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Show BAD FEED FOR THE DRY COW Advisability of Feeding Animal Well Is Not Usually Recognized Give Her a Vacation. 'By K. W. LATTA, New Mexico State College.) "We'll feed this spoiled hay to the dry cows." This statement shows a common attitude, but a wrong one. True, the dry cow can utilize to advantage, ad-vantage, as part of her ration, somo off-grade hay, but the advisability of feeding her well Is not usually recognized. recog-nized. A cow will do better In milk production for twelve months If she has six weeks to two months' "vacation "vaca-tion on full pay." While she Is dry she is nourishing her calf and getting her system into condition to give a large flow of milk when she freshens. While drying off the cow, she may be given the starvation treatment no grain and only a poor grade of dry roughage, but as soon as she is dry tl should be well fed again. The good dairy cow cannot be made too fat, when dry. All the fat stored up in her body will be milked off again, Increasing the yield of milk, and also. It has been demonstrated, her milk will test higher throughout the following fol-lowing lactation period than If she freshens in poor flesh. Ten days to two weeks before calving, calv-ing, the feed should be reduced, and light, loose feeds of choice quality should be fed. Bran, ground oats and linseed oilmeal are especially valuable at this time. A bran mash fed as a warm gruel is excellent to cool out the cow's system. It Is important to have the bowels in a laxative condition condi-tion at calving time. The cow should get plenty of exercise, and water not too cold. After calving she should not be crowded with feed.two weeks should pass before she Is on full feed. If cared for in this way the calf will be strong and healthy, and the cow will be ready to do a big year's work. |