The food of the cow is another matter which is thoroughly
misunderstood. Grain in quantities is given, but no pains
are taken to see that it is properly prepared. If you want a
cow to give milk, you must make sure that it eats enough in
hulk. Therefore the grain must be used to induce the cow
to eat more bhoosa or grass than she would otherwise do.
The daily allowance for a cow giving eight to ten seers of
milk should not be less than 4 lbs. of sweet or til oil-cake ;
2 lbs. of binola, or cotton seed ; 2 lbs. of kurra, or the husks
and rough grindings of gram. It w'ould be well to increase
this allowance by 2 lbs. of ground barley or grain if the coav
keeps thin. Everything should be soaked in water over-
night, and next morning it should be added to the daily
allowance of white bhoosa or straw, and the chopped-iqj grass,
cabbage leaves, green wheat, green millet, &c., which should
always form part of the cow’s food. Dry chinrie, or millet
stalks, chopped fine, is excellent food. Where a gow-ivdla
has only one or two cows to look after, he can quite well
bring in a small bundle of gi’een grass, which he can cut
Avhilst grazing the cows. This should be chopped and given
with the other stuffs.
As a rule, it the food is properly prepared, a cow giving
ten quarts of milk will eat l6 lbs. dry white bhoosa; 8 lbs.
green food ; 4 lbs. turnips ; 4 lbs. chopped churree ; 2 oz. salt.
These allowances, properly prepared, should be sufficient
for the best cow, and should ensure wholesome rich milk,
yielding about 1 lb. butter to ten quarts of milk.
The whole secret lies in having a good gow-wdla, who
will look after his cow day and night, groom her well, and
take a pride in her. Bhoosa should always be well washed
before giving it, and if the food can be steamed so much the
better. Green wheat increases the yield of milk, but thins
the quality.
Grazing is so bad in Upper India, that it will be found
advisable to send the cows out for three or four hours a day,
not more, chiefly for the sake of the exercise. Variation in
the quantity of milk is a sure sign of carelessness in feed-
ing Sometimes, at the beginning of the hot weather, the
milk turns easily, and will not make firm butter. Chano-e
io8 The Complete Indian
the diet for a few days, giving barley instead of gram, and
reducing the quantity of oil-cake. Give saltpetre (i oz.)
instead of salt, and keep the cow in a cool, airy, shady jdace
out of doors. A steady decrease in the sui)ply of milk before
the sixth month after calving means either disease or starva-
tion, and requires prompt attention. If the goiv-wiihi is not
in fault, give a drench as noted in the end. It can do no
harm, and may avert serious illness.
Cows should be watered at least three times a day, and
the bearer, or some head servant, should see that they are
given water immediately before they are taken out to graze.
This is the surest way of preventing them drinking from
tanks and dirty puddles. The goiv-wahi should, of course,
have strict orders to prevent them from doing so, but the
best preventative is to make sure that they are not thirsty
when they leave your compound. Besides, if a cow is watered
regularly, it will not drink except at those times.
Page 73
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The food of the cow is another matter which is thoroughly misunderstood. Grain in quantities is given, but no pains are taken to see that it is properly prepared. If you want a cow to give milk, you must make sure that it eats enough in bulk. Therefore the grain must be used to induce the cow to eat more bhoosa or grass than she would otherwise do. The daily allowance for a cow giving eight to ten seers of milk should not be less than 4 lbs. of sweet or til oil-cake ; 2 lbs. of binola, or cotton seed ; 2 lbs. of kurra, or the husks and rough grindings of gram. It would be well to increase this allowance by 2 lbs. of ground barley or grain if the coav keeps thin. Everything should be soaked in water overnight, and next morning it should be added to the daily allowance of white bhoosa or straw, and the chopped-iqj grass, cabbage leaves, green wheat, green millet, &c., which should always form part of the cow’s food. Dry chinrie, or millet stalks, chopped fine, is excellent food. Where a gow-ivdla has only one or two cows to look after, he can quite well bring in a small bundle of gi’een grass, which he can cut Avhilst grazing the cows. This should be chopped and given with the other stuffs.
As a rule, it the food is properly prepared, a cow giving ten quarts of milk will eat l6 lbs. dry white bhoosa; 8 lbs. green food ; 4 lbs. turnips ; 4 lbs. chopped churree ; 2 oz. salt.
These allowances, properly prepared, should be sufficient for the best cow, and should ensure wholesome rich milk, yielding about 1 lb. butter to ten quarts of milk.
The whole secret lies in having a good gow-wala, who will look after his cow day and night, groom her well, and take a pride in her. Bhoosa should always be well washed before giving it, and if the food can be steamed so much the better. Green wheat increases the yield of milk, but thins the quality.
Grazing is so bad in Upper India, that it will be found advisable to send the cows out for three or four hours a day, not more, chiefly for the sake of the exercise. Variation in the quantity of milk is a sure sign of carelessness in feeding Sometimes, at the beginning of the hot weather, the milk turns easily, and will not make firm butter. Change
io8 The Complete Indian
the diet for a few days, giving barley instead of gram, and reducing the quantity of oil-cake. Give saltpetre (i oz.) instead of salt, and keep the cow in a cool, airy, shady jdace out of doors. A steady decrease in the sui)ply of milk before the sixth month after calving means either disease or starvation, and requires prompt attention. If the gow-wala is not in fault, give a drench as noted in the end. It can do no harm, and may avert serious illness.
Cows should be watered at least three times a day, and the bearer, or some head servant, should see that they are given water immediately before they are taken out to graze. This is the surest way of preventing them drinking from tanks and dirty puddles. The gow-wala should, of course, have strict orders to prevent them from doing so, but the best preventative is to make sure that they are not thirsty when they leave your compound. Besides, if a cow is watered regularly, it will not drink except at those times.