The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-27
Feeding According to Requirement.

Philadelphia Record
AS long as animals are fed the kind or quality
of the food is not always considered; yet one
may feed large amount of food without benefit
10 the stock, while by judicious system of feed
ing, in proportion to what is required, lesser
quantity may be needed ard the cost lowered
AS animals differ in the kind of products they
provide. SO should the food be regulated to con-
form to that which is expected. A Jersey COW
that gives a large yield of butter from small
quantity of milk land some of them have yielded
pound of butter from three quarts of milk de-
mands food rich In fat, and in feeding her for
cream the breeder keeps in view the object
to be obtained He expects a large quantity
of butter. and he knows that the fat must some
from the food. If the food is deficient ia the
element most desired, the yield will be less, for
the reason that. no matter how highly bred tine
cow may be, nor how capable she is it is an i'm
possibility for her TO produce anything unless
she is provided with the materials with which to
manufacture her daily product.
Other classes of cows that excel in producing
large quantities of milk, but not rich in cream,
have an equal task to perform. While the pro-
portion of fat required may not be large, yet the
milk is nevertheless, to be made of certain ma
terials rich in nitrogen and phosphates Her
food while 1t may be deficient in fat, should be
as complete as possible in those elements re-
quired by her, and in making up her allowance
of food she must be fed differently from the COW
that produces a large amount of butter in pro-
portion to milk yielded.
An animal that is growing requires more
complete ration than one that is matured, for il
has not only to supply bodily waste, but also to
build up the frame and increase in carcass. If
the same kind of food fed to a growing animal be
given 10 one that is matured the excess will be
voided from the body manure, simply be-
cause the animal cannot appropriate it. In the
face of these facts many farmers feed all classes
of stock together making no distinction between
the growing steer or the productive COW, the
young or the matured, and do not consider that
butter and milk are very different in compost
ton, and that special feeding materials must be
provided according to the objects fulfilled by
each animal
If a due allowance is made for the work done
by each animal, and its characteristics observed,
careful and systematic feeding would save
hundreds of pounds of material, while the farm
er would secure larger product at a cheaper
cost With systematic feeding comes good shell
ter, as the first important duty performed by the
food is to heat the body and repair waste. All
over and above the immediate bodily require
ment is that which becomes product, and if the
heat can be saved by warm stables and dry shell
ter the smaller will be the quantity required for
repair of waste. The feeding of cornstalks and
straw may assist the farmer to winter his stock,
but any deficiency of nutriment therein must be
provided by more concentrated food such as
grain, and the grain must be of the kinds that
abound in the principal elements required for
the different purposes