ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 179 



her food, and the cow of whatever breed that has this 

 faculty best gives best returns for her care and feed. 



You can learn by observation something of the 

 points that go to prove if the cow you own is that sort 

 or not. This may not seem important, bat you must 

 remember the cow is a machine for transforming the 

 feed of the farm into the complex article we call milk; 

 and the machine that does this work at least cost is 

 most profitable. 



Having the machine it is necessary to provide the 

 fuel and other accessories to run it to its fullest capac- 

 ity. This is also a little thing. 



The professors at our experiment stations have been " 

 working on. this problem for years and found that a 

 ration can be so mixed that sustenance can be had 

 without loss, and the balance go to milk production. 



Balanced rations give milk if put through the right 

 sort of machine, at least cost. This is a little thing, 

 but on this depends greatly the success of your dairy. 



The care of the machine. I have seen in this great, 

 broad, fertile West, expensive machines left to rust and 

 rot in the sunshine and storm, simply from lack of care. 

 So of ther cows: proper care is a little thing, yet it 

 makes the machine not only lasting but profitable. 

 How to best care for a cow would require the whole of 

 this session. A few things only can be said. Treat 

 the cow with kindness, give her a good warm shelter, 

 a good comfortable bed, plenty of pure water to drink. 

 Milk is about 85 per cent, water at the best, and we 

 should see that the machine has plenty of that element 

 if we want large quantities of milk. A little thing to 

 remember is, that the cow is an organized living 

 machine, has heart, blood, lungs, and above all, nerves; 

 can be hurt both physically and nervously. Quiet con- 



