ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 1 87 



draining and grading will do much to remedy the evil. In most cases it 

 would take but a small amount of labor with plow and scraper, when th$ 

 ground is in suitable condition to handle, to give the surface of the yard a 

 slope from the barn sufficient to carry off the surface water. Even if dirt 

 has to be hauled in from outside the yard to accomplish this it will not be 

 expensive. The drainage alone under a yard is not sufficient, as the 

 tramping of the cattle soon puddles the surface, preventing the water from 

 passing down to the tile. 



After the grading is done the yard should be covered with gravel or 

 cinders. By putting the coarser in the bottom and the finer on top a good 

 hard yard can be obtained and at a comparatively small expense where 

 material of this kind is available. If this cannot all be done in one year, 

 it is of the utmost importance that a beginning be made by grading and 

 graveling a portion of the yard next the barn, so that the cows may have 

 some place on which to get out of the mud and filth. By grading a part 

 of the yard each year and applying a thick coat of gravel or cinders to the 

 graded part, the entire yard will, in a few years, be in good condition. 

 AVhen gravel does not contain enough clay to pack hard, a small amount of 

 clay should be mixed with the top layer. It will then form a firm surface. 



A portion of the yard should be bedded, thus affording the cows a 

 place to lie in the open air on pleasant days. If straw is scarce the 

 cleanest of the soiled bedding from the stable will answer for this pur- 

 pose. When the straw and manure on this bedded portion of the yard 

 becomes too deep and soft it should be hauled into the field and the bed- 

 ding commenced again on the solid ground. 



It is advisable to haul the manure directly to the field from the barn, 

 but if this is not feasible it should be removed at least 100 feet from the 

 barn. In no case should it be allowed to accumulate against or near the 

 dairy barn and no swine pen should be nearer than 200 feet on account of 

 the odors being readily absorbed by milk. 



Cleanliness in Milking. 



To determine definitely the amount of filth that gets into milk during 

 the process of milking and how much this can be lessened by washing 

 the udders the following work was done: 



