ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 97 



by one man, in a portion by themselves. By dividing a large 

 herd into sections there is also the advantage of keeping the boss 

 and stronger cows separated from the more timid or weaker ones. 



The manure is removed and applied to the land with the 

 manure spreader when convenient and when the land is in suitable 

 condition to receive it. 



On farm No. 11 a space in the barn 35x52 feet is devoted to 

 the cows. A manger running lengthwise extends to within eight 

 feet of the wall at each end. These spaces between the manger 

 and the wall are closed by gates. At milking time all of the cows 

 are driven to the side of the manger on which the water tank is 

 situated, and the gates are closed. The door of the milking room 

 is then opened and the boss cows are always ready to enter, Near 

 the end of this room are three stalls in which the milking is done, 

 and it is surprising to note how quickly each cow learns in which 

 stall she is to be milked and the order in which her turn comes 

 so that the three milkers have little difficulty in always milking 

 the same cowws and in the same order. When the milkers are 

 ready the gates at the rear of the stalls are opened, one cow enters 

 each stall and the gates are closed. The cows eat their grain 

 while being milked and pass out through the gates at the front 

 of the stalls into the other side of the shed. As the manger and 

 gates divide the shed, the cows that have been milked are forced 

 to remain on one side and cannot come to the milking stalls a 

 second time. 



All grain is fed in the milking stalls and the roughage from 

 the large manger in the center of the shed. This manger is 

 raised as fast as the manure accumulates so that it is always a 

 convenient height for the cows. In this herd of 33 cows not a 

 soiled cow was to be seen. 



The plan of allowing dairy cows to run loose in a shed, 

 looked so reasonable,, and those dairymen who had tried it 

 reported so favorably concerning the results obtained, that it was 

 decided to put the method into actual operation with a portion of 

 the university dairy herd in the fall of 1903. Accordingly a shed 



