After the fortnight, Humphrey would not allow the
heifer to receive any thing except from the hand of Alice, that the
animal might know her well; and when the calf was a month old,
Humphrey made the first attempt to milk her. This was resisted at
first by kicking, but in the course of ten days she gave down her
milk. Humphrey then let her loose for a few days to run about the
yard, still keeping the calf in the cow-house, and putting the heifer
in to her at night, milking her before the calf was allowed to suck.
After this he adventured upon the last experiment, which was to turn
her out of the yard to graze in the forest. She went away to some
distance, and he was fearful that she would join the herd, but in the
evening she came back again to her calf. After this he was satisfied,
and turned her out every day, and they had no further trouble with
her. He would not, however, wean the calf till the winter time, when
she was shut up in the yard and fed on hay. He then weaned the calf,
which was a cow calf, and they had no more trouble with the mother.
Alice soon learned to milk her, and she became very tractable and
good-tempered. Such was the commencement of the dairy at the cottage.
"Jacob," said Humphrey, "when do you go to Lymington again?"
"Why, I do not know.
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