FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 115 



not lie in cramped quarters or positions, the cows keep 

 cleaner than when confined to stalls, and the barn can be 

 kept better ventilated since the cows can move about and 

 will not suffer so much from a lower temperature. The sum 

 of it all is much more ease, comfort, and satisfaction to the 

 cows, all of which tend directly to better production. Run- 

 ning cows loose does require a little more floor space and 

 also more bedding. There should be from eighty to a hun- 

 dred square feet of floor space per cow including the man- 

 ager, depending upon the size of the cow. It was necessary 

 in this case to buy straw as very little bedding was produced 

 on this area. 



Health, Vigor, and Comfort. 



Where sufficient bedding is available cows keep cleaner and are 

 more comfortable when allowed to run loose in the barn. When 

 housed in this manner cows are more healthy and vigorous, have 

 more vitality, and better appetites, and work at higher efficiency 

 than in poorly ventilated barns. 



That cows are fond of fresh air was shown by the disposition of 

 the herd to lie on the side of the barn where the fresh air was en- 

 tering, even in the coldest weather. 



Kindness and comfort are the cheapest essentials on the dairy 

 farm, paying as high a rate of interest as any other factor. When a 

 cow working at high efficiency is disturbed in any way there is a 

 decided shrinkage in her milk, and this shrinkage comes out of her 

 profit. 



When fed twice a day the cows rested for longer periods than 

 when fed three times. This extra rest seemed an important factor 

 in the increased milk secretion. 



But there would be plenty of straw available on an or- 

 dinary dairy farm. Where sufficient bedding is available 

 cows keep decidedly cleaner when running loose than when 

 confined to stalls. 



While feeding and being milked, the cows were placed 

 in rigid stanchions about one and one-half hours night and 

 morning. The practice of keeping cows both night and day 

 in such stanchions is strongly condemned, but rigid stan- 

 chions are both economical and convenient for confining the 

 animals during the short time for milking and feeding. 



One vital factor of success in caring for the cows was 

 the abundant supply of fresh air furnished. The ventilating 



