PREONANCT AND WHAT FOLLOWS. 417 



tion from cows which have had calves, than of heifers with their 

 first yeaning. We have had several instances in both, and for 

 several days before calving, were obliged to daily draw their 

 teats of some quarts of milk, as the only way to prevent the 

 difficulty. This should always be resorted to, when the milk 

 will flow, before other efforts are made. 



Some people have an idea that no milk should be drawn from 

 the udder, until the cow is delivered of her calf, as it would be 

 injurious to both. That is not so. We have repeatedly done it, 

 much to the relief of the cow, and no injury, that we could dis- 

 cover, to the calf It sometimes happens that the udder becomes 

 swelled, and hard, when no milk can be drawn from it. In such 

 cases it should be washed, and anointed, to soothe the pain, and 

 bring down the soreness and swelling. A washing of salt and 

 water, weak soap suds, or bathing in water alone is good. An 

 ointment of camphor, mixed with cream, hog's lard, or fresh 

 butter, may be used, well rubbed in by hand all over the udder 

 and teats. These failing, a sack, or woolen cloth — part of an 

 old blanket or carpet — may be made large en9ugh to enclose the 

 udder and forward along the belly, and hijgur up into the twist, 

 secured by strapping it over her back. This sack should then 

 be kept throughly saturated with mildly warm water, which may 

 quite relieve her difficulty — when the washes and ointments fail. 

 The period which has passed since receiving the bull, is not a 

 sure test of the time she i^ay bring forth, as it may be some- 

 what earlier or later than the average of two hundred and 

 eighty -four days, which has been noted as the common duration 

 of pregnancy. Therefore a close observation is necessary. A 

 few days immediately preceding parturition, if all is right with 

 her, the udder grows rapidly with its secretions of milk, the 

 belly drops and becomes narrower; forty-eight to twenty -four 

 hours previous to the birth, the "calving bones" fall, (every 

 cow keeper knows what this means,) and the uneasiness of the 

 18* 



