The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-11-22
Improved Method of Wintering Cows.

Mr.. Linus w. Miller, Of Stockton, N.
", an experienced dairyman, adyo- i
Gates, in a pamphlet entitled 81 Meal i
Feeding and Animal Digestion a sVs7 II
tenn of feeding COWS during winter, r
which involves the use Of BIT three
quarts Of meal per day. He asserts that
this amount Of good Indian meal; fed
under proper conditions, is more than
the equivalent, for all the coed hayra
cow can, be eQaxed to eat-that the AMI
Jmal does not need to have its stomach
distended with a,great bulk of woody
fiber, which imposes upon the system a /
large amount Of extra mechanical work
both in the processes of digestion and
remasticationathat in brief, bulk ia
food is not advantageous but to the con-
ltrary, and that nutriment in food gov
erns the condition and health of the
animal, and that condensation of nutri-
ment is true economy. Mr.. Miller has
conducted physiological Investigations
into the functions Of the fotir st6iiiachs
of the COW, whence it appears that meat
| follows the same course as herbaceous
food, and stays longer in the irumen
than coarse food, while lit also digests
more thoroughly than, when the ener7,
| gies Of the stomach are divided between
meal and coarse herbage.,a;t, 's..l'
| Whatever may be the correct theory
in this regard, results of actual practice
appear to beArcOut Mrs9 Miller's views
The reportofoa committed, appointed
to examine into the system by the West
ern New York Dairymen's Association,
shows the following facts: The exami.
/ nation was conducted upon Mr., Millller's;
herd of Chautanqna County native COWS,
the average i've weight of which. was
900 pounds. The herd were fed exclu-
siveiy upon corn-meaIfor several weeks,
each animal, according to its digestive
capacity, making an average Of Iab0utf b.
quarts of meal per day for each COW.
The animals did not ruminate, did not
manifest so much, desire, for food as
| COWS fed on hay alone in the usual way,
little less than they will eat, showed
no signs of unrest or suffering; and at
the time of going back to hay, the COWS
had neither lost nor gained flesh, After
returning to hay, their stOmachs filled
and Illuminating went on normally,
healthy calves. were dropped, and when
, turned to grass the animals took on
flesh faster than those who wintered in
the usual way Their daily yield OF milk
was 20 lbs. 8 ozs., or | lb. IL ozs per
/ cow more than that of any other herd
! / sent to the same cheese factory. ugi
i AS regards, the economy Of meal.
feeding, Mr.. Miller points oat that one
. bushel of corn, ground and tolled, will
last an ordinary Sized COW of 900 lbs
, weight - days, and is equal to 240 lbs
Of hay Corn ut 60 cents per btIshel i
, | therefore the equivalent to hay at S5 PEE
!. / ton of 1000 lbs, and where tcanl b'
! had at that rate the cost of iwinterini
! the animal will range from 81 to $40
l according to soIdness and length Of tn
foddering season But hay as q rul
! costs at least $40 per ton, and Frequent
: | " much more. Hence the estimates
Z saving by meal,feeding is placed atfror
I So to $40 peroanimal, according to tn
] respective prices of corn and hay