The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-02-15
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


ITOI, CHHTleb DOle, OI NOIWlCh UNI"
versity, at Mortified, VT, communi-
Gates the following interesting expert
ments in feeling cows, TO the Vermont
Chronicle:
/ have three COWS, which / am feeding
for the double purpose Of getting milk,
and at the Same time fattening the ami
mails for beef. They are all farrow, one
of them has been 30 for two years. They
belong to the common breed, and have
been what would be called good mixers.
At the time ! commenced feeding they
certainly did not give milk enough TO
pay for the hay they ate. My object IN
Experimenting was to find out, as nearl
as possible, the most profitable feed. !
began the experiment December 25th,
and continued it for four weeks, with the
following result;
The feed the first week was eight lbs.
OF "shorts," one-half bushel of sugar beets,
and ten pounds of hay per day to each
COW fed the shorts night and morning,
four pounds at a time. The beets were
given at noon. They were fed all the
hay they would eat up clean, three times
a day. Thus, the first week ! fed the
three COWS two hundred and ten pounds
of hay, one hundred and sixty-eight
pounds Of shorts, and ten and a half
bushels of beets. The hay was of a very
poor quality. ! estimate the cost as
follows: One hundred and sixty, eight
pounds of shorts at twenty-five dollars
per ton, two dollars and ten cents; two
hundred and ten pounds Of hay at twelve
dollars per ton, one dollar and twenty.six
cents; ten and a-half bushels of beets at
fifteen cents per bushel, II dollar and
ffty-seven cents. Total, four dollars and
ninety-three cents. We got three hun.
drcd and seventy-nine pounds of milk,
making sixteen and one.half pounds OF
butter, taking twenty-three pounds of
milk to make n pound of butter. The
butter was Of the best quality, and at
thirty cents per pound would bring four
dollars and n%inety-tive cents. There was
in addition the skim milk, and a steady
gain of the COWS in flesh.
In the second week the feed was the
same as the first with this exception-in-
stead Of feeding eight pounds of shorts |
gave them eight pounds of feed, com
posed One-half each OF corn meal and
shorts. This week we got three hundred
and ninety-iour pounds of milk and eigh-
teen and one-half pounds of butter, or
II pound for a little over twenty.one
pounds of milk. The cost of the feed
this week, calling corr as | did, two lol-
lars per hundred, was five dollars and
sixty-five cents. The butter was worth,
at thirty cents per pound, five dollars
and iifty-five cents.
The third week was the same as the
first, with the exception of feeding bran
instead of shorts. Amount of milk this
week three hundred and eighty pounds,
Both butter and milk same as first week.
Fourth week same as second, only
useing bran instead Of shorts. Milk this
week, four hundred and eighty pounds
butter, nineteen lbs. Cost of feed SAINT
as second week, five dollars and fifty-six
cents; butter worth five dollars and
seventy cents.
have not tried corn meal alone as
grain feed, but from former experience
am convinced that il is not as valuable
Tor milk us either bran alone or bran and
corn meal mixed in equal parts.
have no doubt from the above re.
suits, and my observations since, that no
better feed can be given COWS than corn
meal and bran mixed.
The cows have not only more than
paid their keeping in milk, but have
steadily gained in flesh, and are now fair
beef. Had | only fed common hay, such
as | had, they would not have paid their
keeping.
Perhaps | should state that all the
feed was scalded and the cold water
added, making Il pailful at a time Tor
each cow The butter made was very
nice, far better than it would have been
with only hay or fodder. | am satisfied
that bran is fully equal to shorts in val.
ne, and to mix with corn it is better.
With bran at twenty-five dollars per ton,
and corn at forty dollars | would use as
much corn as bran, and feed them mixed.
| have said little about the roots fed,
my object being to determine the best
kind Of grain or feed to buy, But 50 well
satisfied I'm | with the result of feeding
roots that | would not on any account
be without them. Every farmer would
find it to his advantage to raise from
sevcnty-fve to one hundred bushels iol
every COW.