174 DAIRY HERD MANAGEMENT 



up by a little walk and opportunity to discover one another. 

 Unless use is made of this fact the intense dairy cows are liable 

 to go over period after period of heat unnoticed. During winter 

 the cows should be watered in the yard on warm days and from a 

 tank: at a convenient place in the stable during severe weather. 



It, however, is exceedingly convenient to have a watering 

 device in the stable whereby the cows may be watered while 

 still in their stalls (Fig. GO). A convenient method of doing 

 this is to run a water pipe along the top of the cement base of 

 the manger in front of the cows, then to have holes drilled at 

 intervals to allow the escape of water into the concrete manger. 

 Thus all cows receive water at the same moment. This pre- 

 vents reaching and slipping, also saves water. 



Another convenient method, where the manger will not per- 

 mit its use as a trough, is to extend the water pipe in front of the 

 cows with a faucet and short hose between each two cows. A pail 

 may then be set into the manger and water drawn directly into 

 it from the pipe close by. This requires a little more time but 

 is cheap of installation, and will not be needed except during 

 severe weather when field work is usually not pressing. 



Salt Requirement. — Xot only from nature in general, but by 

 exact experiments, it is known that cows require salt in order 

 to remain in health. In a test a few of the cows broke down 

 after less than a month of salt fasting, whereas others withstood 

 the strain for more than a year, but these finally and suddenly 

 developed a thoroughly miserable condition, which, however, was 

 quickly alleviated by the addition of salt to the ration. Heavy 

 milkers need more salt than those that give but little milk. Salt 

 not only whets the appetite of the cow, but seems also to lessen 

 the waste from the body of protein of feed or muscle, or in 

 other words, a little salt regularly fed or placed where the cow 

 may eat it at will tends to save other feedstuff's. The fact that 

 the addition of salt to hay or grain mixture makes the feed more 

 palatable is an important item, since feed that is well liked is 

 more easily and thoroughly digested. Cows need about one 

 ounce of salt per day on the average. Salt bricks attached to the 

 side of the stall are of no particular advantage. Common barrel 



