162 DAIRY HERD MANAGEMENT 



Two or More Milkings Per Day. — Ordinarily the cow 

 milked twice per day, dividing the twenty-four hours into two 

 approximately equal periods, will give as much as she would 

 if milked three or more times per day. The fact remains, 

 however, that when the udder becomes filled with milk there 

 seems to be a cessation of the activity of the milk secreting 

 glands. Some cows are able to digest and to convert into milk a 

 quantity of feed considerably greater than can be stored in the 

 udder when removed but twice daily. Such cows should be 

 milked three times and most abundant milkers four times per 

 day, dividing the twenty-four hours into eight or six hour 

 periods, as the case may be. This naturally involves more 

 labor, but if a large yield is sought, such care will be found 

 necessary. The phenomenal records recently made by the lead- 

 ing cows of all the various breeds were produced upon the system' 

 of three or four milkings per day. 



Period of Greatest Yield. — As a rule cows give the most 

 milk per day between the eighteenth and the twenty-eighth day 

 after . calving. The most fat is usually produced during the 

 second week and the most milk during the third week. This 

 then would be the time for expecting advanced registry records 

 to be made if any were possible. 



Breeding. — Following a normal calving, a cow should not 

 be bred for about three months, unless it is desired to turn the 

 time of calving to an earlier date ; but following an abortion the 

 cow should be bred as early as conditions will permit. That is 

 as soon as all discharges have ceased and all organs are clean and 

 healthy again. The disease which causes abortion also induces 

 sterility, consequently, considerable time may elapse before con- 

 ception will take place. It is wise, therefore, to start early in 

 order that the cow may not lose any more time than necessary. 



The first year's record of a young cow, according to Eckles, 

 may be used as a guide as to her ability to perform in later life, 

 providing, of course, she is not too young when beginning work 

 and has been adequately fed and housed. A dairy breed heifer 

 fi'eshening at twenty-four to twenty-eight months of age should 

 produce during the coming year about 70 per cent of the 



