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Show AGMCTJT TUKB UTAH BTATB EXTENSION SERVICE HOME ECONOMICS FARMandHOMEfc (I. S. Dwi mt AgrL, CUh 3UU Asri. CUe and Cauatr &nuuisioa Cuuveraiing farmer would be much better off at the end of the year because be-cause he would have his entire herd intact instead of many of them having died from bloat. I am not sure there is any perfect method of management that will prevent bloat entirely but there are some things that should help. It is bad to turn- cows into alfalfa or clover fields when they are very hungry. To avoid this, the cows should be given a good feed of dry hay early in the morning before they are turned into pasture. This will at least partially fill the cows and when they go on the pasture pas-ture they will eat slower and the green feed will be mixed with the dry gradually, and bloat will not be so frequent. Frosty, damp alfalfa also seems to create more rapid fermentation fer-mentation in the stomach. So when the mornings are cool and a lot of dew is on the fields, the cows should not be turned out until the sun has partially dried the alfalfa. If it is possible to keep the cows in the pasture both riight and day, that will help a great deal because the cows do not get extremely hungry under such conditions. Putting the cows in a grass pasture the first thing in the morning, then turning them on the alfalfa in the afternoon, should also help check some cases of bloat. Dry grass-hay or alfalfa put in a rack near the green alfalfa field will be helpful, as the cows will eat the dry feed regu larly if they have access to iv and that will check the regular bloating. The young, tender plants seem to cause more rapid bloat than older, mature stems, so if the alfalfa is near the bloom stage it will be safer for grazing. graz-ing. Avoid turning the cows into fields that are only a few inches high, as these young tender, partly frozen bits of green alfalfa are not very tu-tritious, tu-tritious, but being tender are easy to swallow without much chewing which seems to add to the bloat hazard. STATE ENGINEER CLOSES WELLS State ' Engineer Harold A. Linke has proclaimed the closing clos-ing of wells diverting water from underground sources beginning be-ginning with Nov. 1, and ending April 1, 1950, as provided by having control of, any artesian law. All persons owning, or or pumping wells are required re-quired by law to close, by plug, cap, valve or other mechanical device or by repairs, all wells except those providing water for beneficial use. Beneficial use during the above period does not include irrigation. It is also provided that modification modi-fication of said order may be granted upon showing to the state engineer that a compliance therewith will cause partial or complete failure of the well. The closing season of underground under-ground water has been proclaimed pro-claimed in the interest of conserving con-serving the underground water supply and to provide a maximum maxi-mum quantity for the next year's use. As a result of last year's closing order there was made available during the past season additional water which materially helped to mature crops. DAIRY COWS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO BLOAT By George B. Caine Head of USAC Dairy Dept. Every fall manydairy cows die from bloat. Already this year the by-products companies are having numerous calls to collect animals found dead in the fields. Dairy cows are most susceptible, but sheep and steers are also killed in large numbers. Last fall the Logan By-Prod-ucts had as many as 15 cows in a single day hauled to its plant. On in average these cows are worth $200 each, so the losses run into many thousands of dollars a year. To stop bloat entirely is rather difficult because cows do bloat under many conditions. Yet much of this loss can be avoided by better management. In many cases farmers would be better off financially if they did not pasture their alfalfa fields in the fall. The loss of one good cow would buy more hay than the pasture provided to the herd. It looks a bit wasteful to have an alfalfa field with feed in it and keep the cows in a yard and feed them hay. Often, though, that is what should be done, and the |