116 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



liues were the hay and silage chutes, extending to the cu- 

 pola of the barn, which were fifty feet high with a combined 

 cross section area of sixteen square feet. Flues of this 

 height and size create a good draft. 



The seventeen windows, two feet six inches by four feet 

 ten inches, and a large double door were also used to admit 

 air, some of the windows being left open at all times ex- 

 cepting on extremely cold, windy days, and even then a few 

 of them were left open an inch or two, the cows being given 

 the most ventilation possible without allowing them to suf- 

 fer from the cold. That cows are fond of fresh air was 

 shown by the disposition of this herd to lie on the side of 

 the barn where the fresh air was entering, even in the cold- 

 est weather. 



When the weather was at all suitable the cows were 

 allowed the freedom of the open air in a sheltered yard. 

 When the yard was muddy, they were confined to the barn 

 by means of a slatted gate which still gave them almost 

 outdoor conditions. 



A Great Advantage Commonly Lost. 



Cows kept in this manner are more healthy and vigor- 

 ous, have more vitality, better appetites, and work at a 

 higher efficiency than when confined to a poorly ventilated 

 barn as is the case with most dairy cows throughout the 

 state. This method of keeping cows is in striking contrast 

 with many dairy farms where cows are still kept in rigid 

 stanchions nearly twenty-four hours per day and cramped 

 on a small platform of cement with scanty bedding and with 

 little or no ventilation which reduces their vitality. Of 

 course, it would be unwise to commence keeping cows in 

 this manner in the middle of the winter if they had been 

 closely housed up to that time, but by commencing in the 

 autumn, thicker coats are grown and greater resistance de- 

 veloped as the cows become accustomed to a lower temper- 

 ature. 



Sure Response of the Cows. 



There is no question that such freedom and comfort of 

 the cows and such means of a higher vitality constitute a 



