122 



When the heifer comes into milk her natural 

 instinct is to yield her milk only to her calf. Her edu- 

 cation at that time consists in teaching her to yield her 

 milk to the herdsman. The main principle to guide 

 the herdsman in training the young cow to be milked 

 is that the relationship which should exist between 

 the cow and the milker ought to be similar to the 

 relationship that exists between the cow and the calf. 

 The milker should transpose to himself the affections 

 or feelings that the cow naturally has for her calf. 



Fear, pain and unnatural excitement should be 

 avoided. The calf never intimidates nor causes fear, 

 neither should the milker. The cow does not yield 

 her milk to the calf during times of excitement and 

 she will not at such times yield her milk to the milker. 

 The calf naturally draws the milk painlessly, and so 

 should the milker. By observing this principle the 

 herdsman can most always wean the calf from the cow 

 without in the least suppressing any of the cow's 

 maternal instinct and at the same time transfer these 

 instincts in their full vigor to himself. When success- 

 ful, the cow will bestow on him many of the manifes- 

 tations of affection that she would bestow on her calf. 



By gaining these affections and by bestowing on her 

 the other essentials of good care and feed the herds- 

 man will develop to their fullest extent those qualities 

 most essential in a good milch cow. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. "Gurler : Do you think it necessary that a 

 calf should have new milk until it is four weeks old? 



Mr. Allen: I have had the best results by follow- 

 ing that practice. By that time they can digest corn 

 and hay. 



