THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



October, l9l3 



Care of Dairy Cattle. 



Well-bred dairy cows are, as a 

 rule, of a more or less nervous 

 temperament, and therefore they 

 are very susceptible to any rough 

 treatment, and are easily apset 

 when frightened. The nervous sys- 

 tem and the milk-secreting func- 

 tions in a cow being closely con- 

 nected w-ith one another the milk 

 yield is most liable to be ad- 

 verseh^ affected when the cow is 

 frightened or excited. In the in- 

 terests of milk production, there- 

 fore, if for no other reason, dairy 

 cows should always be treated 

 with great gentleness, and thev 

 must never be frightened or 

 hustled in any way. 



Complete comfort and content- 

 ment ■of the cow are essential if 

 she is to give a maximum yield of 

 mUk (says an English exchange), 

 and care should, therefore, be taken 

 to promote these are much as pos- 

 sible. Anything which tends to 

 disturb dairy cows or to ruffle 

 their jilacidity has an adverse ef- 

 fect upon milk-secretion, and must 

 for this reason be avoided. Thus 

 it is of importance that regularity 

 and punctuality in milking and 

 feeding should be observed, as the 

 cows are upset and rendered rest- 

 less if they are not milked at the 

 accustomed time, or are kept wait- 

 ing for their food beyond the usual 

 hour. After feeding, and when 

 the cows are lying down chewing 

 their cud, they should not be dis- 

 turbed in any way. 



In driving the dairy herd to or 

 from the pasturage the cows 

 should be taken along at a very 



leisurely pace, and they ought not 

 to be hustled. There is room for 

 much improvement in regard to 

 tlii.s matter on many dairy farms, 

 and a little supervision may with 

 advantage bt bestowed occasional- 

 ly on the taking out or fetching 

 of the herd . It is most objection- 

 able for cows to be chased about 

 in any way. 



During the summer it is most 

 desirable that the cows should have 

 plenty of shade on the ])astures, 

 this'Tjeing essential to their com- 

 fort. Want of shade is a sor.irce of 

 great discomfort to grazing cattle, 

 and exposure to a hot summer sun 

 is not crood for them. On pastures 

 on which there are no well-grown 

 hedges or trees to afford the neces- 

 sary shade some rough shelter 

 against the sun ought to be pro- 

 vided. 



4 



Care of the Hand Ssparator. 



Without the hand-power cream 

 separator, dairying in many parts 

 of the country would be impossi- 

 sible. The principle upon which 

 they do their work is practically 

 the same in each case, but there is 

 a difference in their efficiency and 

 durability. If the dairy farmer 

 has a preference for a certain 

 make of machine, and is satisfied 

 that it is durable, and will do 

 'rood work, that is the separator 

 for him to buy ; but the man 

 who has no preference, who simply 

 wants a good machine, should not 

 accept one that has not been tho- 

 rousrhlv tested. If tlie separator 

 is put in and operated, capacity 



tested, and the skim milk tested 

 for butter fat by the agent or 

 salesman, be sure the machine is 

 not turned fasten than the num.ber 

 of revolutions indicated on the 

 handle, or stated in the book of 

 instructions. There are machines 

 that will not do close skimming 

 at regulation speed, bit will do 

 very efficient work at a greatly- 

 increased speed, and this ' rtieans 

 greater wearing of running parts, 

 and more work for the operator! 



Some very practical instructions 

 for the care and handling of the 

 hand separator are given in circu- 

 lar 131 issued by the University of 

 Illinois agricultural experiment 

 station, from which we quote the 

 following :— "Set the machine per- 

 fectly level on a solid floor ; be 

 sure that no dirt or grit, has found 

 its way into the gearing; clean all 

 parts thoroughly before using ; all 

 parts that come in contact with 

 the milk should be thoroughly 

 scalded ; oil the separator each 

 time it seems advisable tho- 

 grade of separator oil ; once a 

 month remove all gearing guards, 

 and examine to see if eyerything 

 is working properly. If at this 

 time it seems advisable. Tho- 

 roughly clean all bearings and 

 gearing parts. Kerosene applied, 

 wiped off, and replaced by oil, 

 will materially lengthen the life of 

 the separator. If hy accident 

 some milk should get into any por- 

 tion of the separator works, clean 

 it out, as it will soon clog the 

 gfearings, and give an offensive 

 odour to the room. Look occa- 

 sionalh- to see if the machine is 

 standing level. Do not think 

 that the separator is a difficult 

 piece of machinery to handle, and 

 that it is hard to take cane of. 

 Follow the directions given in the 

 book of instructions pertaining to 

 your make of machine. Clean the 

 separator each time after using, 

 as once a day is not sufficient, and 

 this is best done immediately after 

 it has been used. Take it apart, 

 rinse well with cold water, and 

 then wash all i)arts of the bowl 

 and tinware in warm water, using 

 brushes that belong to the separa- 

 tor. Never use a dish cloth, or 

 soap of any kind ; but rather 

 small quantities of sal-soda ' or 

 washing iiowder free from grease. 

 After all parts are thoroughly 

 washed, rinse in boiling water, 

 and place in the sun. B'ven the 

 brushes used in washing should be 

 scalded and placed in the sun. 

 During the night, leave all parts 

 in the supply can without putting 

 together. It is best to skim the 

 milk immediate!)^ after milking, or 



BAGOT, SHAKES, 6? LEWIS, Ltd. 



Stock and Station Ag-ents, Wool Brokers, Live Stock Salesmen 

 and Licensed Land Brokers. 



Managing Directors- G«org» W. Bagot, John Lewi*. 

 Wool Managers— G«org« Dowling. G«org« Jeff«ry. 



Land Manager— Alfred C. Catt. 

 Inspector of Branche*— James Wilkinaon. 



Sal«« of fat and store stock, land, and farm clearing sales conducted in 

 any part of the State. 



All station and farm requisites supplied ; large eeiateB di«po«d of for 

 Closer Serttlement ; advice given aa to best means of reali»ation ; plan* pre- 

 pared. Valuations made in all parte of South Au»tral»a. An efficient 

 »taff dealing with city and suburban properties. 



Sellers of house and land property in city, suburbs, and country are 

 p«iuewt«f to send us particulars. Our large connection (ov«r 20 country 

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 to dispose of thssn. 



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