The Rural Voice, 1988-10, Page 37John Hambly lifts the cow cushion to indicate its depth. Below, John
with 1988 Ontario Dairy Princess Andria Lange. Gwillimdale Astro
Emile, recently bred to Startmore Sterling, stands on a rubber mat.
indoor carpeting because it is too silly
for words to think that carpeting fit for
the drawing -room is fit for the barn.
Outdoor carpeting is fine for holding
barbecues on, but the cows don't hold
barbecues all that often. If you are
going this route then don't get the
foam -backed stuff — it falls apart. Go
for the jute -backed. Either way, car-
peting is not perfect. Manure really
clings to it and it's difficult to keep in
place, so labour-saving it is not. But
it's much better than astroturf, and
warmer than rubber, and if given the
choice of carpeting over rubber, cows
choose broadloom.
THE COW CUSHION
And now we come to the cow
cushion. This is where it's at. Your
princess will love it. She's warm,
comfortable, lying down, happy, and
she's giving milk. The cow cushion
has three layers for her comfort.
There's a top fibrous polyester slip -
resistant layer (you wouldn't want her
to suffer Grandma's fate), a thick PVC
plastic insulating layer to keep her
warm in winter and cool in summer,
and a bottom layer of tough nylon
loops which looks something like a
scouring pad and gives her that walk-
ing on air feeling. It is also easier to
install than rubber. Put this all togeth-
er, and it spells happy, contented cow. •
Getting a personal opinion about
bedding from the princess herself is
not that easy for your common repor-
ter. Research papers and the opinions
of wise herdsmen are the best one can
do. But even with these restrictions,
the trend is evident. Dairy princesses
must be kept comfortable if good
service and high productivity are
what you expect.0
CUSTOM
CIDER
PRESSING
Have your
own Apples
turned into
sweet cider
Mmmmmm-good!
CALL TODAY FOR AN
APPOINTMENT 565-2122
• Fresh Apple
Cider available
on weekends
BRING YOUR OWN
• CONTAINERS
HURON RIDGE
1---\ ACRES
DAVID & CAROL STECKLE
& FAMILY
HURON RR82Zurich
RIDGE Monday - Friday 9-8
ACRES,
Saturday 9-5 Closed Sundays
We're in
BUSINESS
to keep you
WORKING
• Chisel Plow Points
• Mould Board
• Concaves
• Shins
• Landsides
• Feeder Chain
• Coulter Blades
• Raddle Chain
• Grill Guards
• Roller Chain
• Gathering Chain
• Cylinder Bars
• Plow Points
• Grade 8 Fine
Thread Bolts
• Grade 5 Coarse
Thread Bolts
• Cultivator Points
• Disc Blades
• Hand Tools
• Shop Tools
Hugh Parsons
BOLTS & TOOLS LTD.
11/4 miles east of Hensall
519-263-5681
OCTOBER 1988 35