220 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



Manure or litter should not be' allowed to remain on the 

 cows, and for this reason grooming should be a part of the 

 regular dairy work. Grooming not only adds to the ap- 

 pearance of cows by keeping them clean and improving the 

 condition of their coats, but also makes possible the produc- 

 tion of cleaner milk. Washing and carding the tails oc- 

 casionally adds much to the appearance of the herd. 



Bedding 



Bedding is used for three reasons: (1) To provide a 

 comfortable bed, (2) to keep the cow clean, and (3) to 

 absorb the liquid manure. The common bedding materials 

 are wheat straw, oat straw, corn stover, shavings, and saw- 

 dust. The desirable qualities of a bedding material are bulk- 

 iness, large water-holding capacity, high content of fertiliz- 

 ing constituents, and freedom from dust which would con- 

 taminate the milk. As regards bulkiness, the straws and 

 shredded corn stover are superior to shavings or saw- 

 dust. Experiments at the Illinois station show that 40 per 

 cent more shavings than oat straw are required to keep the 

 animals bedded. 



The water-holding capacity of various materials was 

 determined at the Illinois station and verified by work at 

 the Beltsville station. With dry materials they rank as 

 follows: Shredded or cut corn stover, straw, with little 

 choice between shavings and sawdust for last place. 



The fertilizing value is greatest with the corn stover. 

 This is followed by oat straw and wheat straw in the order 

 named. Sawdust and shavings have only a slight fertilizing 

 value. 



Shavings are superior to other forms of bedding as re- 

 gards cleanliness and for this reason are much used in dair- 

 ies where very clean milk is produced. In daries where 

 this extra sanitation is not a matter of great importance, it 

 appears that pound for pound shredded stover or straw is 

 worth at least 50 per cent more than sawdust or shavings. 

 Records at the Beltsville station show that when wheat 

 straw is used as the bedding material, about 4 pounds per 

 cow per day will be used by cows< confined in stanchions. 



