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Show i MILCH COWS IN WINTER. Many -of our readers well remember when milch cowa wore given tho ran of tlio strnw stack yard for tho entlro Winter. At morning and evening they "wore given a few nubbins tif corn as on extra ration with tho straw. When a, cow freshened alio was glvon a few Weigh the Milk, feeds of wheat bran If there happened to be any on hand. If riot, the small corn ration was Bllghtly Increased. Many a time tho writer bus gono out on a winter's morning and found all the cows covered with snow nnd Ice. In muddy weather It was no unusual Ihlng to sco them tramping In slush half knee-deep. This wns at a tlmo when scales wero not used In tho dairy nnd wo had no way of tolling how much a cow was producing. No thought was given to tho matter. Tho cows lived all right around tho straw stack In winter and gave a Uttlo milk, and that was tho extent of tho general dairying industry. Now wo hace learnod bettor, says tho Journal of Agriculture. The milch cow must pay her way while consuming consum-ing valuable feeds. Hut there aro two sides to tho question, ono from tho quality of the cow and one from the quality of care we glvo her. Tho good dairy cow Is a nioro sensitive sensi-tive animal than members of beef breeds. She Is easily affected by cold, heat, hunger, files, fear and other In- Ifluences. She must bo made comfort-nble comfort-nble In cvory respect, and tho conditions condi-tions for her comfort aro very exact-Some exact-Some farmers claim that dairy cows cart stnnd ns much cold as beef cows, but this Is not rcaRonablo. Beef animals ani-mals have a surplus of fat and aro fed on fat and heat-forming feeds, henco they enn withstand cold without with-out suffering. Tho good milk cow carries not surplus fnt to keep out tho cold. Furthermore, sho Is not fed on feeds which produco fat and heat. Cnrbonnceous fecdB aro not .allowed In tho beat dairy practice Tho good milch cow la lean rather than fnt. All of her feeds except those for bodily maintenance go for tho production pro-duction of milk, and there Is little left for heat production. For this reason sho must bo warmly bedded and sheltered In cold weather. If sho is not some of her protein fcedB will bo tronsformed Into heat energy to supply sup-ply tlio bodily needs nnd wot go for tho production of milk. For tho samo reason, water sho drinks should bo wnrm, or tho chill taken off, so that no feeds will bo wasted In heat production. produc-tion. On very cold daya, ,tf tho cow stall can not bo maintained at a high stable tompernturo, blanketing tho producing pro-ducing cow Is economical. Shelter,-bedding, Shelter,-bedding, nnd cow blankets, If rightly used, aro cheapor than dnlry foods at tho present high prices and tho wise dairyman will sco to U that all of his producing milch cows aro kept warm nnd dry during Inclement wenther. Tho dry cow a few week previous to dropping hor calf usually takes on some fnt nnd Is better able to stand tho cold. Sho should bo allowed to bo outsldo nearly all of every day for exorclso for her benefit nnd tho good of tho unborn calf. The extra fresh nlr, sunshlno, and oxcrclBe will do hor good. Sho should bo shelterodat night. |
