Show J ST THE YOUNG COW Judgment as to Her Value as a a Should Not Be Passed Too Early The young cow is an unknown quan quan- No man living can tell the first year whether a cow Is worth littie of much Some of the cows that have produced such small quantities of milk and butter butler fat that their owners have thought It wise to sell them have In later years developed into remarkable This fact is not only known to individual farmers but has been demo demonstrated at our experiment sta sta- At the Michigan station one young cow that was a very small producer producer pro pro- producer ducer of milk and butter fat and had more of the beef form than the dairy form in subsequent years greatly changed change her characteristics As she grew older the beef form largely disappeared disappeared dis dis- appeared and her he form took on the wedge wedge shape shape peculiar to the dairy cow She became a producer of milk In such Immense quantities and of such richness that she obtained a ana national national na na- r reputation J In the early days of the Babcock test many farmers disposed of young cows on the presumption that the test the first t year had shown about what the cows would do In subsequent years It was not long however before before before be be- fore the professors of dairying and dairy experts everywhere began to advise the farmers against the tice The young cow if poorly fed will develop but slowly or not at all into a good cow If with her the old practice is followed of giving her only dry forage in winter and nothing but pasture grass in summer summer It is doubtful doubtful doubt doubt- ful if she will develop her full capacity capacity capac capac- ity for milk giving before she I Is seven or eight years of age If however she is fe fed a good ration and one in accordance accordance ac ac- with the best scientific methods methods she will develop about her full capacity by the time she is four or five years of age It will take about three of the Farmers Farmers Farmers' Farmers Farmers' Farm Farm- years rears milking says ers ers' Review to show what she is worth in any case Our advice concerning concerning con con- the young cow is to give her hera a bountiful supply of feed balancing up the concentrated foods with a large quantity of rough feeds such as hay or silage so that tha she will not overeat There is no danger of an animal overeating overeating over over- eating if the bulky foods are in suf sufficient sum l- l clent proportion Danger only comes when she Is allowed to eat a quantity of concentrated foods or when she is given an unlimited quantity of green alfalfa which is excessively rich in nitrogen |