ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION'. 225 



Mr. Cobb: — I never force a cow dry. It I have a cow that 

 will give me milk right up to freshening I let her do it. I have 

 a cousin in Wisconsin that has been a dairyman for forty-five 

 years there. He was down at my place two years ago, and at 

 night he saw one of my cows milked. She gave eight pounds 

 of milk — and the next morning she had a calf. I milk a cow 

 just as long as she will give milk. And whenever I have under- 

 taken to force a cow dry from any cause, I have had a great 

 deal of trouble in keeping their udders in good condition. 



A Delegate : — Will she give as good a flow of milk after 

 having that calf as before? 



Mr. Cobb : — Not for the first thirty days. But for the 

 year's work I find that the results are as good in one case as the 

 other. But for the first thirty days she will not do so well. If 

 I was going to make a special test of a cow for sixty days, or 

 ninety days, then I would desire to force that cow dry, perhaps 

 two months. But for the working herd, the herd that we are 

 feeding and keeping for profit, I find my method best. I am 

 speaking of dairy cows we keep for profit on products. 



Mr. Glover : — Don't you find that sometimes, if you let your 

 cows milk the year round, that their milk gets strong? 



Mr. Cobb : — We do have that, and in the last two or three 

 \veeks the milk is not used to make butter or cream. We use 

 it in connection -with some of our other feeding work. 



A Delegate : — How many pounds of milk do you get out of 

 these cows? 



Mr. Cobb: — The last month's record of my herd was 20 J4 

 pounds per cow, for thirty-five head, and the test was 5.5. 1 

 sold my herd last February — a year ago this month. But that 

 was the last month's record of our cows. 



A Delegate: — How many pounds for the entire year, gen- 

 erally ? 



Mr. Cobb : — They run from 5,000 up to 9,500 pounds. 



A Delegate: — What percentage milk? 



