Show Care of Dairy Cattle At the annual meeting of the Dominion Domin-ion Ayrshire Breeders association for 1897 Mr Joseph Yuill read a most interesting in-teresting and practical paper on The Care and Management of Dairy Cattle Cat-tle This should commence with the calf at birth Mr Yuill has a few box stalls and places his cows in them a week or so before calving He removes the calf as soon a it is dropped behind be-hind a partition where the cow can lick it but arranged so that the calf cannot can-not suck its mother If a cow is in high flesh he reduces her in condition by administering salts both before calving and after The cow and the calf are left in the box stall with the partition between them for three days until all danger from milk fever is over The calf is given all it can take of the first milking and the rest is drunk by the cow I there is any danger of milk fever it is not advisable advis-able to milk the cow dry To test I whether the milk is fit for use heat it in a vessel on the stove i it thickens thick-ens when cool it is unfit for use if no thickening takes place it has got into its normal condition I should be all right about the eighth milking When the calf gets only skim milk which is when it is three weeks old it is necessary to add something to the milk to make up for the cream removed re-moved Mr Yuill gives each calf a teaspoonful of flaxseed which has been steeped for 12 hours in a quart of warm water The seed itself is not given only the essence As soon a they show signs of eating he gives them a little hay which is changed every day if not eaten Some meal is spread over the bottom of the box not less than 12 inches square The spreading spread-ing of it about insures its being better bet-ter digested than when it is in a heap As soon as they eat the meal some flaxseed is added and later on a mixture mix-ture of four pounds oats two pounds of peas and one of barley with its own weight of bran This is their feed till spring They then run on grass by day and are kept in at night until the flies get troublesome when they are allowed out at night and remain in the stable during the heat of the day His heifers calve when two years old and every year after Mr Yuill brings his dairy cows into the stable as soon as frost comes I never letting them out once till spring The mornings milking takes place at 515 oclock a m The milk is separated separ-ated while breakfast is going on one of the members of the family looking after the separating After that the calves are fed and the cows watered in the stable and a basketful of cut beaver hay and peas and oats followed by ensilage is given to the latter If the ensilage does not contain much grain some is added mixed in the same proportions as for the calves While the cows are feeding the stables are cleaned out They then remain undisturbed un-disturbed until 330 oclock p m when they are given a feed of clover hay and rations as in the morning and again cleaned out Milking takes place at 530 oclock p m and the separator is run during the supper hour After that the calves get their evening meal of milk A great secret in attending dairy cattle is punctuality and kindness Milking takes place on Mr Yuills farm at the same hours on Sunday as on week days No cow repays care and attention better than the Ayrshire cow although she can stand hardship well |