Show dairy cows feed should be ample cutting down ration lowers production of milk as well as s profit bv IV J T ernser professor of dairy forming farming collore college of 0 agriculture culture university ol of illinois service at least three fourths of the dairy cows in the nation are underfed at some time during the year this cutting oft off the top of the ration cuts off the top of 0 the milk which the cow would otherwise produce and in which lies the profit for the past two years the average annu annual al production ot of the dairy cows in the united states has been only pounds of 0 butterfat a cow the best one third ot of uncle sams immense dairy herd produced an average of pounds of butterfat butter tat th the e middle third averaged pounds of butterfat butter tat a cow and the lowest producing herd more than cows averaged only ay pounds of fat a year into the board and keep ot of the poorest two thirds ot of this vast herd or more than cows goes the productive power ot of an area of good land larger than the states ot of illinois and iowa combined as well as the money and energy of 0 a million farmers and their families reasons given tor for such low production are are that many cows are not capable of making good production even if well fed a large percentage of the bulls are unable to sire good production and many purebreds are poor producers furthermore there is much detrimental ri mixing of different breeds in the same herd then too in add addition to many heifers heffers being poorly raised both cows and heifers heffers lack proper care in many instances despite this showing great progress has been made in the breeding breedin feeding and care ot of dairy cattle in the past 30 years we have learned that we can feed dairy cows well and much more economically on good continuous pasture during the summer and an abundance of good legume hay bay throughout the winter if these are raised on good fertile soil and properly harvested and stored |