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She coughed a graveyard cough with emphasis, and without cessation, so much so that in emptying an ordinary bucket of water, she would choke about three or four times and cough until my heart grew faint. When 1 bought the team they got about 10 pounds of a superior (?) patent chop, containing rolled barley corn and — abomination —first thing in the morn ing was given timothy hay. Upon be ing led out to the wagon she was eith er forthwith watered, or if it was late, she was watered on the roadside, after some four mile* of a drive. When I took the reins, not only of the team, I at once substituted alfalf?. hay for timothy, which was fed to the team on first entering the stable; after grooming and harnessing, a bucket of water is placed in the feed box, and left there while measuring feed. Then the buckets are removed and they receive about five pounds steam rolled barley, one pound of bran, three-fourths pound oil meal. At noon they get about five pounds rolled bar ley, and at night after being satisfied with water, the same ration is fed as in the morning; wheat hay or timo thy is frequently given in place of al falfa. After about, three weeks the mare's breathing was normal, and ncr cough almost cured; lately it has disap peared. I trot the team whenever the road permits. The mare is putting on flesh and her coat is comparatively sleek; her mate is now in the pink of condition. At hrst they ate about 16 pound 3 hay each per day, but are eating less now. What I want to know is this: Was that mare really trou bled with heaves or not? If not, what was her trouble? And lastly, would such treatment invariably cure a very bad case of heaves, or is this an exceptional case? NOTES FOR THE DAIRYMAN. ('. I. RcyuMdH. The farmer should invariably aim to select the heifers that are to be re tained as cows from the best milkers and butter producers. Such a calf with proper treatment during develop ment will produce a good cow provid ing it has come from a long line of good milkers. One cannot always de pend on a calf from a cow, although a good butter maker, that is not backed up by a good family. If the dairy farmer makes it a point to select the best heifers from his best cows there is no reason why decided impi'ove ment will not be possible. There are too many farmers keeping cows that produce little more than 125 pounds of butter a year. Authorities on this matter urge that it requires at least 150 pounds of butter before the cow's feed and care are returned. There is no reason why our ordinary cows such as the farmer can profitably keep cannot produce at least from 200 to 300 pounds of butter per year. In many cases herds will now average 300 pounds of butter per year. There are many good thinking men who urge that care has more to do with the development into a good cow than has the past breeding. There is much in this that the farmer can prof itably consider. It goes without say ing that calves that otherwise would make excellent cows can be spoiled by improper care. If this be true why can not a calf of good breeding be im proved with good management? This is invariably conceded to be possible. The best dairymen are beginning to take more care of their heifer calves to see that they are not fattened dur ing development. It is believed that a calf should be kept in a good, thrifty, growing condition, but anything of a fattening order should be avoided, as the tendency of fattening a growing calf is to increase its tendencies to lay on Mesh instead of produce butter. This is another thought that may well be considered, and Is well backed by the theory of evolution. PI ~ " ' ' ■ — ———- |P | jnpgp^' Of Course! "The | I :^^^^^- Churn that Works!" 1 I : 1 I I — I m Have you a combined churn? Is it a Disbrow? If m *p " fk || not, does it work? Is it satisfactory? If not, just sit down m m and write us for a booklet about the Disbrow, The Dis- >M M brow works — works satisfactorily —doesn't warp, tvvist, rot '|| | or break. I M There are other combined churns on the market —but M ffl they didn't come until after the Disbrow. The Disbrow M 1 1 M is the original combined machine — the only universally M *!$ fm M successful combined machine. Drop us a postal. M I — I S| Owatonna Manfg. Co., Creamery Pkg.Mfg. Co. 1 m SOLE MANUFACTURERS General Sales Agents, CHICAGO, ILL. gj| WA W^ r: • Waterloo, lowa. Kansas City, Mo. f^ Sp OwatOnna, : : Minn. Minneapolis, Minn. Omaha, Neb. >fj] It is recommended that a calf's di gestive system be developed by feed ing a good diet of coarse fodder. This will have a tendency to increase the stomach capacity, and in the end in crease the cow's capacity for convert .ng considerable amounts of feed into milk and butter. This does not mean, however, that condensed feed should be entirely avoided. It seems to the writer of these comments that fully four-fifths of the dairymen are in fa vor of having a heifer drop her first calf near her second birthday. In oth er words breed them when past their first year's growth. This is, of course, strictly for the dairy animal and the cow whose life work is to produce butter fat. I note that one prominent writer recommends that great care be observed in breaking a heifer to milk to see that she is treated kindly at all times. If abused in any way she is ■nclined to hold back her milk, and the results are unfavorable to her develop ment as a milker. This is said to be more particularly true during her first year. Her life habits are then iu«t beginning to become fixed. It is be?t that one person should milk a heifer continuously if possible. She becomes accustomed to a person's hab its, and the milker understands her THE RANCH. more thoroughly as he becomes accus tomed to her. The result is that both being bette.r acquainted get along the best together. This is true of all cows, but most strikingly true of the heifer with her first calf just learning to be milked. Regularity in milking should be encouraged. Have an hour night and morning convenient as possible, and adhere to it as closely as possible at all times. The heifer soon becomes to expect to be milked at a certain time night and morning, and when the time has passed she begins to be como uneasy. Speaking of the Grout oleo bill, the New York Produce Review says: "The Fifty-sixth Congress has closed and the Grout bill has not been enacted. But the bill is not dead by a long chalk. It will be up again as sure as fraud continues disreputable and there are champions of right and jus tice. It is a grievous disappointment to the dairy interests that after push ing this bill so close to a successful issue they are obliged to submit for eren a year longer to the fraudulent element in the competition with oleo margarine. The large majority gained for the Grout bill in the House was naturally encouraging; and it was plainly evident that the Senate was ready to pass the bill had it been pos sible in that slow going and deliber ate body to have reached a vote. But the pressure of peremptory legislation prevented the due consideration of the bill and it died with the session, though with all the elements of life in it requisite for the quickest possi ble resurrection. Whether cows are pregnant or not ought to be determined with reasona ble certainty; this is done either by external or internal examination. The former mode of examination is by means of steady and firm pressure of the open hand, or closed flst, about eight inches below and a little in front of the stifle. If the cow is pregnant, in a little while a blow will be felt from within, which is the foetus trying to float back into the position from which it has been pushed. When the cow is drinking cold water this move ment may be distinctly seen by close ly watching the same point in front of I tho stifle. These indications occur after five months of pregnancy. The internal examination is made through the rectum, and should be done by a competent veterinarian or some one versed in such work. 9