The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-11-23
FOOD FOR s1ILCH COWS.

@ I'll 4 ~
i: We take tho following from Mr.
Fowler's pamphlet on the Attorney
and Guernsey Cow It will be- no.
ticed that some of his views conflict
with those of American Dairymen ~
The FIRST requisite in feeding is, that
the animal should have abundance of
food, 90 as to be able to consume all
that she requires in as short time rs
possible, as then she will lie down and
have the moro time to secrcte her
milk, and that milk TO acquire richness.
The pasture should be often changed,
and If not in pasture thefood should b.
succulcnt but COWS fed with fool Of
too watery nature, which is tho case
with roots early in the season, require
an addition of more solid fooj, such as
meal or good oliver chat, otherwise
the milk, although considerable in
4u0uIACfs WILL Uo pun "iu s"ucyeJ,
yielding no cream. Such roots should
be carefully selected as have no synp-
toms Of decay or rottenness. Iu very
cold whcather, and as a change of
food, use crushed liosced and bruised
oats, steamed or boiled.
Mangel wurzel, which has become,
from its luscious qualities, 50 favorite a
food for the dairy COW, requires much
care and judgment iu its use and
should never be given before the
month Of January, as the longer it is
kept the less acidity is produced b. it;
and even then in my opinion, should
always be accompanied by from four t."
six pounds of barley meal Or bean meal
- every bushel, to correct the irritn-
ton oooasioued by its sole use, ,nan>
dairies Of good COWS having within my
knowledge, been weakened so as to
cause disease and barrcnness tor want
Of the adoption Of this principle.
The best--and, 10 fact, the on
roots that should be given-are car
rots, the yellow bullocks turnip aud
mangel, succeeding each other from
the time they arc required till she COW
returns to pasture. Grains and man
gle-vursel are only to be used when a
large quantity Of milk, in which quail
~ is net sought, is desired. Many
eovkeepers 10 London feed with these
for that purpose, and are, In conse-
qusnce, though selling genuine arti-
ele, wrongly accused of diluting their
milk. 1t must be obvious, therefore,
that such food is useless for the pur-
pose Of producing cream aud butter.
l consider grains utterly iuadmissable
for the dairy COW, aud mangels only
to be used in the manner before stat.
Cd as q change Of diet.
The COW and the horse can vel!
pasture together, but no other animal
should be allowed to run IN the same
field, pigs and poultry spelling and
tainting the feed. All rank weeds
must be carefully eradicated, and
garden refuse kept out of the cows
reach, especially shrubs, yew-hedge
cuttings, etc, these things being often
poisonous, and occusiouing the COW to
slip her calf. The same remark will
apply to dead and putrid matter.
Let the pasture be free from ponds
and other dirty drinking.places, where
the water is fou|ed and rendered I'm.
wholesome by dccayed matter or the
drainage FROM duug.heaps and by the
habit which the cattle have of stand
ing aud manuring in it for hours TO-
gether. A clean tub or tank should
be used fer watering the cattle, and
kept supplied with pure, sweet water,
which, il pumped from we'll, should
be exposed to the air considerable
time before use.
Cows should be taken in about sun.
set, or before they arc preparing to
rest for the night, and on no account
allow them to be hurried to and from
The pasture, especially when full OF
milk.