126 CONKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



yourself how exposure will take the milk out of her faster than she can 

 put it in. In summer make the fly spray test: Spray Conkey's Fly Knocker 

 about the barn or stable, and spray cows just before milking or while out 

 on the pasture. Instead of giving most of her energy to tail lashing, Brown 

 Betsy or Lilly Lass will chew her cud with vigor, in the spaces between quiet 

 grazing, and you can be sure of her full milk production. 



22 POUNDS OFF! Missouri Chief Josephine, the Holstein record 

 breaker, is always fully protected from flies. On one 



occasion when this care was omitted she decreased tweuty-two pounds a 

 day in milk production. Cheaper to fight flies for your herd in summer than 

 to lose out on your milk contracts. One enthusiast writes that "Conkey's 

 Fly Knocker is worth the cost in one milking." 



MORE CALVES There never was a time in the history of dairying when 

 milk cows were so scarce as now. The great need of 



our dairy sections is to raise more calves and buy fewer and to breed for 

 dairy points from pure bred sires whose dams show good performance, 

 and whose grand-dams, even, were "some punkins" at the milkpail. When 

 breeding for dairy cows, you are breeding for storage and reservoirs. 

 Weed out all that fail individually to meet the requirements, no matter how 

 pure the blood. 



MILK SUBSTITUTES Dairies which need all their milk supply for their 



FOR CALVES contracts must use substitutes for feeding calves. 



They can frequently buy skim milk, which with hay 



and grain makes the best substitute for whole milk for calves. It gives 

 an average daily gain of l l / 2 Ibs., or about 300 Ibs. at 5 months. Another 

 milk substitute, somewhat sensational but standing up to actual test, is 

 bean soup, the navy beans boiled until soft, then squeezed through a 

 colander and made into a salty soup. With this, some shorts, blood meal 

 and cottonseed meal, and the ration will be found very cheap. Feed about 

 three quarts to a calf. Clover hay and corn fodder make good forage for 

 growing calves. 



THAT YOUNG HEIFER Breed her at about 21 months, so that she will 



drop her first calf at 2*/ 2 years. During that 



time feed extra well; for you see she is still an immature, growing animal, 

 and you can't afford to check her development for that of the first calf. 

 Gentle manipulation of the udder at regular times will tend to increase its 

 development, hence future capacity. Then when the calf comes be sure 

 to turn the young heifer over to the best, most rapid, most skilful milker, 

 as the manner of milking will increase the milk supply. Do not breed her 

 again until six months after. first calving. Try to keep up her milk flow by 

 skilful management in milking and care and water and feed; for you must 

 establish right now the milk habit. She should keep up a good flow up 

 to 2 'months of the time of her next calving; and if her butter record for 

 the whole time is something between 200 and 250 Ibs. you can call it satis- 

 factory. If less than that, to the butcher, for he needs her more than 

 you do in the dairy. Also, if she goes dry before the limit set in this first 

 test, don't waste time with her but finish her quicklv for beef. After this 

 second calving the young heifer can be bred immediately, as is the usual 

 custom with dairymen. With mature cows the best results are obtained 

 by requiring them to freshen each year, permitting, each cow to go dry for 



