WATER FOE COWS. 355 



cow to require her to drink large quantities of ice-cold 

 water, and warm this in her stomach, producing a chill of 

 the whole system. Such a method of watering must be 

 unsuccessful in winter dairying, for this cold water retards 

 digestion, when given in large quantity. It can only safely 

 be given in one or two gallons at a time, and this would 

 entail more expense than furnishing water at a temperature 

 of 60 degrees. When cows are kept in a warm stable, and 

 water can be brought to the stable from a spring, in pipes 

 laid below frost, it may be run into a trough within reach 

 of the cows, the surplus running off; or water may be 

 furnished from a large reservoir, which will stand con- 

 stantly at about 60 degrees. There are many ways in 

 which water at moderate temperature may be furnished to 

 cows in winter. 



PASTURING DAIRY Cows. 



As this is the almost universal method of keeping dairy 

 cows in summer, it becomes important to discuss the most 

 economical use of pasturage. Our readers will hardly be at 

 a loss to know what we mean by economy. Economy re- 

 quires the dairyman to get the largest production from 

 each acre of his pasture, and this can be done by keeping 

 only so many cows as his pastures will yield full rations to. 

 Overstocking can result only in a lessened production. 



VARIETY OF GRASSES. 



In laying down pastures for dairy cows great care should 

 be exercised in selecting the seed of a large number of 

 grasses. This is important; first, because the land will 

 produce a much larger yield of food from a large number 

 of different grasses which completely occupy the soil, than 

 from two or three that leave spaces unoccupied ; and, sec- 

 ondly, and still more important, because animals require 

 variety in their food, and especially the milch cow, that 



