Our Foster Mother, The Cow (1943 (revised 1947), sound)

[Music] all over the world babies are dependent on cow's milk for their very lives it would be hard for the human race to get along without our foster mother the cow modern dairy farms are the symbol of cleanliness with their neat corals white fences and tidy barns Jim the work Foreman is taking food to the different corals Dobbin and black beauty are trained to haul the wagon through the network of farm lanes and Gates [Music] the cows have three meals one in the morning one at noon and one in the evening part of the cow's food is mixed in The Silo and is made up of alfalfa oat hay and molasses other food includes such things as cotton seed Lin seed barley and Beak pulk the diet is carefully arranged to give the cow strength and increase her milk supply Baretta drinks daintily perhaps the water is too cold she will drink four or five gallons a day the crystal clear water shows the high standard of Care on this modern farm and it takes lots of work and scrubbing to keep the barns the Stalls and the troughs clean every minute in the cow's life is planned so that she will produce a quantity of pure Rich milk cows tend to pick out certain other cows for their special friends one finds them together day after day sometimes with their necks crossed or just resting near each other this cube of salt is pink because of a touch of iodine salt is kept in the troughs at all times cows like people must have their minerals and vitamins the Bulls have individual paddocks these Bulls are fine strong specimens and should have the best of cans they are carefully handled and so they are gentle special food builds their m massive frames and gives them power this bull named bet has a good appetite and is being well fed it takes a lot of food to fill up these animals they have four stomachs next Maxim gets his share did you ever try to hit the Bull's Eye well now is your chance the superintendent shows a year old bull to a respective buyer Mr Allen this bull is the son of v and shows his fine breeding and excellent care the superintendent proudly shows off his fine points a bull is led by a ring in his nose because this has been found the most practical for the farmer and in the long run the best for the bull Mr Allen likes the massive frame the straight back the fine big hind quarters the wide spring of the ribs the clean legs and the well set beautiful head Mr Allan buys this bow for $700 Mrs crooked horns and joys an afternoon rest did your mother ever tell you you were awkward as a cow when she eats the cow first swallows her food almost whole later it comes back up in the form of cud and is rewed watch carefully and you can see the cow bring uper cut oh you missed watch more carefully there it goes a large mouth as we see is a point of Beauty in a cow he must be a good eater to produce a quantity of milk about every 3 months cows must be clipped the state law demands that their Udders and Tails be clipped so they will be free from hair a dairyman Clips the heads of his cows so they will show off their fine points this man oi is over 80 years old he has been caring for this herd for 25 years and still does a full day's work the cow's horns are cut off if she is rough or if they are too deformed good horns are a point of beauty milking time 4:00 in the afternoon each milking lasts 2 hours the milkers bring the cows in from the different Corell to the milking barns the milkers wash the Barns and sterilize the buckets before each [Music] milking every cow will go directly to her own stall or spansion the cows look forward to the milking because they are fed at this time and also their bags feel tight and would get sore if they were not milk regularly after milking the men brush and Curry the cows until their coats shine Jim will give us a special demonstration of milking he chooses geralda who holds many State records for three consecutive years she has produced over 20,000 lb of milk and this year will produce over 24,000 lb geralda has the Soapy nose of the moo cow moo a healthy cow has a wet nose because cows only perspire through their noses geralda is worth $10,000 and her calves are also very valuable Gerald's udder has already been washed and now it is carefully wi everything is done to ensure pure milk free from harmful bacteria each cow is an individual and must be handled differently the skilled milker has rhythm in his big long strokes Jim is careful in working around the cow not to upset her if she gets excited she may hold her milk well boss steady there that's it a good bossy oh oh girl easy geralda wears her Farm identification number called a tattoo number around her horns she is a fine example of a gery cow with her straight back and large deep body at the milk house Daily records are kept of the weight of each cow's milk monthly tests are made by a milk tester from the State University to determine the amount of butterfat this herd has a very fine butter fat record a characteristic of gery cows dobin and black beauty are still busy making the rounds of the different Corell now it is time to feed the caves each age has its special food and special care these calves are about 8 months old any dairyman would be proud of this line of pure breads here are the barns for the very young Cales the Cales are taken from their mothers when they are a day old because these highly Brad cows have milk too rich for the babies Ed has charge of the mothers and Cales first the babies must be taught to drink from a bucket special things like calf meal are added to their d diet just like in a baby's formula yes this baby already trusts Ed off to the barn we go like the cows the Cavs spend several hours a day in their pastures Ed trains them to be gentle and affectionate gery cows are famous for their good disposition this calf represents the Fulfillment of a dairy man's dream with her Exquisite intelligent head Grace strong body and beautiful fawn colored coat Cales are inquisitive like children and watch everything that goes on around [Music] them Princess May of Green Meadows has a baby Daisy just an hour and a half old each mother and calf have their own Coral May dries off her calf and takes good care of her and Daisy responds to Mother's affection cows tell their own babies through their sense of smell one of the first thing the CF tries to do is to stand up usually and well well too bad yes it's a natural impulse for all mothers as we see here to guard their babies and the cow has a deeper maternal Instinct than other animals the neighboring cows are very jealous and wish Daisy belonged to them cows want every calf they see now Daisy wants food a calf is born with its eyes open seems to be having trouble she can't find that dinner oh it isn't here or here here well she'll look until she finds it and you can be sure nature will tell her what to do when she does find it and so we leave Princess May mothering not only her own baby but in reality the whole human [Music] race