Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1874 — Keep the Stables Clean. [ARTICLE]

Keep the Stables Clean.

y?E do not mean that they should be washed and mopped, like a kitchen floor, every day, as it is said they are in some of the countries on the European continent, but they should be kept reasonably clean and wholesome, for either man or beast, Too often, when visiting a farmer’s barn, one finds the stables at mid-day containing all the filth collected during the last twenty-four hours. When the carcof cattle is of secondary importance on a farm, the stable work is often left to boys, who don’t see the use of being over particular about keeping the stables or cattle clean. Few practices are more disgusting than that of sitting down and milking a filthy cow in a filthy stable. We h’ave seen the milking of a large dairy, where the milk was sent to a city market, done in such a careless, slovenly manner ■that we did not wonder that the milk contractors frequently returned milk to the farmer because it was so poor that it could not be disposed of in the city. Usually the first thing that ought to be done on entering the barn in the morning is to give every animal a feeding of hay. Then, instead of sitting directly, down to milking, the stable should be thoroughly cleaned of all accumulations made since the previous evening; next a thin sprinkling of sand, sawdust* short straw or chart', should be sprinkled over the floor. This puts the stable, in a fit condition to sit in daring milking; but before beginning this operation every cow should be clewed of all loose filth

or dust adhering to her body. This may be done by the use of a broom, a card, a dry cloth or a damp sponge, or all combined. By this time the first feeding is pretty much all gone, and our practice is to feed again before milking. If the mangers are of convenient size to hold hay so that the animals can eat without reaching far for it, it does no harm to feed while milking. After milking, if it was not done before, the gutters behind the cows should be well spread over with, dry earth, or absorbents of some kind, in sufficient quantity to absorb the liquid voidings from the animals during the day. Before milking again at night the same operation should be repeated. Cows can be kept much cleaner if made to stand on a raised platform, and this is the common practice now on nearly all good farms. We have seen the milk cans set on the floor behind the cows, much nearer than we would like to have them if we were buying the milk. The pails or cans of milk should be kept during milking on a raised shelf or table, in the sweetest and cleanest corner of the stable, and they should not remain in the stable longer than is necessary. It is an excellent practice to go through all the stalls, to clean off the platforms and see that every animal is safe and quiet, the last thing at night before going to bed. It promotes sleep in the house to feel that everything is all right at the barn. Some old-style farmers will not allow a lantern in the stable. We should about as soon think of doing without a light in the house as without a good lantern for the barn. — New England Farmer.