registered cow may often be purchased at moderate cost. The
owner will undoubtedly take greater pride in such an animal and her
offspring will have higher selling value.

In making a purchase the new owner should insist upon having a tuberculin
test chart delivered with the animal, and certification as to freedom from
contagious abortion (B. abortus) should also be obtained if possible. If
production records have been kept during the animal's previous lactation
periods, these should be secured, as they will definitely indicate
milk-producing ability over a considerable period of time. For family use
a cow that produces milk steadily in uniform amounts over eight or ten
months is far more desirable than one which produces a large volume
following freshening and then slumps off rapidly.

[Illustration: Desirable types of utensils for a small dairy. _A._ Crock
for temporary milk storage or for gravity separation of cream. _B._
Milking stool. _C._ Twenty-quart milk can and cover. _D._ Strainer. _E._
Stirrer. _F._ Circulating water cooler for freshly drawn milk (not
essential for a one- or two-cow dairy if other cooling practices are
followed). _G._ Sanitary covered-top milk pail. _H._ Measuring rod. _I._
Small churn for family butter making.]

_Importance of Pasture._--Pasturage plays so important a part in
economical milk production and in contributing to the health of the animal
that it is unwise to consider keeping one's own cow unless 3 or 4 acres of
pasture land per animal are available. When the cow is on pasture from May
until November no other roughage is required, provided of course the
grasses and clovers are plentiful. Plenty of water is essential, and if
this is not made available by a stream in the pasture, it will be
necessary to furnish drinking water three times daily.

_Stabling and Feeding._--From early November until May it will be
necessary to provide stabling facilities, roughage in the form of hay,
ensilage or beet pulp, and concentrated feed to keep the animal producing.
About 3 tons of good timothy-and-clover hay or alfalfa will be needed per
animal during these six months. Storage room will be needed in the
building for the hay and for the concentrated feed. A good practice is to
keep the cow in a box stall 12 by 14 feet in size. Ample bedding should be
provided, consisting of straw, wood shavings, shredded corn stalks, peat
moss or dried leaves. These will absorb the liquid manure and after s