No. 4.] MILCH COWS. 43 



best you have, and build upon it. Tliere is so much uncer- 

 tainty when you buy a thoroughbred cow as to whether you 

 are in full sympathy with, and appreciate all, the conditions 

 under which she has been cared for, all of which must be 

 known and appreciated in order to maintain her former stand- 

 ard. I would never use anything but a pure-bred male, and 

 I would get behind him and study his mother, reaching as 

 far back as I could. I would find the animal which repre- 

 sented my ideal, then, regardless of cost, I would buy. 



Question. Do I understand the Doctor that the yield of 

 milk depends on the brain instead of the stomach ? That an 

 animal should be intelligent in order to be a large milker? 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. There are exceptions. We must not 

 only have form of body and stomach capacity for the con- 

 sumption of food, but also intelligence of the brain, which 

 must be developed by the owner before we may expect heaviest 

 production. 



Mr. Walton Hall (of Marshfield) . In regard to raising 

 heifer calves, how would you feed? 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. I would feed on skimmed milk and good 

 hay, and turn to pasture when a year old. Feed only those 

 foods which will promote bony tissue rather than flesh. One 

 of the greatest blessings that ever came to the farmers of the 

 State of Maine is the milk separator. The farmers are find- 

 ing in the freshly skimmed milk the best possible feed on 

 which to raise dairy cows. I am proud of the State of Maine 

 when I speak of her dairy cows, for our farmers are keeping 

 and growing a grand lot of healthy, vigorous, heavy pro- 

 ducers. 



Question. Would you recommend raising our own calves ? 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. You can go to Brighton and buy cows 

 that have enormous udders, but 30U are not always sure to 

 get a valuable cow. Whether you can afibrd to raise your 

 own is for you to determine. It is the true step to take in 

 improvement. 



Question. Why not turn a calf out the first year? 



Dr. TwiTCHELL. I have found that I could get better 

 growth in the l)arn on good hay, bran and oats. I would 

 never turn a calf out the first year ; I would turn it out the 

 second year. A great many growers in Maine give the calves 



