“Do they go to pasture every day?” asked Robert.

“Yes,” said Mr. Spencer, who came into the barn just then.  “They go every day in summer, unless there is a heavy rain.  Some cows take cold easily, and should never be out in a long storm.  In winter, when it is not too cold, they have an hour or two in the cow-yard at noon.  The barn is warm, and they have a good bedding of straw.  In a cold barn, cows should be blanketed in freezing weather.”

“Do cows eat anything but hay and grass?” asked Robert.

“Oh, yes!” said Mr. Spencer.  “Cows need a variety in their food, and plenty of water to drink.  My cows eat corn-stalks, carrots, mangel-wurzels, and sometimes bran and corn-meal mixed.”

“How sleek they look!” said Robert.

“James cards and brushes them every day, to keep them in good condition.”

“They seem very friendly,” Robert went on.  “Clover is not at all afraid of me.”

“They have never been frightened or hurt,” said Mr. Spencer, “and they are affectionate creatures.  Cows are often homesick in a new home with a strange master, and they grow to love those who are kind to them.  I knew a little boy who tried to comfort a cow for the loss of her calf.  She was very unhappy and the boy did all that he could to show how much he pitied her.  Soon the cow would follow him about the place.  When he went away she was lonely, and when he came back she greeted him with evident delight.”

“Is it easy to milk a cow?” asked Robert.  “It looks easy.”

Mr. Spencer laughed.  “It is not so simple as it looks,” he said, “but James will teach you, if you like.  My cows never kick, but if you ever try to milk a cow that kicks, you must be very gentle with her.  I have heard that a cloth wrung out in cold water and laid over her loins will keep her quiet when other methods fail.”

“I will try to remember that,” said Robert.

“Cows, like most animals, are kind to one another,” said Mr. Spencer, seeing that Robert was interested in the pretty creatures.  “I was at work in the barnyard one day when two cows came up the road to the gate.  They seemed to be looking for something.

[Illustration:  A group of friends.]

“It was a hot, dusty day, and suddenly the thought came to me that they were looking for some water.  I opened the gate, and they went at once to the trough by the pump.  When I had filled the trough they drank as if they were nearly choked with thirst.

“As soon as they were satisfied they went away, but in less than an hour they came back again, bringing three other cows with them.  During all the hot weather these cows came to me every day for water.  When I found out who their owner was I told him the story.

“’I am ashamed to think that my cows had to go away from home to find water to drink,’ he said.  ’In future I will see that they have fresh water in their own pasture.’”