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WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
THE DAIRY—HOW TO GET AND KEEP A GOOD 
STOCK OF COWS. 
BY CHESTER HAZEN, LADOGA. 
In selecting dairy stock make it a rule to get the best cows 
you can find. A very good way, one that will prove as satis¬ 
factory in its results as any, is to purchase one and two year 
old heifers, keeping them until they come in. Out of this lot 
some, with proper care, will make extra cows, while others 
will be of little value for dairy purposes, not worth their keep¬ 
ing. After a satisfactory trial the poor milkers can be turned 
into beef without loss, and the balance will, in most cases, be 
worth as much as the entire lot cost. In this way a start in the 
right direction is made. 
The next thing is to make good use of the advantage you 
have gained; to increase and further improve your milking 
stock. For this purpose great care should be used in selecting 
the bull to breed from. Attention should be given to milking 
points, and constitution in both sexes. No bull should be 
used that is not from a cow of good milking qualities, and the 
stronger these qualities are marked in her and her ancestors 
the better. Raise all the heifer calves from vour best cows. 
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As a rule, large, coarse cows are not the most desirable for 
the dairy, and therefore, I desire to « have the heifers come in 
when two years old. This seems to check the growth of the 
animal, both in bone and muscle, and develops the milking qual¬ 
ities instead. I am satisfied that in this way we secure better 
cows than where they commence giving milk at three years 
old, and also gain one year’s time in bringing the animal into 
practical use. 
There are a variety of opinions among agricultural writers 
and farmers as to the best method of raising the calves. The 
