CHAPTER III. 



THE ART OF FEEDING, 



It must be apparent to every thinking person that all 

 the before-mentioned qualities, even in the highest per- 

 fection, will not ensure an abundant and rich supply of 

 milk unless proper care is taken to furnish the cow 

 with the kind of food best calculated to the required 

 purpose. How often is it found that complaint is made 

 by one person that such a cow is a bad milker, when 

 the same animal, transferred to other hands, has given 

 every satisfaction ! This is easily explained by the fact 

 that in the first case the cow has been kept on foul 

 pasture or on improper food. It becomes, therefore, 

 peculiarly necessary to set forth the manner of feeding 

 which experience has proved to be the most advantage- 

 ous for the production of rich and sweet milk. 



The first requisite in feeding is, that the animal should 

 have abundance of food, so as to be able to consume 

 all that she requires in as short a time as possible, as 

 then she will lie down and have the more time to secrete 

 her milk, and that milk to acquire richness. The pas- 

 ture should be often changed, and if not in pasture the 

 food should be succulent, otherwise fat instead of milk 



will be produced ; but cows fed with food of too watery 

 104. 



