Connecticut western news., 1884-03-26
A FARMERS EXPERIENCE.
How Feed Corn Fodder.


 As already stated, use corn fodder to supplement my pastures during the dry season. As soon as the pastures begin to dry up, and there is failing of in the flow of milk. betake myself to the cornfeld and begin feeding-lightly at first, and increasing from day to day un- til the COWS are prepared for full ra- tion, or as much as they will eat up clean, and by this means keep up the flow of milk in my dairy. The corn is cut daily and thrown on the wagon, and scattered in the pastures. Saturday af- ternoon load is cut and left on the wagon for the Sundays ration. In win ter the fodder is drawn from the shock in the field and run through feed cut ter, and every morning the COWS are fed ration of the out fodder. After the COWS are turned out, and the stables cleaned, the refuse in the feeding troughs is thrown out and it makes a good bedding for the COWS. Afterward this waste of cut stalks goes into the manure, and when plowed under I find that it keeps the soil light and porous, and for heavy soils it is invaluable, as it helps to admit the moisture and the air to the roots of growing plants.
 After the stables are cleaned, and be- fore the COWS are turned in, the feeding troughs are filled with cut fodder, and af fi0bt tho oarpo ara fraoEol 1o o c,s..II ration of Hungarian as an appetizer. Good hay would answer as well, but as the hay crop is liable to be affected by the drouth, and is therefore to some ex- tent an uncertain crop, I have adopted Hungarian, and find it certain crop, and dairymen of all others must raise crops that can be depended on. They may perhaps economize in their grain rations, but thin stock require and must have full daily rations of bulky food, and when dairyman is compelled to re- sort to market for such food, his profits will soon be exhausted. One experience of that kind will suffice to prompt any man to adopt a system of farming that will enable him to raise all the bulky food he requires for his stock. Hunga- rian will mature in sixty to seventy days, and on good soil it will yield three, four, or more tons to the acre. It should be out early, or just as soon as it comes into blossom, and is then a most excel lent forage plant for the dairy.
 In regard to feeding, would say that it is always the part of wisdom to feed literally. It is equally important that COWS (and all animals) have variety of food, for however good and palatable any kind may be, if fed only single kind of food an animal will soon cloy of it, and be 'off feed" In ground feed l usually feed bran, corn and oat meal, and some oil meal, mixed, say four parts bran, three parts oat meal, and one part corn meal, adding about one-half pint oil meal, feeding 8 to twelve quarts per day to each milch COW. Cows in full flow of milk require larger rations of feed than those that are nearly dry. The Illinois Milk Condensing Company require their patrons to feed ground feed summer and winter, though we feed less in summer than in winter. I purchase bran and oil meal, and such other feed as require, though usually on my coun- try farm (my home farm is now much broken up) raise all the corn and oats I require for the stock.-GEoRaE P. LORD. Eloin. III,