Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-01-22
Feeding and Management OF Dairy
Cows.

TIE fifth lecture of the late course at
Amherst was upon the above subject
We take the following abstract of it from
the New England Honcstedt:
"No branch OF dairy farming can cong
pare in importance with the feeding and
management of cows The highest sue
cess will depend upon il, whatever breed
be selected, and whatever amount of care
and attention be given to the points of
the animal; for experience will show that
very little milk comes out of the bag that
is not put into the throat
"As general thing, we keep too much
stock for the quantity of good and nutri-
tious food we have for it, and the conse-
qucnCe is, COWS are in nine cases out OF
ten, poorly wintered, and come out in the
spring weakened, if not positively dis
oased, and long time is required to
bring them into condition To yield
generous quantity of milk; but if they
are well fed, well housed, and well sup
| piled with pure, iresD water, and with
roots, or other moist food, and properly
treated to the luxuries of frequent card
ing and constant kindness, they come out
| ready to commence the manufacture of
milk, well and under favorable circum-
| stances.
ain order to keep cows in milk well and
economically, regularity is next in impor-
tance to II full supply of wholesome and
nutritious food. The healthy animal
stomach is very nice Chronomcter, and
it is of the utmost Importance to observe
| regular hours in feeding, watering and
milking. This is q point in which very
many farmers are at iault--feeding when
ever it happens to be convenient The
cattle are thus kept in a restless condition,
| constantly expecting food when the keep
| er enters the barn; while, if regular hours
| arc strictly adhered to, they know exactly
| when they are to be fed, and rest quietly
| till the hour arrives.
| "Tho less cows are exposed To the cold
of winter, the better They eat less, thrive
better, and give more milk when kept
| housed all the time than when exposed TO
the cold. This, however, will be governed
much by tho weather; for in very mild,
warm days, II may bo judicious not only
to let them out, but tO allow them to re-
main out for short time to exercise.
"ln summer the most natural, and of
course the healthiest, food for milch cows
is the green grass of tho pastures; but
when these fail from drought or over.
stocking, complement of nourishmCut
may be made up with green clover, green
oats, barley, millet, or corn fodder, and
cabbage leaves, or other succulent vegcta,
bles. ..
"In autumn, the best food will be the
grasses of the pastures as far AS they are
available, together with corn-todder cab
bage, carrot and turnip leaves, and an ad.
ditiOn of meal or shorts
"In winter the best food for COWS In
milk, will be good sweet hay, a part ol
which should he cut and moistenod with
water, as all inferior hay should be, with
an addition of roots, such as turnips, car
rots, parsnips, potatoes, mangold wurzel,
with shorts, oil.oake, Indian meal or bran
meal
"In spring, the best feeding for dairy
cows will be much the Same as in winter
the roots in store furnishing very valu,
able aid in increasing the quantity andim
proving the quality of the milk.
THE object with many farmers seems 10
! be, to sec with how little food they can
J keep the COW alive. Now it appears to
J mo that the miloh cow should be regarded
rs an object of transformation. The con
! duct of a manufacturer who owned GOOD
machinery and an abundance of raw ma
, terial, and had the labor at hand, woult
he considered as very absurd, II he hest
tated to supply the material, and keep tn,
machinery At work, at least so long as hI
+ could run it with profit
"The mangold wurzcl should not b,
fed after the trst of March, AFTER the otho
, roots are gone
/ AS regards time of coming in, il shoul,
. he about the last Of April or, the first o
! May, SO that the COW will reach her fulles
: flow about the time she gets to pasture
III " Soihug is a very excellent practice
4 where the amount OF pasturing is small
4 The crops generally usodare corn, rye an
; millct"