342 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



milked out, even if the calf seems to empty it, 

 till it is certain the youngster will take it all 

 and strip the bag well. No one who has had the 

 trouble and worry of a spoiled bag on his hands 

 will need to have the necessity of this impressed 

 upon him. 



After calving, the principal thing to be looked 

 Barter is the removal of the placenta, or after- 

 birth. A healthy cow will " clean" without 

 any attention/and this is the rule. But per- 

 haps no trouble with cows is more common 

 than the retention of the whole or a part of 

 the afterbirth. If the cow's system is in good 

 -order nature will do its work; hence the best 

 remedy for this disease is the preliminary pre- 

 vention which ensures the cow coming to par- 

 turition in good health. Where this fails or is 

 neglected it is too late to dally with medicines, 

 and if the cow does not clean within twenty- 

 four hours after calving the afterbirth must be 

 removed by mechanical means. A longer delay 

 than this is not to be risked, as the womb will 

 close and render the removal difficult or impos- 

 sible except with great risk. The afterbirth 

 should in no case be left unremoved, as it will 

 almost surely lead to blood-poisoning. 



1 have already adverted to the danger of milk 

 fever in the early summer time in the case of 

 cows of a full habit and deep milkers. The dan- 

 ger is so general that all cows calving at this 



