DRYING FREE MILKING COWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 457, 17 April 1912, Page 3

DRYING FREE MILKING COWS.

It is an abuse of the milking powers of the free milking dairy cow to continue to milk her very close up to calving; some do this thinking that they are gaining a point in extended miiking development, hut this is quite out of the proper order ol tilings, for such practices lead to taking the prolific milker quite outside her original nature, and an abnormal stage is attained that often lacks the essential substance that will warrant the continuance of a profitable condition. .Milking should cease six or eight weeks previous ot calving. It is true in many cases of very prolific milkers, it is somewhat ilitlicult to stop the ilow of milk, and many people are careless about the altempt to do so. Nature must, still have a share in the arrangements. Do what, we may in our endeavours to improve still tuit.her the modern dairy cow. we cannot yet a way from the lact that the natural purpose of the cow's milk is 1.0 sustain the cow's (ill'spring. and if we claim too much from the. cow to answer financial end. we are apt to take her out of her regular course of breeding, and when irregulni breeding works into a herd of good dairy cows what is gained by their improved milking qualities is lost, by extended periods between the eulvings, and although in these eases tho m\)k suppv may be kept up for an unnatural period, the quantity is small and the quality poor_ for several months, during which time I lie first qua!itv milk for the approaching oilspring should becoming down, as it were. It is quite unnatural for a cow to manufacture milk for her latest oil -

spring right up to her next, calving time, alth<>i:ij:ll there /ire many thai, would (in s<\ or Hourly so. The alnise just n'i(-r); ioiu dis in tiio Kc<■ |>i11; i; up ■if the «)(! ruppiy wlnl.-'l Nature i:» wanting Jo stimulate ihe urn ssarv activity to produce tin initiative ini_r ior tho ,-s}• pr<ich;; 1:; progeny. li. is this natural ptiniii)a'.««i> :sf. t iiiii s ; [ir>t t 'Mills fo ' mpr<>ve 'ho milking development o! the lust, milkers: it is consequently against this hoped-for ineresaed development, to keen tip the ohi supply; indeed, this continued milking means a check on (ho cow ami her approaching progeny. Those exceptionally good milkers should ho stopped in thr-jr milking career and pystematirnllv dried .iIF several week? before calving;: thin can bo done hy missing one milking a day for several days, and then oxtend the interval brtwrm the h.likings to a whole day for a week' or so. then extend the. interval to two or three days, and it. will not. ho long before the milking may be entirely stopped. Farm, Field and Fireside.