The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-09-26
Meal at Pasture.
Maine Farmer

The feeding of meal to stock when at
pasture is not common practice. o.
casionally a dairyman is found who has
practiced it to some extent, and grow
ers of fancy steers, particularly anxious
to secure rapid growth. in some cases
continue a meal ration of some kind
while the stock is at pasture. The ques-
ton arises, and it is an important one,
whether the practice can be recommend
ed for general adoption.
1t is well known by all, that in all
the older sections of the State, the pas
lures now fail to produce that abundance
of grass which was once the case. In
place of that thick, luxuriant supply
which once was sufficient to secure all
that was needed in few hours time,
and leaving the rest of the time to lay
on growth and secure milk, now the
grass is thin, and nearly all the day is
required for the animal to gather what
the system calls for. This being the
case, there never is secured. where good
work is wanted, so rapid a gain on
growing stock, nor SO large returns
from COWS, as the capacity of the ami
mails is constituted to give.
If there has anything been proved in
farm practice, it is that the profits from
stock come from good feeding. Per-
haps 1t may not be said that the best
returns come from the most liberal feed
ing, yet this would not be far from
actual facts. As rule, stock should
be kept doing at all times all that their
health and vigor will allow. There
should be no periods of respite from
thls-no periods of merely holding their
own, and certainly no seasons of ~oir~
back. AS the pasturage now IS, ..ock
will make moderate growth only for
limited time, after which they will
barely hold their own, and then, later
on, will lose portion of their growth
of the earlier part of the season. Mich
COWS are turned from the flush feed of
the barn to the thin grass, where, pos
sibly, the flow of milk may be for a
time kept up-but generally at the ex-
pense of shrinkage of fesh-to be
followed later on by serious shrinkage
OF milk also, and all from the lack of
food.
From limited practice of our own,
and from observations among others,
we fully believe there is no time when
meal ration will be found more profit
able than when the stock is at pasture.
Stock will live on pasturage alone, all
know, but this is not enough. We
want the steers to grow, the oxen to lay
on tat, the COWS to give liberal flow
OF milk. A small ration only, with the
CRASHED do this. A slight expense in
this direction will accomplish marked
results. The steers will not only grow
in frame, but with the meal they will
lay on flesh at the same time. The
COWS will not only give larger flow of
milk, but will hold in much better flesh.
This better condition causes them to
hold out their flow of milk later in the
season, and when they come fresh in
milk again. is the means of their CIV
ing larger flow. In long run, then,
it will be found very profitable. Grass,
even if it were plentiful enough, is not
a perfect ration, and is better balanced
by the addition of light feed of meal.
Not only is the flow of milk increas-
ed by the gram feed, but the quality of
it is found to be greatly improved.
Hence, this practice is especially popu-
lar among butter makers. We never
have known of single instance of its
being discontinued in a dairy where
once the practice had been introduced.
For supplementing somewhat scanty
pasturage, this course will be found,
under judicious Management, a profit
able practice. The kind ofmeal ration
should depend on the purpose for which
it is fed. If to oxen for fat, or to COWS
for rich milk and for keeping up their
flesh, nothing is better than corn meal.
If to COWS for large flow of milk,
cotton-seed meal may be recommended.
If to steers or to colts for growth, wheat
bran will best subServe that end.