Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-04-14
Feed for Dairy Cows.

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meeting of the northwestern dairymeu's as.
sociation his views in regard to feeding dairy
COWS. His remarkable success as dairy
man entities his opinion to respect. He
said
Tame grass, corn meal, oat meal, wheat
bran, and oil meal, will do very we'll for
summer food for cows. For winter food,
in addition to the meal, feed clover and
timothy hay; the more clover the better.
Hungarian hay or oats, cut just as they pass
into the doughy state are excellent for milk
and butter. Corn, cut when the kernels are
in the dough, is number one, provided it is
well cured and well saved. Clover should
be cut when about two-thirds in blossom. 1t
should be cut in the forenoon, wilted, put in
small buuches Of seveuty-fve to one hundred
pounds then let it stand until cured. BY
so doing you save all the leaves and the
flavor. Timothy shonld be cut when in the
first blossom There is more hay spoiled by
drying too much than not enough.
As things which the COW should not eat, |
name ragweeds, leeks, turnips, turnip tops,
cabbage, buckwheat bran, rye bran shorts or
middliugs of any kind. Any of the above
tend to produce bad flavor in milk and
butter. Boiled rye makes very nutritious
food and produces good milk, cream and
butter. This is the only safe way, in my
opinion, to feed rye, aud then | consider it
far inferior to corn, oats and fax, or oil
meal.
Now have told you the kind of feed l
like, and the kind don't like. The next
question is, how much to feed. | will give
only the results Of my own experience and
close observation.
First, | consider it of great Importance to
to have COW in a thriving condition when
she comes in. | would feed say one quart
Of corn meal ana two quarts of wheat bran,
and quart oil meal each day, for at least
four weeks previous to dropping the calf
| would not increase this quantity for two
weeks after calving. Give a teaspoontul Of
salt every time you feed meal.
After the COW gets fairly to her milk,
increase her feed until you reach ten pounds
corn and oat meal, or corn meal and wheat
bran, two pounds corn meal to ono pound
bran, aud two pounds oil meal per day, with
all the good, early cut hay and corn stocks
she can eat. DO not be afraid If a few ears
of corn are left with the stalks They will
not hurt the COW. Hungarian hay or oats
cut as hay, consider an excellent food for
change. Cows are fond of a variety. This
is our mode of winter feeding.
In summer we feed the same amount Of
meal as in winter, whether the grass in flush
or short, up to within two weeks of the time
of drying off. Then we drop off the meal
entirely, and would not commence feeding it
again until about four weeks before calying
Experience aud observation have taught
us that this is our best way to treat cow
for profit. This treatment has produced the
following result in our dairy: On October
lst we had 81 new milch cows and l3 that
had been in milch from 9 to II months
| On November lst we had 81 new milch
December lst, IT; December 24th 81 new
new milch and the l3 farrow cows. This
days milk of the 100 COWS made l2l pounds
of butter. As nearly as | can figure, our
dairy averaged during this time So to 90
cows. They gave us in l23 days, 2S9,666
pounds oi milk, an average of 26 l.G pounds
per day for each COW during the entire time
There are dairymen in our town whS feed
live pounds per day and make an average of
II to l3 pounds of milk per day others
that feed six or seven pounds and make an
average Of II to l5 pounds; others feed
eight or nine pounds and make an average of
8 to 20 pounds. None of these feed oil
meal One dairyman OF, whom we buy all
the butter he makes, we purSuaded to feed
one pint of oil meal per COW per day. In
extra cold weather it increased his milk
product IL per cent. The value of oil meal
can scarcely be stated too strongly. In our
experience one quart per day is enough to
feed
In all my observation the man who gives
full feed with care, gets the bost pay for
what he does feed. am fully satisfied half
feed does not pay, and irregular feeding does
not pay. 1t you want your COW to
give good mess, aud that steadily, give
ner something to make it Of If you
eeononmize and cut down the cows rations
she will just as surely cut down your supply
Of milk.