308 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



is that the cows will slip and injure themselves. This may 

 be largely eliminated by lowering the passageway behind, 

 making this side of the gutter only 6 inches deep. 



Mangers. There are numerous types of mangers. From 

 a sanitary standpoint cement is the best material for con- 

 struction. All corners should be rounded to facilitate clean- 

 ing. The most common type is the continuous manger, which 

 is built in the form of a long trough before the cows. Some 

 objections are raised to this construction, on account of the 

 chance it affords for one cow to rob another of her feed. In 

 case of contagious diseases like tuberculosis, there is also much 

 more danger of communication from one animal to another in 

 such a manger. Partitions of sheet iron are sometimes used. 

 The special advantage of the continuous manger is the ease of 

 cleaning by sweeping out refuse feed. It may also be used 

 as a means of watering the cows in the barn with advantage. 



Fig. 54 shows some of the best types of cement mangers. 

 The width should be not less than 2 feet, and preferably 

 2 feet 6 inches. The bottom of the manger should be 1 

 or 2 inches higher than the platform where the cows stand. 

 The partition next to the platform on which the cows stand 

 should be 6 or 8 inches above the level of the bottom of the 

 manger. 



The comfort of the cows and the success in keeping them 

 clean depends largely upon the construction of the platform. 

 It is highly important that it be of proper length and of suitable 

 material. 



The construction to be recommended most highly is of 

 cement covered with a wooden platform. A cement plat- 

 form should have a depression one inch deep and 14 inches 

 wide next to the tie. The surface of this depression should 



