THE COWS 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE owner of or the person responsible 

 for dairy cattle has laid upon himself 

 certain definite responsibilities and 

 duties from the mere fact of taking charge 

 of living animals of that character. One of 

 these, and not the least important, is their 

 maintenance in a state of health. He owes 

 it to himself, to the animals, and to his fel- 

 low men in the community that neither the 

 animals nor their product shall be obnox- 

 ious. Some of the things calculated to 

 accomplish this much desired result have 

 been set forth in the recommendation for a 

 clean, light, and airy barn, and also the iso- 

 lation quarters. What is here offered for 

 the consideration of dairy farmers is the im- 

 portant matter of the external cleanliness of 

 the cows. 



Whether a cow's hide be clean, as in Na- 

 ture, or plastered with manure accumula- 

 tions, as in the dairy state, is no small mat- 

 ter. Not only has it a bearing on the welfare 



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