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Show SUCCESSFUL FEEDING OF DAIRY COWS I . ( VALUABLE HERD OF YOUNG JERSEYS ON PASTURE. (From the United States Department of Agriculture.) One of the most common mistakes in the feeding of dairy cows on the farm is that the good cows are not given a sufficient quantity of feed above that required for their physical maintenance to obtain the maximum quantity of milk they are capable 'of producing. Successful feeding of dairy cows involves the providing of an abundant supply of palatable, nutritious nutri-tious feed at a minimum cost and feeding feed-ing in such a way as to receive the largest milk production from the feed consumed. Feeding for profit Is defined de-fined as liberal feeding, or feeding to the full capacity of the cow, in a new Farmers' Bulletin of the department, No. 743. "The Feeding of Dairy Cows." which discusses many of the factors involved in economical feeding. From the standpoint of economical milk production, a dairy cow generally should not be fed more than she will consume without gaining in weight. There are times, however, according to the bulletin, when it is desirable to make exceptions to this rule. Practically Prac-tically all heavy milk producers lose weight in the early part of their lactation lacta-tion period; that Is, they produce milk at the expense of their body flesh. When such cows approach the end of their milking period they normally regain re-gain the flesh they have lost, and the farmer can well afford to feed them liberally, with the assurance that he will be repaid in the form of milk when the cows again freshen. Pasture is the natural feed for cows, and for average 'conditions, with ample am-ple pasture of good grasses or legumes in good, succulent condition, good production pro-duction can be secured. The cost of land is a factor In the economy of using pasture, however. If pastures are depended upon entirely entire-ly for from four to six months of the year, and production is kept up to a profitable standard, anywhere from one to four acres or more must be provided for each cow, says the bulletin. bulle-tin. This Is assuming that a permanent per-manent pasture Is of good, clean turf, with few or no waste places, or that a temporary pasture has a good stand of grass or legumes throughout. Land that will provide such pastures frequently fre-quently is high priced. The following tables show the cost of pasturing a cow on land ranging from $25 to $200 an acre : Interest on cost of pasture per cow for the season ; interest at 6 per cent on the value of the land, allowing from one to four acres per cow: Acres Per Value of Land Per Acre Cow. S25 $50 $100 $150 $200 i Ji.so $3.00 $;.oo jn.no $i oo 'H 2.2o 4.50 9.00 13.50 ' 18 00 3.00 6.00 12.00 S.OO 24 00 - & 3.75 7.50 15.00 22.50 30 On 1 4.50 9.00 18.00 27.00 36 00 Vi 5.25 10.50 21.00 31.50 42.00 6.00 12.00 24.00 36.00 4S.O0 Cost of pasture per cow per day on basis of preceding table with a pasture season ... 150 days: Acres Per Value of Land Per Acre Cow. $25 M $100 $150 $"00 Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents J-- 2 4 6 8 ' 1 14 3 6 9 12 2 2 4 8 12 16 2 2V4 6 10 15 20 3 3 6 12 18 24 VA 314, 7 14 21 2S ' 4 8 16 24 32 Where the value of land is so high that the cost of pasturing is excessive, or where the land may be more profitably profit-ably used for growing crops, other methods of summer feeding are more profitable. It Is stated Hint In some sections for average production a cow can be fed on dry feed for 20 cents a day, and when the cost of pasturing exceeds lhat amount some other method meth-od of feeding should be considered. Grain should be fed to heavy-producing cows under all pasture conditions, condi-tions, says the bulletin. The following follow-ing table Is furnished as a guide to feeding grain with an abundant pasture. pas-ture. Variations should be made to suit different conditions and Individual cows. Jersey Cow. Daily Milk Production Pounds (Pounds). of Grain. 20 3 25 4 30 6 35 8 40 10 Holsteln-Frieslan or Ayrshire Cow. 25 3 30 ,-, 35 , 7 40 9 50 10 Grain fed to cows on pasture need not contain the same percentage of protein us for winter feeding. Pasture being an approximately balanced ration, ra-tion, the grain ration should have about the same proportion of protein to other nutrients. The following mixtures are suggested for supplementing supple-menting pasture without other roughage: rough-age: Mixture No. 1 (per cent digestible protein pro-tein 10.3). Pounds. Cround oats 1(J Wheat bran 100 Corn meal 50 Mixture No. 2 (per cent digestible protein. pro-tein. 12.7). Wheat bran 100 Corn meal 100 Cottonseed meal 23 Mixture No. 3 (per cent digestible protein. pro-tein. 15.5). Corn and pb meal 250 Cottonseed meal 100 Mixture No. 4 (per cent digestible protein, pro-tein, 13.6). Wheat bran 1O0 Gluten feed 50 Corn meal 50 To carry cows over a period of short pasture without a falling off in milk, soiling crops are growing in favor. For this purpose second-growth red clover, alfalfa, oats, or peas are excellent. What may be a disadvantage in the use of soiling crops is the extra labor required to cut and haul these crops from day to day, especially if field work is pressing. On high-priced land, where the problem prob-lem Is to produce a sufficient quantity of roughage, or If the cost of pasturage pastur-age for several cows for a season. During periods of drought, when both pastures and soiling crops fail, a silo filled with' well-matured silage grown the previous year Is most valuable. In planning a summer silo it should be kept in mind that its diameter should be in relation to the number of cows fed daily. 'As a general rule, under summer conditions, a cow will consume about 20 pounds of silage. Silage enough must be removed daily to prevent excessive surface fermentation. fermen-tation. On this basis a summer silo for 20 cows should be eight feet in diameter; for 30 cows ten feet, and for 40 cows, twelve feet. As eight feet is about the minimum diameter of a silo for best results, a summer silo is most applicable in herds of 20 or more cows. |