THE DAIRY HERD 77 



is wanted in the breeding pen he is similarly led along 

 the other side of the yard. Water and feed can be 

 supplied from the outside. 



It is evident that a yard of this kind guarantees abso- 

 lute safety, provides good exercise for the bull, which 

 at the same time furnishes the power to pump water, 

 separate the milk, and do other useful things. 



An important matter in the management of a bull 

 is to prevent excessive service. A bull should be over 

 one year old before he is allowed to serve and the services 

 the first season should be limited to 10 or 15, depending 

 upon the strength and vigor of the bull. The second 

 season he may serve 25 cows. And while some bulls 

 have apparently successfully served as many as 40 or 

 more cows in a season, it will be found good policy, 

 as a rule, to restrict the number of services as much as 

 possible, especially if the usefulness of the bull is to be 

 preserved for a long time. 



Breeding Rack. When heifers or small cows are bred 

 to heavy bulls, a breeding rack should be used. This 

 may be constructed as follows : Place two posts in the 

 ground 3^ feet high and about 1^/2 feet apart. In a line 

 parallel with these posts and 8 or 9 feet away, place two 

 more posts ,i l / 2 feet high and 20 to 22 inches apart. 

 Connect the short and long posts with 2x12 inch planks, 

 leaving a space of 18 inches wide between the planks at 

 the higher end, and 20 to 22 inches wide at the lower end, 

 which serves as the entrance. This space will fit most 

 cows, but it is desirable to have the planks adjustable so 

 that the space between may be increased or decreased 

 according to the size of the cows. The arrangement as 

 described permits the bull's front feet to rest on the 

 planks during service. The planks should be pfovidecl 



