24(1 Cattle Problems. 



quiring /line for rest, and recovery of their weakened con- 

 tractility. 



Many farrow cows yield more than an average quantity 

 of milk, and half of them probably are owned by persons 

 keeping only a few cows. In such cases the best yielders be- 

 come pets, and are frequently treated as such, by extra or 

 special feeding, chiefly with bran slop, or scalded corn- 

 meal pudding, etc. The rapid increase of blood from too 

 large supplies of such feed, probably engorges and relaxes 

 the udder-supply arteries in such cows, that are already 

 yielding largely, their arteries being already distended up 

 to the full limits they can bear without relaxation. In this 

 condition only a slight increase of feed and blood may 

 relax the artery walls in degrees that will require one or 

 two years' rest, to give time for the relaxation to disappear, 

 by the recovery of lost degrees of contractility in the ar- 

 tery-wall tunics. In such cases blood and artery size are 

 perhaps slightly increased, together with yield. 



The artery walls, during the intermitted season, have 

 time to thicken by nutrition ; and by thickening, regain 

 sufficient contractility to enable the cows to breed the 

 second or third season, by contracting their udder-supply 

 arteries so far as to divert enough blood, and blood heat, 

 to the ovarian region to bring on the natural coupling heat, 

 or oestrum, which leads to impregnation, from pairing. 



In most farrow cow cases, however, the large yield, be- 

 ing resumed at the next calving time, is continued or in- 

 creased, the relaxed condition being soon again reached 

 by the increased pressure of increased bulk of blood, to 

 form yield, so that but few farrow cows ever again become 

 regular or permanent breeders after one intermission ; 

 many of their number permanently failing to breed after 

 one, or perhaps two, successes in alternate seasons. 



If it is particularly desirable to have a farrow cow breed 

 again, the only way is to dry her up, so that the udder- 



