MILCH COWS. 309 



tion to the business of the dairy, and in return for its premiums 

 to secure the largest and most varied amount of information in 

 its successful and faithful management," — which purpose was 

 best to be promoted by leaving each competitor to pursue his 

 own course of management, at the peril that some other mode 

 might " prove more productive under the conduct of some other 

 competitor," — I deemed it best, and likely to be more satisfac- 

 tory, to keep along in my regular system, deviating in no de- 

 gree from that course which is practised by me every day of 

 every season. 



Thus the committee will perceive that I render no account 

 of the quantity of milk, either in weight or measure, yielded by 

 any one or more of my cows for any one or more days ; for, 

 though a statement that a cow has given a specified number of 

 quarts or pounds of milk for a given number of days might 

 gratify the curious in statistics, the experience of no inconsid- 

 erable number of years has convinced me that this was of no 

 value in testing the worth of an animal for butter. 



The return, then, which I submit will be merely a statement 

 of the mode pursued by me in the management and feeding of 

 my stock, of the care of the milk, with the dairy utensils, and 

 the amount of butter produced during the required period of 

 trial. 



The trial began on the 25th of April last, before turning to 

 pasture. 



Management of Stock while stalled. — In the management of 

 my stock the utmost gentleness is observed, and exact regular- 

 ity in the hours of feeding while confined to the stable, and of 

 milking throughout the year. 



The stock is fed regularly three times a day. 



In the morning, as soon as the milking is over, each cow (hav- 

 ing been previously fed and her bag cleaned by washing, if ne- 

 cessary) is thoroughly cleaned and groomed, if the expression 

 may be used, with a curry-comb, from head to foot, and, when 

 cleaned, turned out to drink. The stable is now cleaned out, 

 the mangers swept, and the floors sprinkled with plaster ; and 

 as the Cows return, which they do as soon as inclined, they arc 

 tied up and left undisturbed until the next hour of feeding, 

 which is at noon. 



