78 DAIRY FARMING 



with cleats and must be strongly supported at the middle. 

 An adjustable stanchion is used to hold the cow in posi- 

 tion. 



Age to Breed Heifers. Heifers should be bred to 

 drop their calves when about two years old. In cases 

 where there is a particular lack of development in growth 

 and general vigor, it .would doubtless be a distinct 

 advantage to have heifers drop their calves at 26, 28 or 

 even 30 months of age. 



Early breeding has the effect of stunting the growth 

 of the animal, and thus making maximum development 

 impossible. The heifer that is bred at one year of age 

 is obliged to turn a portion of the feed that is naturally 

 intended for her own development to that of the foetus. 

 After the calf is dropped a still larger portion of the feed 

 intended for her own development is utilized for the 

 production of milk. 



While the stunting effect from early breeding has its 

 drawback, there is also danger in delaying the breeding 

 too long. It is doubtless correctly maintained that early 

 breeding has the advantage of early stimulating the milk 

 giving function of the animal, and that heifers that drop 

 their calves at, say three years old, are apt to develop a 

 beefy tendency at the expense of the dairy tendency. 



It is evident that this matter calls for a great deal of 

 judgment. If a heifer leans toward the beefy tendency, 

 doubtless it is policy to breed her rather young. If, 

 on the other hand, there is a complete absence of a beefy 

 tendency and an indication of a slow development and 

 delicacy, no one would question the wisdom of breeding 

 such an animal relatively late. 



Record Date of Service and Calving. This is import- 

 ant for three reasons : ( i ) it enables one to confine cows 



