The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-11-15
AGRICULTURAL.
milking Stoch for ihe Dairy

Che evenings of the New York state fair,
which, by the way, are one Of the most
valuable features of the fair, some in
tcrcSting and Useful experience vas
brought out, Prof. l.. b. Arnold, well
known AZ an intelligent writer on dairy
aublect2, said
Two points are of prime Importance at
the outset, the securing Of proper milt.
ing stock thaving the highest roSsible
capacity for converting ford into milk,
and the furnishing Ufsn ample supply of
the best food. We are slow TO change
old practices in either respect, and there
is a vast los every year from our ind;i-
ference, IN regard to feeding, very few
people appreciate how email 4 proportion
Of the feed IL converted into milk, and
how large a proportion goes TO the sup
port Of the COW, During the season OF
lactatiOn alone, IL takes iour'fiths OF the
food 10 run the machine Now cannot
we use less in this way, or else give more
food TO the same animal ir excess Of
what ahe needs for her support, ard have
~ turned into milk We do not ordi,
narily give our COWS at the food they
can digest. Almost every year there is
II dry time in July, and grass is scarce.
Then the cows machinery uses ap at
feast @vencights of the food rot la own
support, and the profits ATE almost an.
nihilatcd. This is all wrong cows
should never at any time lack n full
supply of food and water. We must also
remember that the habit OF milk. giving
is diminished and permanently Injured
when a COW il starved, besides diminish.
ing NATURALLY as the time of c~alyinp be-.
comes less distant.
The quality Qi the iced also makes an
important difference. one kind will not
take The place of another. II you give
inc COW three times Az much Of the albu-
mnoids IA she needs, md only half the
quantity of the supporters of respiration,
there will 40 a waste OF the former. TO
I've snrc, the first may bc converted into
Che Sccerd to a certain extent, but tho
reversed process will not occur. A
crorcr proportion should be maintained.
Dtcn it is overlooked that food should
30 easy Of digestion. Give "A COW all the
'traw she can consume, and she cannot
digest enough To keep hcrsclfup sud give
milk, II she does rive milk, she will
use herself up and become poor, GAN
che good hay Il COW can cat in the
spring will not do; she cannot digest
enough Of il. 1t il like wintcring pigs
on raw potatoes they can just barely
keep alive, which il not what we want.
Boil them and tho piga grow fat. The
food Of amilch cow should be young and
tender, or else 80 cooked as readily To de.
oOmpose. Grass il most excellent, being
quickly digcsted, and in fact needing
very little alteration 10 convert il
into milk, which i. very closely
resembles IN composition, chang.
sng the Hbrous matter b water.
Steamed hay approximates quite nearly
70 grass but is harder to digest, especi.
ally il cut too ripe, For milk prodnc.
f'on, the earlier it is cut the better, but
Wry early cutting may not always pay
quite the best. Perhaps the best rule
tor ordinary practice il to cut Just as it
IL heading OF approaching blossom
would not let it head, anyhow. The
speaker has a high idea OF fodder corn
'cd green, IN a dry time, if properly
crown aud properly fed. Cured in
winter, 1t is also most excellent, fed dry
has never steamed it. 1t should be
ut when just tasseling out. G~reen-cut
clover is better than late-cut timothy,
but green.cut timothy is best fall three.
Would not steam any cut at the proper
tlmc--it does not pay; it digests well
enough without. There il great loss in
feeding meal. In regard to the kind Of
feed, German or golden millet il des-
tined To come into general use. The
seed may also be matured for fowls (for
which purposes it is excellent), or for
horses, cattle or pigs, if the millct is not
wanted for soiling. 1t is better than
corn fodder, and more OF il grows ON an
acre. The drink of n dairy COW is also
very important. Good milk is 81 per
cent. water, and some milk 80. So the
water must be pure and abundant if we
would make any sort of milk.