"0 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



in caring for a herd of dairy cattle that they be properly 

 mineralized. 



It has been found that an animal giving fifteen or 

 twenty pounds of milk or over could not consume from or- 

 dinary feed the quantity of minerals given off in their prod- 

 uct. The Carnation farmers had a big lot of cows on test. 

 In examination of one of these animals, they found that 

 animal had practically taken all the calcium of its entire 

 skeleton in order that it could produce. As a result, they 

 began feeding them minerals and, within two or three 

 months, these animals were again built up. 



Take a bottle of milk — it contains more lime than a 

 saturated solution of water and lime can possibly be made. 

 In other words, milk is a high mineral food and that is one 

 reason why it is such a valuable food for children. 



Now, in handling your dairy herds, you can build 

 ever so beautiful a barn, supply ever so fine ventilation, you 

 can put all the windows in you want, but your dairy cows 

 if they are going to produce as they should must have sun- 

 light, not an exposure of a long time, but whenever it is 

 possible. Build a protective yard so that your cows can go 

 out for a short time and you will find they will ward off the 

 disastrous diseases known to the dairyman. 



Take contagious abortion. I do not know of anything 

 that ruins a man's prospect in the dairy business more than 

 this malady. I don't want you to understand me that min- 

 erals will cure contagious abortion. But minerals will aid 

 you in maintaining a degree of resistance in your herds that 

 will go a long way and to such an extent that some men 

 claim that minerals will actually cure abortion. 



I know it is said by many that you can increase the but- 

 ter fat content of milk by feeding. A cow is either a 3V2> 

 4 or 41/2 P^i" cent tester or 5, but if you push her too hard, 

 she will slow up just a little and you will find her test run- 

 ning 3.3 per cent when it should be running 3.6. 



I have been watching a number in Lake County run- 

 ning around 2.9 to 3.3 per cent. But put them on a proper 

 mineral diet and you will find how quick they will go up. 



All of these things may sound like so much hokum and 



