ECONOMIC FEEDING OF DAIRY COWS. 79 



practiced. We know of many instances where the best of dairy cows were 

 used and where good methods of feeding were practiced, and still results 

 fell far short of what might reasonably have been expected, simply because 

 the animals did not receive that kindly treatment which is so essential to a 

 cow giving lots of milk for a long time. The herd as a whole should al- 

 ways be moved slowly. Never hurry a cow, or strike her or speak loud 

 or harshly. A gentle voice and a caressing touch is quite as potent as 

 is digestible protein. If you so handle the cows that they are fond of you, 

 you have learned one of the most important lessons that lead to profitable 

 dairying. The most successful milk producers are in close touch with 

 every cow in the herd. The milk producer has to do with motherhood, in 

 which affection always plays an important part. A cow's affection for the 

 calf prompts the desire to give milk; if you gain her affection she will de- 

 sire to give you milk. If you have not been in the habit of caressing the 

 cows the time to inaugurate the practice is when they approach the time 

 of calving, as it is at that particular time that they take kindly to groom- 

 ing and gentle rubbing of the udder. 



Each cow should have a name which should always be spoken when 

 approaching her. This one point counts for much in the successful handling 

 of a herd. Suppose the cows are slowly filing into the barn and you see 

 that Rose is about to go into the wrong stall, a quick call of "Rose" will 

 attract her attention and she will forget that she was about to go into her 

 neighbor's stall to steal a mouthful of her feed. If Rose, when in the 

 yard, is about to hook another member of the herd, and just at that moment 

 hears her name called, she will forget what she was about to do. Again 

 suppose the herd is slowly wending its way down the lane to the pasture, 

 and someone has thoughtlessly left a side gate open leading into a grain field. 

 If Rose is in the lead, and as you see her turning toward the open gate a quick, 

 sharp call of "Rose!" will exert a wonderful influence in bringing her back 

 into line. It is by such methods that a herd can be gradually taught to do 

 the right thing, save you many steps and at the same time bring a larger re- 

 turn. 



During the eight or ten weeks that cows go dry their food should be 

 chiefly roughage. A daily allowance of two pounds of bran or oats or a 

 mixture of 2 parts each of bran and or,ts and one part linseed meal or corn 

 oil meal makes a proper feed for a cow near calving. Some roots, cabbage, 

 pumpkins or squashes are also very good. Highly carbonaceous roughage 

 such as straw and corn stalks are not good at this particular time. These 

 with cold water, cold drafts or laying out at night on damp or frozen ground, 

 are the chief causes of caked udder or garget. 



For ten days preceding the time of calving the cow should be kept 

 in a comfortable, well littered box stall or pen, in which there is no manger. 

 The feed should be given in a box or basket which should be removed after 

 the feed is taken. The coarse feed may be put in the corner and no more 

 should be given than she will eat. This rule should, however, be observed 



