COW-PASTUKES AND COW-PATHS 59 



pasture brushed with light and shadow, as the 

 fleecy clouds drift across the sky. With July the 

 grass becomes less abundant and palatable, and 

 then begins the plague of cattle flies and lesser 

 insect pests which sometimes make August a 

 month of almost maddening torment and seriously 

 diminish the milk-flow. With the coming of the 

 flrst sharp frosts the insects largely disappear, 

 although they seem particularly savage in their 

 attacks when aroused during the heat of some of 

 those wonderful belated summer days that fall in 

 early autumn. 



It often happens that the aftermath may be 

 grazed in September and early October with most 

 excellent results so far as the cow is concerned, 

 although the practice is bad from the standpoint of 

 maintaining productive meadows. Most of us who 

 are cow-keepers, however, succumb to the tempta- 

 tion to follow this easy practice. Some years 

 when we have a warm moist fall, we may lightly 

 graze the winter wheat or rye with little apparent 

 injury to the crop. This lush deliciousi forage is 

 unsurpassed, — possibly unequalled among all feeds. 

 It will never fail to stimulate the milk-flow in the 

 most astonishing way. However, as October draws 

 on, the grass becomes short and frosted and less 

 nutritious and the wise dairyman will usually be 

 content to have his cows almost on full winter 

 rations by the middle of that most glorious month. 



Doubtless it is true that pasture will be an ever 



