STABLES FOR COWS 295 



ing this matter are becoming more stringent, and it is safe to 

 say that an immense improvement will be brought about 

 within the next few years. 



Better Barns mean Cheaper Production. There is an- 

 other phase of the subject that must be emphasized as well. 

 There is no doubt it pays as a financial proposition to have 

 well-arranged, sanitary barns making the cow more produc- 

 tive by being more comfortable ; labor more efficient on 

 account of being better satisfied; and the expense of labor 

 less on account of convenience in arrangement. A sanitary 

 barn is not necessarily an expensive one. Many an inexpen- 

 sive structure is or may be more sanitary than some ill-ar- 

 ranged, badly kept, but expensive barn. 



In considering the matter of barns, it is well to study care- 

 fully how closely the conditions of early summer may be 

 maintained throughout the year. The dairy cow does her 

 best in the early part of the summer when on a good pasture. 

 The maximum production reached at this season is possibly 

 largely on account of the excellence of the food, but at the 

 same time the animal enjoys a moderate temperature and 

 clean, comfortable surroundings. There is an abundance of 

 fresh air and sunlight, and the cow has perfect freedom of 

 movement. Keep these conditions as near as possible in the 

 barn, and good results will follow. A cow kept in a dark base- 

 ment barn, surrounded by foul air, with her head fast in a 

 rigid stanchion and her body more or less filthy, is as far from 

 summer conditions as is her milk production below that of 

 early summer. 



Types of Barns. There are a variety of barns, but they 

 may be divided into a few rather distinct types, while many 

 are intermediate. 



