MOIST FEED. DAIRYMAN'S MOTTO. 117 



and nutritious food which we have for it ; and the con- 

 sequence is cows are, in nine cases out of ten, poorly 

 wintered, and come out in the spring weakened, if not,* 

 indeed, positively diseased, and a long time is required 

 to bring them into a condition to yield a generous 

 quantity of milk. 



It is a hard struggle for a cow reduced in flesh and 

 in blood to fill up the wasted system with the food 

 which would otherwise have gone to the secretion of 

 milk ; but, if she is well fed, well housed, well littered, 

 and well supplied with pure, fresh water, and with 

 roots, or other moist food, and properly treated to the 

 luxury of a frequent carding, and constant kindness, 

 she comes out ready to commence the manufacture of 

 milk under favorable circumstances. 



Keep the cows constantly in good condition, ought, 

 therefore, to be the motto of every dairy farmer, posted 

 up over the barn-door, and over the stalls, and over the 

 milk-room, and repeated to the boys whenever there is 

 danger of forgetting it. It is the great secret of suc- 

 cess, and the difference between success and failure 

 turns upon it. Cows in milk require more food in pro- 

 portion to their size and weight than either oxen or 

 young cattle. 



In order to keep cows in milk well and economically, 

 regularity is next in importance to a full supply of 

 wholesome and nutritious food. The healthy animal 

 stomach is a very nice chronometer, and it is of the 

 utmost importance to observe regular hours in feeding, 

 cleaning, and milking. This is a point, also, in which 

 very many farmers are at fault feeding whenever it 

 happens to be convenient. The cattle are thus kept in 

 a restless condition, constantly expecting food when 

 the keeper enters the barn, while, if regular hours are 

 strictly adhered to, they know exactly when they are 



