242 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



From stable to pastures. — That the grazing shall be 

 reasonably abundant before turning the cows into it 

 will be apparent. Even with store cattle, it would not 

 be prudent to begin grazing when grass is so lacking 

 in growth that excessive exertion by them to sustain 

 vigor would be called for. Much more would it be a 

 mistake to allow cows in milk to thus expend energy 

 that should be used in making milk, to say nothing of the 

 injury that would come to the grass, especially on cer- 

 tain soils, from treading when the ground has not be- 

 come sufficiently firm, and from too soon removing the 

 blades through which the plants breathe. The proper 

 time when grazing should begin cannot be determined 

 by any fixed rule. Seasons sometimes vary fully three 

 to four weeks in earliness or lateness, and the pastures 

 are correspondingly affected. The time is to be fixed 

 rather by the condition of growth in the grass. The 

 wisdom of turning cows onto grass before it is higher 

 than one's shoetops is questionable, unless when done 

 under the constraint of short fodder supplies. AVinter 

 rye may be considered an exception to the above when 

 the supply is relatively large, as unless kept grazed 

 down reasonably close, it soon forms heads and becomes 

 of little value for grazing with cows. 



It is specially important with cows in milk that 

 the change shall be gradually made, as with them any 

 check in the flow of milk affects future production ad- 

 versely. But, it may be asked, does not fresh grass tend 

 to increase the flow of milk? Under normal conditions 

 it does, but when the change from stable to pasture is 

 suddenly made, it produces a lax condition in the diges- 

 tion, which, in some instances, is so pronounced that 

 it almost amounts to purging. When thus affected the 

 coAv=; will soon lose flesh, even though thev should 

 ad\ance somewhat in milk-giving, and this means loss 

 in milk production sometime in the future. The stables 



