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Show Agricultural Information I For The Dairyman I Recent investigations indicate that high producing dairy animals are fre- . quently" deficient in calcium, phosph-oveus. phosph-oveus. and other mineral elements due to the fact that more of these elements ele-ments are lost through the body in the form of milk than are taken in the feed. This is sometimes true of cows feeding on rich pasture or alfalfa hay, ! both of which are high in mineral com position. It is particularly true of animals an-imals feeding heavily on wet beet pulp, the pulp being low in mineral constituents. constit-uents. These facts have led to many attempts at-tempts to determine which animals are deficient. The futher problem is to supply the deficiency. It is frequently true that animals which are not receiving receiv-ing sufficioet mineral in their rations inclined to chew bone, wood, leather and occasionally even stones. Other-V'--? no thoroughly practical method ol determining such a condition has been found, except that of supplying various mineral mixtures in such fas-ion fas-ion that the animals appetite will judge its needs. Many different mineral mixtures have been suggested by authorities on feeding to meet a mineral deficiency. Many commercial mixtures are sold at high prices and some firms claim that their mixtures prevent and completely control abortions and certain other contagious diseases. It is unci -.ubtedly true that a cow with a sufficient mineral min-eral ration will be healthier and stronger strong-er than one with a deficient ration in this respect. It is possible to provide cheap, home made mixtures, which will generally serve the purpose of supplying the deficiency. de-ficiency. Common salt should be fed at all times of course and freely, and this should also form the basis of the general mixture, A simple mixture that gives good results is composed of equal parts by weight of common salt, finely ground limestone rock, and finely fine-ly ground bone meal. Another mixture that is often recommended is composed of 35 pounds of common salt. 35 lbs. of finely ground bone meal, 20 pounds of finely ground limestone, rock or ir slacked lime will do. To this is added n pounds of flowers of sulphur, making mak-ing one hundred pounds in the mixture If there is a tendency for calves to be bom with a big neck or goitre, one-tenth one-tenth of a pound of potassium iodine rhould be added to each 100 pounds of the mixture. It may be injurious to force the mixture mix-ture upon the animals and for that reason it is usually placed in a compartment com-partment where the cows may have f-ee access to it. If any particular animal an-imal has a ravenous appetite for minerals min-erals it is preferable that the mixture h" introduced somewhat gradully into the ration. |