510 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November : P, 18M. 
WINTERING DAIRY COWS.—2. 
To realise fully how imperfectly the value of shelter has 
been understood, and how ignorant farmers have teen of its 
importance in the economy of farm management, it is necessary 
to mahe such an inspe tion of several ordinary dairy farms as 
we have done recently. Only an occasional hovel was met with 
out on the pastures, and at the homesteads the accommodation 
for housing cows was provokingly erratic. Evidently no thought 
had been given to proportion, and the size of the farm had little 
if any influence upon the size of its buildings. For example, a 
tenant milking twenty-six cows had only sufficient space for 
twelve of them in that useful building termed respectively in 
the south a cow house, in the midlands a milking-hovel, and in 
the north a cow byre. This was practically an open shed, along the 
front of which some brushwood had been placed to break 
the force of cold wind and driving storms of snow or rain. To 
the tenant’s plea for accommodation for the whole of the herd 
was added a very reasonable request for some improvement of 
the old hovel. Our recommendation was corrugated iron sheet¬ 
ing for the front, rough plate glass sheets let into the roof for 
light, and roof louvres for ventilation. 
Mention is made of pasture hovels in connection with 
wintering cows, from the fact of the risk of harm resulting from 
the very common practice of turning them out to grass by day 
after they are housed or are kept in yards by night. To take the 
custom of a dairy county in Cheshire, the cows are very generally 
taken in at night early in October, but on some farms they are 
out by day till Christmas. In all such cases there should be 
open hovels for shelter in every pasture enclosure. But we 
strongly object to such late grazing, because the herbage is 
innutritions, is often so scanty that the cows stand about list¬ 
lessly without attempting to graze ; if the land is heavy and 
sodden by winter rain they become so chilled that cases of abor¬ 
tion are frequent, and they are in a famished condition through 
the greater part of the day. A little thought ought to convince 
anyone that an animal requiring nearly an hundredweight of food 
daily—less or more according to size—must suffer under such ill 
treatment. A fanciful idea that cows should have daily exercise 
on pasture in winter has been advanced in justification of the 
malpractice, but frequently the “ exercise ” consists of the walk 
or rush out of and back to the yard. So much harm have we 
known to be caused by this foolish proceeding that we are bound 
to call special attention to it. Compare the discomfort—the 
positive suffering of the exposed cows kept shelterless and 
hungry for so many hours daily, with that of the herd settled 
snugly in yards for the winter. 
After the morning rations and milking they are let out to 
the water troughs, and if the morning is fine they have hay in 
the open racks out in the yard. When the sense of repletion 
comes each cow chooses some comfortable spot to lie down 
for rumination. We like to have a small stack of litter in each 
yard division, some of the cows often choosing a couch against 
this, others settling in the open or by the side of the yard 
enclosures Be very sure they will choose the side less exposed 
to prevailing winds. Care is taken that they have plenty of 
clean dry litter down in readiness for them. If they have been 
carefully divided there is peace in the yard, each cow contentedly 
chewing its cud, with that sleepy expression which may be 
taken as an expression of bovine bliss. 
The mention of dry litter is a reminder that for shelter to 
be so perfect as to promote the health and comfort of the cows 
frequent attention must be given to the drains of the yard 
and buildings, floors must be kept rigidly clean, foul litter 
promptly removed The cows must never be suffered to lie 
down on sodden litter, nor should it ever become possible for 
them to stand out in pools of water in the yard. That these are 
matters frequently neglected we know from dear bought ex¬ 
perience. They never will have proper attention without 
systematic care, the prevention of pools bj keeping drains fronj 
being choked or stopped by litter, the rendering it impossible 
for cows to lie on damp bedding by having it taken out of the 
yard It is obvious that by thus doing simply what is necessary 
for the comfort of the cows, by affording them complete pro¬ 
tection from exposure to cold and wet, health is promoted, food 
is turned to full account for the sustenance and nourishment 
of the cows, whose condition is well maintained, and they are 
ready to take full advantage of the herbage for affording a full 
milk yield when “turn out time” comes round once more. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The recent heavy rainfall has sown the seeds of disease in many a 
store beast out on pasture with no other shelter than that of a hedgerow 
or tree clump. A warning note of this is to be heard frequently in the 
dry husky cough of beasts in tolerably fair condition. We have heard 
this repeatedly since writing our last farm-work note, and we know it 
betokens an attack of hoose, which will probably prove fatal, because 
nothing will be done till the disease has gone too far for a cure to be 
possible. We were asked recently for an opinion of the possibility of 
profit upon the purchase of five heifers to clear up the aftergrowth of 
an 8-acre field. We said they should answer it shelters were provided 
for them at once, but if they were left out in the open altogether they 
could not thrive, and losses from hoose were quite possible. 
Dairy farmers should turn cheap corn to account by purchasing it at 
wholesale rates to mix with whey or separated milk for fattening bacon 
pigs and porkers. It is true enough that high prices have again been 
such an inducement for excessive breeding that prices have gone down. 
But for a first-class porker of about 50 lbs. weight there is always a 
brisk and profitable market. So, too, with well-fed bacon hogs, there 
is never any difficulty in selling them at a profit. When a dairy farmer 
has a dozen or more fat bacon hogs nearly finished for market by the 
close of the cheese-making season—say the end of October, it is a sign 
that he has wisely taken advantage of cheap feeding stuffs, and has 
turned his whey to best account. 
We knew a tenant who is remarkable for the large number of prime 
fat pigs he turns out in the course of a year. That worthy man has 
never been behind with his rent, has never asked for a reduction of 
rent, and we are only too glad to give him a helping hand by providing 
more hovel accommodation, and doing what we can for the improvement 
of his holding. Under the present critical condition of agriculture we 
must be on the alert to turn everything to account from which profit is 
possible. That is one reason for the reminder that cheap feeding stuffs 
are a positive boon to the farmer who has not been at the doubtful 
expense of growing them. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdbn Squarb, Loxdox. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0°8'0" W.; Altitude, HI feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
Bain. 
1894. 
November. 
Barometer 
j at 32'^, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
18 
30133 
46-9 
16 0 
S. 
45 8 
51-8 
42-1 
68-0 
36-0 
— 
Monday ., 
19 
30 258 
40-9 
40-9 
E. 
44 9 
52-8 
37-1 
66-2 
31 4 
— 
Tuesday .. 
21 
30-250 
48 4 
47-1 
S W. 
44-9 
54-2 
40-0 
71-9 
33 7 
0-102- 
Wednesday 
21 
30 459 
40-1 
39-3 
W. 
43-7 
46-0 
36-9 
60-3 
30-3 
— 
Thursday .. 
22 
30-379 
39-0 
38-9 
S.E. 
43-7 
49-2 
31-3 
55-8 
27-8 
— 
Friday .. 
23 
30 337 
38-6 
38 6 
N.E. 
43 1 
42-9 
34-3 
48-9 
29-6 
— 
Saturday ,. 
24 
30-362 
38-7 
37-8 
N. 
42-2 
50-2 
35-4 
71-3 
31-5 
— 
30 311 
41-8 
41-2 
44-3 
49-6 
36-7 
63-2 
31-5 
0-102. 
REMARKS. 
18th.—Bright sunshine almost throughout. 
19th.—Cooler, with thick fog till 11.30 A.M.; gleams of sun at midday ; fair afternoon; 
bright night. 
20th.—C.oudy till 11 A.M., then gleams of sun; cloudy afternoon, with spots of rain, 
and rain from 6 3J P.M. to 8 P.M. 
21st.—Fog till about 9 A.M.; the sun visible all day, but no strong sunshine; fine night. 
22nd.—Rather thick fog till 9 30 A.M.; generally sunny during day, misty towards 
sunset ; clear night. 
23rd.—Misty early; sun visible after 10 A.M., and generally bright in afternoon ; clear 
night. 
24th.—Sun visible almost threuihout, and bright sunshine for an hour or two in the 
middle of the day. 
A dry week, of very nearly average temperature, but the air damp from the previous 
soaking of the SDil.- G. J. Sv.moxs. 
