Newspaper Page Text
THE RANCH
VOL. XXXII. No. 12.
FEEDING COWS FOR MILK. PRODUCTION
Paper Read hy Prof. A. B. Nystrom, Dairy Editor of ©*© RasacK
at tithe State Dairymei* 9s Meeting at Motissat Veriaoira,, Tlhis Week.
The dairyman's feeding problems
have beeu discussed so often and so
thoroughly at dairy conveutions and
through the press, that it seems that
what might be brought up at this
meeting is simply going over old
ground. Nevertheless new ideas,
relative to correct methods of feed
ing, are continually being brought to
our notice through investigations and
indeed it is olten wise to bring up
old and tried rules that have beeu in
successful operation for the past dec
ade.
It is as a rule somowhat of a problem
for a dairyman to choose a ration for
his herd that will bring in the largest
net returns for each individual animal.
This is true because of the fact that
ditterent animals use the feeds to
different ends.
While the speaker feels that success
in dairy production depends very
largely on the breeding of the oow,
yet it must be admitted that even
though a cow has the proper breeding
and conformation she may or may not
prove profitable at the milk pail.
We must recognize this fact at the
outset; viz., that correct feeding
means working the cow to capacity
at the least expense. All the cows in
any herd must certainly vary as to the
capacity they possess for producing
milk. That there is something more
than feed to stimulate milk produc
tion is very clearly shown by an ex
periment conduoted by Eckles of
Missouri: "A mature Jersey cow was
fed a liberal ration while dry; she
oalved in more than moderate flesh.
Her ration was adjusted to supply
only nutrients sufficient to support
the body, leaving nothing for produc
ing milk. She was compelled either
to cease producing milk or to make
it from the reserve on her body. This
was continued for 30 days. At the
end of this time she was producing
KENT and SEATTLE WASH., DECEMBER 15, 1912-
—Cut courtesy Register Publishing Co., Portland, Ore.
No. I—"Peter Pan," $10,000 Grand Champion Bull, owned
by J. W. Clise. No. 2—D. H. Looney's Bull, "Golden Prince
of Oregon." No. 3—lmported "Rose of Kilburn," Jersey
cow owned by W. O. Morrow. Shown at the International
Dairy Show, Nov. 18-25, Portland, Ore.
only one pound less of milk per day
than at first, but was so weak she
could hardly get up without assist
ance. During the time she lost 115
pounds in her body weight and pro
duced 90 pounds of milk solids from
her own body." This illustrates for
cibly the fact that a highly bred cow
produces milk because of the inherit
ed tendency, or capacity, and not as
a result of the feed she consumes. As
a consequence of this milk produc
tion, however, the cow has a keen
appetite, and she oats in order to
replace the broken down material.
The milk production is the cause and
not the result of the feeding. From
this we can draw a partial conclusion
that we cannot influence cows to give
milk by feeding them unless it is
bred in the cow to have the milk
giving capacity.
So the main point is to feed the
cow to her capacity and we raust
therefore consider each animal in
dividually. In the first place, it is
essential that cows be Riven some
green feed, or something of like
nature. In localities where pasturing
is practiced, co*B ieach their maxi
mum production in May or Juno.
This suggests that in order to obtain
the highest production throughout
the year the dairymen should imitate
the conditions of early summer as
much as possible. This is necessary
for two reasons. First, because her
digestive apparatus is of such nature
as will handle green feeds to better
advantage. A cow that is fed a oor
s°c Per Year: s<= the Copy
rect ration so far as nutrients are
concerned, but in a dry form will
gain perceptibly when changed to a
lation consisting partly of succulent
feeds, even though the latter contains
no more total nutrients than the
former. Second, because as a rule it
is the cheapest form of feeding certain
crops. As an example, we have
green corn as compared with the dry
fodder. The former is all consumed
and largely digestible, while the latter
is unpalatable and much of it is
wasted.
The furnishing or this succulence by
pasturing is perhaps the easiest
method, but it is doubtuful if it is
the most economical. In a locality
whore Lnd is comparatively cheap
and mixed grass pasture can be grown
nearly tho year round, it may be
profitable to use a pasture crop
Again if the land was of such a nature
as to make it impossible to cultivate,
pastuiiug may be practiced. But on
the whole, this system is too expensive
where land is high in price such as
it is in most stctions of the Paciflo
Northwest.
By the use of the soiling crop, that
is, those that may be harvested green
and fed directly to the herd in a feed
lot, we are able to get one of the most
economical methods of furnishing the
succulent purt of a ration. The grow
ing and feeding of routjcrops may be
profitable in some localities and the
storing and feeding of silnge of some
kind may prove best elsewhere.
It ia not the purpose of this paper
to outline methods to be followed in
raising these various soiling crops
noi to insist that one crop is supeiior
to another. Since the value of these
crops, ulhmi fed, come mostly from
the succulence they afford rather than
the amount of nutrients they contain,
the whole matter of such feeds can
be summed up in a few words. Plant
-the crop that will give the largest
(Continued on page 8)
