Vol. XLIII. No. 1813. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 25, 1884. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1314, l>y the Rural New-Yorker In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
PRICK El VIC CENTS. 
#2.(10 PKU YEAR. 
SUtljilttiurf. 
A CONVENIENT BARN. 
E are Indebted to Mr. 
GUlitt, of Otsego Co., N. 
Y., for the drawing and 
descriptions of the barn, 
with plans, shown on 
this page. The size of 
the main part of the 
building (Fig. 401) is 40x 
60 foot, and that of the 
wing 80x40 feet; the 
hight of the main build¬ 
ing is <17 feet to the 
eaves, and 34 foot to the 
comb; that of the wing 
is 17 feet to the eaves 
and 22 feet to the cotub. Fig. 403 shows the 
arrangement of the ground floor. The cow 
stables have manure ditches 16 inches 
wide and six inches deep. The floors on 
which the cows stand are five feet eight 
inches wide, und the nmugers two feet. The 
partitions between the stalls cxteud hack 34 
inches. Under the granary is a cellar 18x20 
feet for storing roots; the stairs to this are 
below those that lead to the second floor; the 
doorB between the divisions of the basement 
can be opened or shut at pleasure. The second 
floor (Fig. 402) Is entered by a drive-way on 
the north. A space 8x15 feet at oue side of 
this will accommodate a horse power thrasher, 
leaving ample room to drive into the barn 
with loads of grain, while the thrasher is in 
operation. Conductors 4x4 feet, running 
from the lofts to the bays, are represented at 
X,X. 
The lower halves of the windows are of 
wood on hinges, and are easily opened for 
ventilation. By having posts from sill to 
comb, center beams can be dispensed with, 
leaving room to use a horse fork with rod in 
packing hay in any part of the bay. 
cakckntkr’h shop. 
At Fig. 412, the interior of a carpenter's 
shop is shown. A stone fire place in the rear 
is arranged for two kettles, and the building 
serves as a wash bouse as woll as carpenter’s 
shop, and is used for cider-making, boiling 
apple butter, butchering, etc. There isa pipe 
with a faucet to carry water to the kettles; 
Carpenter Shop. Fig. 412. 
a vat with a trap-door under the floor, in 
which to scald hogs, and a windless and tackle 
for pulling out the hogs and hanging them to 
hooks suspended from the roof. In the rear 
is a lean-to—not shown in the engraving- 
containing a blacksmith’s forge. The whole 
form is a most convenient adjunct to the farm. 
With such a work-place and a box of tools, 
many odd jobs that are either left undone or 
dop.e bv others at considerable expense, can be 
readily performed by the owner or his children 
in weather too inclement for out-door work. 
CARE OF COWS. 
J. N. MUNCEY. 
Cattle Ties. —Many devices are now in 
use. The neck strap, in which there is a ring 
that plays loosely on an Iron rod at tached to 
the stall, is, in my opinion, an inferior cattle 
tie. However well the drop may tie adjusted, 
the cows almost invariably get their udders 
and bodies dirty. Another tiling—more than 
three feet of space for each cow are necessary. 
More time is also required to put the cows in 
and let them nut, than in stanchions. I have 
fastened 36 cows in stanchions in 10 minutes; 
I presume a quarter of an hour is the average, 
Including all delays. I much prefer stanch¬ 
ions to anything else. After cows are used 
to them, they lie down aud got up just about 
as easily as when fastened in other ways. One 
thing, however, is important—never give any 
cow her first experience in stanchions when 
she is “ heavy with calf.” One of the greatest 
satisfactions a man can experience, is to have 
the cows and their udders clean when he is 
ready to milk. It can be done if the platform 
and stanchions are properly made. A trough 
six inches deep and one foot wide, behind 
the cows, is a nuisance, whether you have 
straps or stanchions. Cows form habits like 
other animals; now I find that if they are at 
first kept in a clean place, they desire to re¬ 
main there. 1 have noticed that they soon 
learn to keep their tails upon the dry plat¬ 
form. This is not the case with cows that lie 
in portions of their excrement. As to liabil¬ 
ities to the loss of cows during the calving 
season by confinement in stanchions, my ob¬ 
servation has been that the loss is generally 
due to inattention on the part of the dairy¬ 
man and not to any over-exertion of the cows 
in getting up. 
Kind of Feed.— A pregnant cow should he 
liberally fed, though not enough to fatten her. 
All ccws are not alike in their tendrucy to 
fatten, and hence no general rule as to 
quantity can be made applicable to all cases. 
During Wiuter six to eight quarts of wheat 
bran per day, per cow, with all the Timothy 
hay she will eat, for one month before calv¬ 
ing, have kept cows in good, healthy condition. 
One thing is certain, that a fattening food, or 
any food rich in fat, should not be liberally fed 
either just before or after parturition. Corn- 
meal exclusively has, as it seems to me, the 
same effect on the milk und udders of cows as 
it has in bows —decreases the milk-flow and 
inflames the udders. This is especially true 
about calving time; a heavy ration of heat 
and fat-producing food should at this time be 
avoided. A liberal supply of bulky food is 
best. Clear corn meal in liberal supply does 
not affect all cows in the same way, and does 
not, in some cases, seem to have the least un¬ 
desirable effect, and yet, all things considered, 
I much prefer a mixture of corn with some 
dilutent, such as bran. 
Cows should not be allowed to drink very 
cold water, or water that has stood in the 
trough over night and become chilled. It 
may do no injury, even if continued to calv¬ 
ing, aud yet, with a knowledge of the physi¬ 
ology of the cow, who will say it Is a practice 
to be commended? Various drugs are recom¬ 
mended for healthy cows prior to and after 
calving; but 1 have never seen the need of 
any where cows are properly cared for. 
Gradually increase the quantity of corn-meal 
after calving until you have equal parts, by 
weight, of it and wheat bran. If in Winter, 
feed, suy, 10 to 15 pounds of the mixture per 
day to a cow in full milk flow and weighing 
1,000 pounds. She will, in udditlou, consume 
20 to 25 pounds of bay per day. A liberal 
supply of salt at all times is very desirable, A 
covered trough, with a swing gate, which can 
be pushed open by the cows, is an excellent 
means of protection against rain or snow. 
PASTURE. -The Change from grain to grass, 
or the reverse, should be gradual. Many farm¬ 
ers experience loss of cows and loss in yield of 
milk by not strictly observing this rule. Cows 
should not be turned out to pasture too early 
in the Spring, or allowed to remain out more 
than, say, two to throe hours the first time. If 
you have been feeding six or eight quarts per 
day, aud desire to discontinue extra feeding 
entirely, you will keep up the milk-flow and 
profit by gradually decreasing the amount for 
at least two or three weeks after the cows 
have had their first teste of grass. It Is sel¬ 
dom that a milk flow, that by improper feed¬ 
ing has been greatly diminished, can bo re 
stored. Whether there is profit in feeding 
grain to milch cows during the best pasture 
months, is with me yet an unsettled question. 
There is no question but that yellow corn- 
meal adds color and flavor to the butter at 
any time; but in tho West, unless every farm¬ 
er feeds it, little extra is realized for the milk 
or cream, from the creameries. It has been 
well demonstrated, practically and experi¬ 
mentally, that short, tame, pasture grass con¬ 
tains all the nutritive elements for making 
beef and butter, in easily digestible and proper 
proportions. No improvement on nature is 
to be had by any artificial preparations of 
mixed food. The question of additional food 
in Summer has practically solved itself in the 
West, where creameries are numerous. The 
majority of farmers do not, and say they can¬ 
not afford to feed when the cows are in good 
pasture. Approximate ideas are all they have, 
it is true, and yet they insist that the increased 
quantity and better quality of milk will not 
pay for the feed consumed. I know of no suf¬ 
ficiently extensive experiments of a practical 
nuture, that have ever been made to definitely 
settle the limit to profitable feeding in Sum¬ 
mer. Our agricultural experiments must 
continue for a longer time, to tie of any great 
value to farmers. 
Water. —Agricultural papers have most 
thoroughly exposed tho evils resulting from 
allowing cows to drink from stagnant ponds, 
or from water that has remained too long in 
troughs; above all, keep your windmill 
troughs free from scum in Hummer, and do 
not allow the impure und waste water to run 
back into the well. The sweetest, purest, anil 
most milk is obtained when cows have ready 
access to clear, pure water. Traveling long 
distances, especially in warm weather, de¬ 
creases the milk-flow. 
Sc m.her Shades in Pastures seem to me 
very important for tho consideration of spec¬ 
ialists in dairying. I have never seen any 
such shades for protection against heat and 
cold rains, in our Western pastures; but I am 
very favorably impressed with the good re¬ 
sults that might be had by building them. 
True, some say the cows will waste in the 
shade time that might be utilized in feeding; 
but as they chew the cud there and are more 
comfortable, I don’t believe any loss will result. 
Regularity in Milking,—T o say this is 
necessary, means something. Even with the 
most proper and regular feeding, irregularity 
in milking will show itself in tho wofgh-can. 
Experience in the creamery enables me to 
say that the quantity of milk received Sun¬ 
days was remarkably less tbuu that on other 
days. The following suggests a change of at 
least half an hour in time of oveuiug milk¬ 
ing. Two stable-fed cows were milked by the 
writer for 82 consecutive days without a varia¬ 
tion of more than five minutes at any time. 
The hours were it a. m. ami 6 e. m. Cow No. 
1 gave, during this time, 516 pounds 1% ounces 
in the morning, and 548 pounds ounces in 
the eveuing. Cow No. 2 gave 182 pounds 10 
ounces in the mornings,and 186 pounds 6 ounces 
in the evenings; so that in both cases the 
average daily quantity at night was the 
greatest. Judging from the milk received at 
tho creamery in Summer, I should think that 
where cows are pastured there should be at 
least one hour’s difference—say 5 a m. and 
4 p. M. The aim, of course, should be to have 
the udders equally distended at night and 
morning. 
Leaky Teats are prevented by inserting a 
smooth and short wooden plug in the opening. 
1 have never seen evil results from this prac¬ 
tice. I have used such a plug also to distend 
an opening too small, and make the cow to 
milk more easily. The plug should be cleaned 
every time, aud be used for a month or more. 
Milking in Fly Time.— The switching of 
a cow’s tail in a man’s lace changes the state 
of his miud about as suddenly as anything 
that can l>e mentioned. Every milker, there¬ 
fore, should wear over his face an easily and 
cheaply made wire mask, resembling some¬ 
what those worn by base ball catchers. It 
saves temper, and that means as much in well 
regulated dairies as it does in well regulated 
families 
Kicking Cows. —Buckle a strap around 
the legs just above the hock. I think this is 
better than tying up a foreleg. Continue tne 
use of strap, even though you feel certain the 
cow would not kick without it. Do not excite 
her in any way, either before or after sitting 
down to milk, and you will be almost certain 
of making her a gentle cow. The uncertain 
cow is the worst of all, aud the one in which 
the habit of kicking was not broken at the start. 
Ames, Iowa. 
