 the ground. 



7. The cows may be bedded with sawdust, shavings, leaves, straw, or some 

 equally clean material. 



8. The use of horse manure for bedding is to be condemned. Sand or loam 

 must never be used as bedding. 



9. To prevent the cows from lying down and getting dirty between cleaning 

 and milking, a throat latch of rope or chain should be fastened across the 

 stanchions under the cow's neck. 



THE FOOD. 



1. Feed liberally, and use only fresh, palatable feed stuffs. In no case should 

 strong smelling or decomposed or moldy material be used. 



2. Do not allow any strong-flavored food, like garlic, cabbage, and turnips, 

 to be eaten by milch cows. 



3. Provide water for cattle in abundance, easy of access, always pure and 

 fresh. 



4. Salt should always be accessible. 



