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CHAPTEE XXVII. 

 THE FAMILY DAIRY. 



There are probably more than a million of the six 

 million families in this country who do not live upon 

 farms that keep one or two cows for milk and butter. 

 The statistics given in the agricultural reports regarding 

 the number of cows kept we think very defective and 

 incorrect. Ten million cows are far too few to be dis- 

 tributed among six million farmers, and the very numer- 

 ous class of dwellers in villages and small towns, or upon 

 small plots too modest in area to be dignified by the name 

 of farms. These small family dairies are often badly 

 managed and too expensively kept, because the owners 

 do not know how to avail themselves of all the advan- 

 tages which accrue from experience and skill in making 

 the most of a small plot of land, or in feeding the best 

 cows to be procured, so as to secure the largest product 

 at the least cost. It is in these modest family dairies 

 that cows are subject to more accidents arising out of 

 neglect or want of accurate knowledge in their manage- 

 ment. Hence, all through this work, a prevailing idea 

 has been to incorporate with the fuller information de- 

 sired by farmers and business dairymen, such plain and 

 simple facts as may serve to guide the owner of a family 

 dairy of a single cow in the way he should go to secure 

 the most milk and butter for the least cost of money and 

 work. 



The family cow should be the best that can be afforded. 

 A copious milker and a good butter producer should be 

 chosen, because a surplus of butter should .be packed away 

 in the time of plenty to supply the family through the 



