The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-11-09

rarely noticed bone when they had Q
chance. We never heard of an OK acs
quiring the habit of chewing bones, and
much doubt If one ever did.
Did anybody ever think how much
bone material there Is contained In the
annual product of good dairy cowi
How many calf frames would that milk
build up? And who of US has reck-
oned up how many pounds of bone maj
terial have been taken from our COW
pastures that have been fed close every
summer for fifty or a hundred yearsa
Why is it that almost all farmers are
agreed that bone phosphate is better
suited to the needs of their land than
any other form of commercial manure?
Why is it that crops respond to bone
phosphate more readily than to almost
any other kind of fertilizer? Simply be-
cause, under our system of selling ami
mails and milk, we have been depicting
our soils of the bone elements. The
cows that chew bones most are gener-
ally those which have been kept in pas
lures that have not been ploughed OF
MANFRED for a long term of years, and
in which the animals are compelled to
get their entire living for several months
during the summer season.
Farmers who have new pastures,
those which produce red or white clover
bountifully, or who feed daily liberal
rations of grain to their cows, are rarely
troubled by having them acquire this
disagreeable habit. Wheat bran, on
account of its large content of bone ma
terial, makes an excellent food for cows
in this condition, and if generously and
continuously fed in liberal quantities,
will, We believe, cure any cow of the
habit, if she is not otherwise diseased.
We could point totwo pastures lying on
opposite banks of small stream, on
one of which the feed is always good.
while on the other it is always poor.
The difference in the feed is caused
solely by the difference in the character
of the soil. One is thin, sandy gravel.
which produces only the poorest kind Of
vegetation, while the other is q deep.
fine loan, where white clover and June
grass both thrive in perfection. In one
of these pastures cows may run all sum-
mer long, and never notice bone in
their path, while in the other bone
would be among the first things to be
picked up. We have seen cows stand
and chew bone for hours at time
certainly a most unsatisfactory occupa-
ton of their time.
After we commenced feeding bran
and other grain freely to our cows in
summer, while at pasture, their habit OF
chewing bones was entirely cured. But
one summer, when bran was dearer in
market than corn-meal, the bran was
withheld for a few weeks. and corn
meal given in its stead. Now, corn
meal is rich food, but it does not con-
tain nearly so large proportion of bone
material as good wheat bran. After
feeding it few weeks the best COW in
the herd was one day observed chewing
a bone, and after while all the cows
in the herd began to chew bones when
they could find them, the poorest cows
getting the taste for them last. We soon
found that wheat bran, even at the
higher price was the cheaper food for
our cows, and commenced feeding it
again, when the trouble ceased. Since
that time wheat bran has been fed daily
to every animal in milk, and not one
has ever been known to chew bones.
We should have had no hesitation at
any time during the past ten years, in
offering to give away any cow in our
herd that we could find chewing bone,
or that could be induced to chew one
that might be placed before her.
Bone meal is often recommended for
curing cows of bone sickness, and we
should have no objection whatever to
feeding it, if they would eat it, as they
sometimes will, but we should prefer
giving them their bone material in
more natural form in their food. Raw
bone can not be as readily digested in
the stomach of a COW as good clover
hay and the bran of wheat, which con-
tains the bone, but in more available
form.
We have written the above because
we have recently seen a letter in one Of
our exchanges, from correspondent of
high repute, who seems to believe that
all cows will chew bones when they can
get them, He is undoubtedly sincere in
his belief as we are in ours. Possibly
wider observation would modify one
opinion or the other. We would esteem
it favor if readers of the Farmer, who
have had experience, or have observed
the habits of cows in this regard, would
send US the results of their experience
or observation. None of us are toe
wise to learn.-NeU England Farmer.