310 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
The Family Cow—How to Keep Her. 
[third prize essay.] 
For several years I had been experimenting on a 
small scale in soiling cattle, my area of land, how¬ 
ever, was exceedingly limited, being only a portion 
of the kitchen garden of a city residence, but my 
success was, even in this small way, so satisfactory, 
that I determined at some future day to try it on a 
more extensive scale. My reading and experience 
convinced me, that in our favored southern climate, 
A Half Acre of Laud, 
intelligently cultivated, would produce a supply of 
food amply sufficient to support one cow through¬ 
out the year, and circumstances favoring, I deter¬ 
mined to try the experiment. In April, 1876,1 be¬ 
came owner of a lot 250 feet long by 120 wide in 
the rear of my premises—the greater portion having 
been used as a grass plot for a horse. I immediate¬ 
ly began by fencing off a portion 120 feet by 200, 
running a wagon-way 8 feet wide down the center, 
which, with the space occupied by the stable (say 
20 by 30 feet), left nearly 22,000 feet, or within a 
fraction of half an acre, for actual cultivation. 
The Laud was a Sandy Loam, 
covered with a thick sod of Bermuda and other 
grasses. Tears before it had been cultivated as a 
market garden, but latterly given up to grass; it 
eloped to the south sufficiently to favor good drain¬ 
age. In and around the stable was a goodly lot of 
manure, which, during April, was spread upon the 
land—some 40 cart loads. On the 20th of April, the 
land was thoroughly plowed with a two-horse turn¬ 
ing-plow, and harrowed until finely pulverized. 
On May 1st, I planted one half of this land in 
Our Common Southern Field Corn, 
in drills two feet apart, with the grains about one 
inch apart. The rows were lengthwise, to render 
after cultivation more convenient. On May 4th, 
sugar corn was put in one-lialf of the remainder, 
planting at the same distance as the larger variety. 
May 6th, the remaining fourth was sown heavily 
with German or “Golden ” Millet, in drills 12inches 
apart. Seasonable showers, followed by warm 
sunny days, soon produced a vigorous and rapid 
growth. On May 15t.h, a Thomas’ harrow was run 
over the first planted corn, and six days after over 
the second planting, and over the millet. On May 
30th, the corii was plowed, followed by a good hoe¬ 
ing. A fortnight later, a second and last hoeing was 
given. The millet was also hoed twice, after which 
the growth effectually shaded the ground, and thus 
prevented the growth of weeds.' In the meantime 
I had repaired the stable, and had a large door 
cut into the side next to the original lot. and made 
A Stall for our pet Jersey Cow. 
The floor was made of cypress plank, 3 inches thick, 
and sloped very slightly from the manger. By ac¬ 
tual measurement of the space occupied by the 
cow—giving just room for her hind feet to clear the 
same, a trough, eight inches deep, and fifteen wide, 
was made to receive the urine and droppings. The 
stall was 44 feet wide, the sides coming only half 
the length of the cow, and just her hight. The 
manger extended entirely across the stall, was 12 
inches wide at the bottom, and 18 at the top, and 12 
deep, the bottom being 12 inches above the floor. 
The fastening consisted of a 1-iron rod, passing 
from one side of the stall to the other, along the 
center of the manger, and one inch from it. On 
this rod was a ring, to which was attached a short 
chain that ended in a snap-catch, to attach to a ring 
fastened to the head-stall,—the head-stall being 
made of good, broad leather. Usually, in turning 
the cow out in the morning, the head-stall was un¬ 
buckled and left in the stable ; to fasten again was 
but a moment’s work. By this arrangement the 
cow had full liberty to move her head, without any 
possibility of getting fastened by the halter. The 
bottom of this manger was made of slats, one half 
inch apart, so that no dirt could collect. For feed¬ 
ing wet messes, there was a box made to fit one end 
of the manger, wjiich could be removed to be 
washed without trouble. With plenty of sawdust, 
costing only the hauling, 
Perfect Comfort and Perfect Cleanliness 
were matters of course. Attached to the stable, 
but on my original premises, was a lot 50 by 50 feet, 
where, during pleasant weather, the cow was turned, 
but free to go in and out of her stall at pleasure. 
In this lot was a trough, connected with the pump, 
where a supply of clean and fresh water was always 
kept. Daily this trough was emptied and thor¬ 
oughly cleaned. A cow may eat‘dirty feed occa¬ 
sionally, but see to it that the water she drinks is 
pure. Unless this is attended to, her milk is unfit 
for human food. The manure trough being sup¬ 
plied with sawdust, the urine, as well as the drop¬ 
pings, were saved and removed daily to a covered 
shed located in one corner of the lot, where it was 
kept moist, and worked over occasionally. Our 
Jersey was due with her second calf about the 20th 
of June, but was still giving milk in April and May. 
Her feed from May 1st to the 15th of June, was the 
run of a common pasture, with a mess twice daily 
of wheat bran and corn meal, with hay. On the 
1st of June she was dried up for a brief resting 
spell. On June 15th we began cutting the sugar 
corn, now waist high. This was run through a cut¬ 
ter (making cuts f of an inch), and fed to her three 
times a day, first sprinkling two quarts of wheat 
bran over the corn, and continuing the hay feed 
twice a day. At the same time 
She was taken from the Pasture, 
not to go on again until this experiment was finish¬ 
ed. On the 22d of June her udder was so distend¬ 
ed, it was deemed prudent to relieve it by milking. 
This was done twice a day for three days. Here, at 
the South, there is a foolish prejudice against doing 
this, the belief being strong among the ignorant 
classes that it will cause the death of the coming 
calf. In some instances I have found it necessary 
to relieve the udder daily for a week before calving; 
I never knew any evil to result. On the morning of 
June 25th there was a fine heifer calf beside her. 
As soon as convenient the cow was milked thor¬ 
oughly, and a bucket of water, with one quart each 
of com meal and wheat bran stirred in, and a pinch 
of salt, was given her, and nothing else except water 
for 24 hours. At evening she was again milked to 
the last drop, and the calf left with her during the 
night. Next morning a small feed of three quarts 
of wheat bran, and one quart of corn meal, made 
pretty wet, was given her, and her udder again thor¬ 
oughly emptied. After milking, a small feed of hay 
was given, and a pail of water placed near. The 
calf was separated from her, but within sight. *At 
mid-day the calf was allowed to take her fill, and 
afterwards the udder stripped. At evening, as the 
cow seemed to be free from any indications of fe¬ 
ver, or inflamed bag, she was given a full mess of 
corn meal, wheat bran, cotton-seed meal, and hay. 
Her calf took her supper, and the udder was again 
stripped ; that night the calf was taken from her, 
never to suck again, as fresh milk in a city was too 
valuable to feed to even a registered Jersey. Hav¬ 
ing, in years past, lost several very fine cows from 
Over-feeding; and Under-milking', 
at calving time, I cannot urge too strongly what 
Col. Geo. E. Waring calls “high starvation” at 
this critical period in a cow’s life. If a cow has 
been decently cared for up to the day of calving, 
she needs nothing but rest, quiet, and a light mash, 
—warm in cold weather—for 24 hours, and then but 
light feeding for two or three days. But be sure to 
empty her udder completely at least twice every 24 
hours, and if the cow is a deep milker, then three 
times; with this treatment, the feed can be gradu¬ 
ally increased to all that she will eat up clean. It 
is a veiy easy thing to teach a call to drink milk, 
when one has seen the thing done. Next morning 
this calf was impatient for her mess of warm milk, 
so, after milking her dam, I took a shallow pan, 
aud putting two quarts of milk into it, proceeded 
to give the first lesson in a calf’s life, of doing with¬ 
out a mother. The process is very simple, you 
merely wet the first and second fingers of the left 
hand with milk, and place them in the calf’s mouth, 
to give her a taste of what is in store. Repeat this 
a few times, then gradually draw the pan nearer her 
mouth with your right hand, using your left as 
above. When the calf permits your two fingers to 
enter her mouth, raise the pan so that your left 
hand will be immersed, and the calf, by suction, 
will draw the milk up between the fingers. At mid¬ 
day, another mess of milk, and a second lesson was 
given ; at evening a third. Next morning the pro¬ 
cess was repeated, but in this instance she did not 
need the fingers to guide her to what was good for 
her, she readily accepted the situation, and stuck 
her pretty nose into the warm milk, which rapidly 
disappeared to where it would do the most good. 
But with milk worth ten cents per quart, and cream 
seven times as much, it did not “pay” to use 
six quarts daily of rich Jersey milk in this way, 
so, after a, fortnight’s supply of the raw material, 
The Feed was gradually Changed 
to sweet skim milk for two weeks, and then substi¬ 
tuting hay-tea, the milk ration was cut down to 
two quarts daily. Beginning with a tablespoonful 
of cotton-seed meal, thoroughly mixed with the 
feed, the quantity was increased in ten days to one 
pint daily. At one month old, she was gradually 
taught to eat bran by stirring it in her food. 
The preparation of hay-tea is very simple. Nice 
hay was run through a cutter, and taking an ordi¬ 
nary two-gallon pailful, boiling water was poured 
upon it, then covered and allowed to steep for 10 or 
12 hours. It makes a most excellent food, and 
calves thrive upon it. The most stylish and vigor¬ 
ous calf I ever saw, was raised upon hay-tea, with 
bran and cotton-seed meal as here described. I en¬ 
ter thus fully into the best manner of raising a calf 
wilhout its mother, for the especial benefit of my 
southern readers, wh : re the thriftless habit of al¬ 
lowing the calf to suck its dam, oftentimes until a 
year old, so generally prevails. In this instance 
the little heifer got along nicely until two months 
old, when an aggravated attack of scours set in, but 
by timely doses of laudanum in a mess of warm 
gruel, poured down her throat twice a day, for 
three days, a cure was efEected. In ordinary cases 
of scours, a change to dry food will correct it, but 
it is well to watch and not permit the disease to 
become seated. A few years ago, a very valuable 
young Jersey heifer, received from the vicinity of 
Philadelphia, was taken in this way, while under¬ 
going the usual course of acclimation incident to 
northern cattle brought south, and the simpler 
treatment proving of no effect, I gave injections 
twice a day of rice-water and laudanum, besides 
drenching her with com-gruel and laudanum. This 
was kept up for ten days, but we carried her safely 
through, and her present value amply compensates 
for the time and trouble expended. But let us re¬ 
turn to the cow. On the morning of June 29th, we 
began giving her 
A Fair Feed of Green Corn, 
adding to it wheat bran, and cotton-seed meal. On 
July 2d she was fed all the corn stalks she would 
eat, continuing to add bran and cotton meal, giving 
four quarts of the former and two of the latter, and 
this was her daily food, including the German Mil¬ 
let, treated in the same way, until September. The 
green food was given three times a day, but the 
bran and cotton meal added only morning and 
night. Occasionally a day’s supply was cut early 
in the morning, and allowed to wilt before feeding, 
but in this, as well as in many other matters, my 
man-of-all-work did as circumstances permitted. 
His various duties about the place gave him but 
little time to reduce to an exact system the care 
and feed of a cow. She had a good stable, and got 
plenty to eat; received daily a good brushing, and 
was treated kindly. Yet, she was our servant (and 
a most faithful one she was), and we were not her’s, 
or slaves to any arbitrary clock-work regularity. 
She was fed and milked at regular intervals, but 
beyond this it was not always convenient to have 
regular hours at her stable. We did not keep her 
as an exhibition of a model cow in a model stable, 
and to exemplify a model system of care and keep. 
Like thousands all over the land, we 
Kept Her Simply for the Profit 
she yielded, in the way of milk and butter. It has 
often struck me, in reading the many suggestions 
and hints about how to keep a cow, to be found in 
our agricultural and live-stock journals, that were 
they all literally carried into practical operation, it 
