ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 51 



as they will eat up clean, and I watch every cow, if she 

 licks her manger a little too hard, then I give her a little 

 more, increase her ration until I see she has all she wants. 

 My general rule is to give them half grain and half roughage 

 in weight. 



Mr. Larkin: I have been reading some of your articles 

 and I am told that a ration consists of so much corn fodder 

 or stover, etc. How is a man to know about the quantity? I 

 can't weigh it, and so I allow the cow to weigh it herself. 



Prof. Haecker: Yes, that is right; but I would never 

 leave the roughage before her. I would teach her to eat her 

 breakfast and quit when she gets through. 



Mr. Johnson: Allowing one-third for exaggeration, 

 which in the case of the Experiment Stations, men ought to 

 be allowed, and for all their facilities for taking care of the 

 cows, gauging the proper rations, etc., the Professor's talk 

 so far is worth the whole cost of this show, and if we, as 

 dairymen, will take it home and consider it, and find out 

 how much we are losing by not getting the right kind of cows, 

 and by not studying and knowing what is the proper ration 

 and the proper way to feed it, it will be worth a great deal 

 of money to us. 



Mr. Judd : Please give us your reasons for favoring milk- 

 ing while the cattle are eating? 



Prof. Haecker: Because it is the most convenient way. 



Mr. Judd : I have had a good deal of experience along 

 that line and I do not like that. If I feed my cows first and 

 then go to milking, as everybody knows, the cow is looking 

 and reaching after a little more and the first thing we know 

 she steps on the hired man's foot and very likely he will uj) 

 and hit her with the stool. I think the cow will not give 

 down her milk until she gets through eating. I feed either 

 after I am through milking or long enough before so she will 

 satisfy herself before we begin to milk. 



Prof. Haecker: Your plan is right enough; it is just a 

 matter of convenience. 



Mr. Cooledge: Do you find you can feed fat into milk? 



Prof. Haecker: No, sir; Holstein milk is always Hol- 

 stein milk, no matter how rich food you may give. Of course 



