CHAPTER IV 



DECEMBER 



ri\RY to buy the cow this month for two 

 -*- reasons : first, a good cow which is going 

 to calve in February or March will cost less 

 than a poor one in March or April. Secondly, 

 the yield of milk is on the decrease, making 

 the night and morning task of emptying the 

 udder easier for the amateur; and should 

 it not be accomplished very completely it 

 would not be a very serious catastrophe, as 

 when the cow is in full milk. 



Of course a perfect cow stable is impossible 

 for a beginner without capital, but a very 

 good sanitary stall can be arranged in an 

 old stable for a few dollars. Our cow barn 

 was a large shed with an open haymow above, 

 and individual stalls for thirteen cows ar- 

 ranged along the back; the sides, half door, 



59 



